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Web Browsers - How to Fix a "Bad Request" Error

Microsoft IE 11 End of Life

Microsoft IE 11 support for Windows 10 machines is ending June 15th. After that date, attempts to open IE 11 will redirect to opening in Microsoft Edge. More information can be found here: Internet Explorer 11 End of Life Update

Problem

When you attempt to access a website, you may sometimes instead receive a "Bad Request" error message where the website content should have loaded. This error often contains the number "400" and may include additional text, such as "Your browser sent a request that this server could not understand. Size of a request header field exceeds server limit."

Solution

First, check the website URL you entered to make sure it is correct. If the web address appears to be entered correctly, then the issue can usually be resolved by clearing your browser's cache and cookies.

Note: Windows users can use CTRL + F5 to bypass the cache and download a website's complete content.

For instructions on performing these steps, click on the appropriate link for the web browser you are using:

Desktop Web Browsers

Clearing the browser cache prevents you from using old/out-of-date versions of websites and protects your personal information. It also helps running some applications better on your computer by freeing up space.

Note: Make sure you set the Time Range to the "All Time" or "Everything" options when available to clear all data.

Table with browser name and links to Windows documents and macOS documents.

Browser	Windows Document Link	macOS Document Link
Google Chrome	Chrome (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies	Chrome (Mac) - Clearing Cache and Cookies
Firefox	Firefox 57+ (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies	Firefox 21+ (Mac) - Clearing Cache and Cookies
Safari	Safari (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies	Safari 10.0.1+ (Mac) - Clearing Cache and Cookies
Microsoft Edge	Edge (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies	None
Opera	Opera (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies	Opera 28.0 (Mac) - Clearing Cache and Cookies
New Microsoft Edge	New Edge (Win 10, 8, 7, MacOS) - Clearing Cache and Cookies	New Edge (Win 10, 8, 7, MacOS) - Clearing Cache and Cookies

Mobile Web Browsers

Table with mobile Operating System and corresponding documents on clearing cache and cookies.

Operating System	Document Link
Android	Android (Jellybean) - Clearing Cache and Cookies on Google Chrome
iOS	iOS - Clearing Cache and Cookies
webOS	HP webOS 2.x - Clearing Cache and Cookies
Windows Phone	Internet Explorer (Windows Phone) - Clearing Cache and Cookies

Legacy Versions

See Also:

• NetID Login - How to Fix a "Stale Request" Error