How to refresh a web page on a Mac (the F5 equivalent)

Why it happens

On a Mac, the top row of keys controls brightness, volume and other features first, so F5 doesn't reload pages. Command-R is the Mac way to refresh, and it works in every browser. A hard refresh also throws away the stored copy of the page and fetches it fresh.

How to fix it

1. Click anywhere on the web page so the browser is active.

2. Press Command-R. You can also use the View menu at the top of the screen and choose Reload Page.

   Menu bar›View›Reload Page

3. Page still showing old content? Do a hard refresh: Option-Command-R in Safari, or Shift-Command-R in Chrome.

Still not fixed?

1. Open the page in a private window from the File menu, or press Shift-Command-N. That skips saved cookies and extensions, which often cause a page to misbehave.

2. If you'd rather the top row worked as plain F keys, turn on Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys in Keyboard settings.

   Keyboard›Keyboard Shortcuts…›Function Keys›Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys

3. If some sites load and others don't, try another browser. If only one browser fails, the problem is in that browser.

4. If no website loads in any browser or on any network, contact Apple Support.