# Why does IE reload when I hit the back button?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ie-reload-when-i-hit-the-back-button/150020
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 21, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ie-reload-when-i-hit-the-back-button/150020 "2003-01-21T18:28:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@prisoner6655321](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prisoner6655321)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ie-reload-when-i-hit-the-back-button/150020/1 "2003-01-21T18:28:42Z")
Why does Internet Explorer reload the previous page when I hit the back button? Why can’t it just display what’s already in the cache? I mean, what is the purpose of the cache if it doesn’t use it? Why is it taking up a hundred megabytes. I should just set the cache to zero. Opera does it that way. I have broadband at work and at home but IE is still slow, especially at straightdope. If it was faster, I wouldn’t complain so much.
Am I the only person who suffers from this malady. If so, can someone please help me to configure IE to use the freaking cache?
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### Author:  [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ie-reload-when-i-hit-the-back-button/150020/2 "2003-01-21T18:33:35Z")
Try going to Tools\>Internet Options\>General\>Settings and set the “Check for newer versions of stored pages” to never.
That _may_ do it.
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### Author:  [@prisoner6655321](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prisoner6655321)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ie-reload-when-i-hit-the-back-button/150020/3 "2003-01-21T18:59:27Z")
Yeah, that works for the back button, sure. But then when I click on a link I’ve been to before it displays the cached page instead of loading a new one. The back button should always load the cached pages and clicking a link should always load a new page. AFAIK IE treats both the same. Please tell me I’m wrong.
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### Author:  [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ie-reload-when-i-hit-the-back-button/150020/4 "2003-01-21T22:20:44Z")
Semi-WAG ON.
Back will not always load the new page (as you’ve found out).
It really depends on what has been cached and whether the page has been told not to cache itself.
If there is a NO-CACHE tag in the page, then regardless of whether the content has changed, your browser will always go and get a new version of the page as your browser has been told not to cache it.
Dynamically created content (eg. asp, phtml, etc), will probably also not cache as the content is dynamically created (duh) and therefore your browser knows to get the page again.
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### Author:  [@prisoner6655321](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prisoner6655321)
#### Post date: [January 22, 2003, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ie-reload-when-i-hit-the-back-button/150020/5 "2003-01-22T19:12:22Z")
No, unless I change the setting as Joey G recommended it ALWAYS loads the new page when I hit the back button. Am I really the only one noticing this? I can’t believe everyone with dialup is putting up with it.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [January 22, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ie-reload-when-i-hit-the-back-button/150020/6 "2003-01-22T19:18:43Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Caught@Work \*
> Semi-WAG ON.
Just please be sure you WAG OFF in private.