After an unusual mid-April snowstorm Spring is undeniably here and it is time for our annual article on performing a digital spring cleaning. Look at all the posts in this series since putting those together offers a comprehensive checklist. However, we realize it is a lot to take in all at once. So, let’s drill down on one simple area, browser clean-up.
Now more than ever we use browsers in all aspects of our digital lives. Although they may seem like simple portals to the internet, they are programs that benefit from their own de-cluttering. Some of the things that make them efficient can also bog them down without occasional maintenance. Here are a couple of things you can do to keep your browsing safe and efficient.
Manage bookmarks
Bookmarks are a handy way to access our favorite sites quickly, but they can quickly get messy and out of date. Look at all your folders and bookmarks and make sure they are still useful and operational.
Review stored passwords
It can be convenient to have password and form data stored in your browser, but it is better to have it in a dedicated password manager. Check to make sure that there is no information you don’t want there.
Delete Cache and history
Cache allows your browser to render pages you have already visited quickly, but when it piles it up it can slow down your computer or interfere with retrieving the most recent version of the page.
Remove unused extensions
Every extension is a program, which could not only slow down your browser but collect information about your browsing behavior. Make sure you know what all the extensions installed on your browsers are and remove the ones that you don’t use.
One important power tip as you are deleting bookmarks, passwords and extensions is to make sure there are no unused accounts associated with them. Now is a perfect time to delete those as well and pare down your digital footprint this Spring.
Tate, this is so helpful. I have a ton of bookmarks, all in alphabetical order, but many unused. These are great suggestions for cleaning those up and keeping my laptop running at peak efficiency! Thanks also for consolidating the links to your other posts on this topic.
Love clean-ups! Question – Is there an easy way to share bookmarks across browsers – e.g., Edge and Chrome? Ron did a Peer Point years ago on a tool that managed them. I can try to dig up, but since it was so long ago [and we may have cleaned it out ;-)] there may be a more systematic way to do between them.