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Adobe does not have one Windows-wide Clear Adobe Cache command. Cache controls are specific to each application, so the correct method depends on whether you are clearing Premiere Pro, After Effects, or another Adobe program.
The safest approach is to use the application’s own cache settings. These controls remove generated preview, conforming, indexing, or disk-cache files—not your original projects, footage, photos, or other source files.
Before clearing an Adobe cache
- Save your work.
- Close any Adobe application whose cache you plan to remove.
- Expect the application to work more slowly temporarily while it rebuilds cache files.
- Do not delete the entire
%AppData%Adobefolder. That is not Adobe’s documented universal cache-clearing method and may remove settings or other application data.
Cache files are temporary files that Adobe can recreate. Clearing them can help with missing audio waveforms, playback problems, stale previews, indexing errors, or unexplained disk-space usage, but it will not fix every performance problem.
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Clear the Premiere Pro cache on Windows 11
Method 1: Use Premiere Pro’s Preferences
This is the preferred method because Premiere knows which cache location it is currently using, including a location you previously moved to another drive.
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- Open Premiere Pro.
- Close any open projects by selecting File > Close All Projects.
- Open Edit > Preferences > Media Cache.
- Click Delete beside Remove Media Cache Files.
- Choose one of the options in the Delete Media Cache Files dialog:
- Delete unused media cache files removes cache files made for source media that Premiere can no longer find.
- Delete all media cache files from the system removes all cache files in the current cache location.
- Click OK and allow Premiere to complete the operation.
For a complete Premiere cache reset, Adobe recommends restarting Premiere and choosing Delete all media cache files from the system before opening any project. Opening a large project immediately after the purge can take longer because Premiere must regenerate peak files, conformed audio, and other cache data.
Method 2: Delete Premiere’s cache manually
Use this method when Premiere will not open, its cache dialog is unavailable, or you need to remove files from Windows Explorer.
- Exit Premiere Pro completely. Check Task Manager if you are not sure it has closed.
- Open File Explorer.
- Click the address bar, enter the following path, and press Enter:
C:Users<username>AppDataRoamingAdobeCommon - Delete the files inside the folder.
- Empty the Recycle Bin if you need the disk space returned immediately.
AppData is hidden by default. You can either paste the path into File Explorer as shown above or enable View > Show > Hidden items.
This folder can contain Premiere’s Media Cache Files and Media Cache database data, including generated .pek peak files and .cfa conformed-audio files. If the folder is empty or much smaller than expected, Premiere may be using a custom cache location. Check Edit > Preferences > Media Cache before deleting anything.
Do not manually delete Premiere cache files while Premiere is running. Adobe’s manual procedure specifically says to exit Premiere first.
Configure automatic Premiere cache cleanup
Premiere’s automatic cleanup is disabled by default. To configure it, open Edit > Preferences > Media Cache and find Media Cache Management.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Do not delete cache files automatically | Leaves automatic cleanup disabled. |
| Automatically delete cache files older than | Removes eligible cache files older than the selected age. The default age is 90 days. |
| Automatically delete oldest cache files when cache exceeds | Removes eligible older files when the cache exceeds the selected size. The default threshold is 10% of the volume where the cache is stored. |
Automatic cleanup is narrower than deleting the entire Common folder. It applies to .pek, .cfa, and .ims files in the relevant Peak and Media Cache subdirectories. It does not delete every file under the Adobe Common folder.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesAfter changing the setting, quit and restart Premiere. On the next launch, Premiere may begin the cleanup about 10 minutes after startup; the maintenance process then runs weekly.
Clear the After Effects cache on Windows 11
Empty the disk cache from Preferences
- Open After Effects.
- Select Edit > Preferences > Disk.
- Click Empty Disk Cache.
- Confirm the operation if After Effects asks you to do so.
After Effects’ disk-cache folder may be different from Premiere’s default Common folder. In the same Disk preferences, use Choose Folder to see or change its location. The selected folder cannot be the root of a hard disk; choose a folder within the drive instead.
The disk cache is enabled by default. After Effects’ default maximum disk-cache size is 10% of the volume’s total size, up to 100 GB. After Effects also checks for 10 GB of free space above the configured cache size and warns if that extra space is unavailable.
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Use the direct purge command
For a broader cleanup, select Edit > Purge > All Memory & Disk Cache. This clears both the disk cache and the RAM caches.
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That distinction matters:
- Quitting After Effects automatically clears its RAM cache.
- Quitting does not necessarily remove the persistent disk cache.
- Empty Disk Cache targets the disk cache.
- All Memory & Disk Cache clears both RAM and disk cache data.
Purging one installed After Effects version does not purge the disk cache belonging to another version. If several versions are installed, repeat the cleanup in each version when necessary.
What “Clean Database & Cache” does
Do not confuse Clean Database & Cache with a complete cache purge. That command removes conformed and indexed files, along with database entries, only for footage whose source file is no longer available. It is useful for orphaned media data, but it does not clear all active After Effects cache files.
After Effects media cache can include .cfa conformed-audio files and .mpgindex files for indexed MPEG media. Its media-cache database is shared with Adobe Media Encoder, Premiere, Encore, and Soundbooth, so changes may affect how those applications regenerate media data.
What about Photoshop, Illustrator, and other Adobe apps?
Adobe’s cache controls vary by application. Do not assume that Premiere’s path or After Effects’ Disk preferences apply to Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Acrobat, or Creative Cloud. Look in that application’s Preferences, Performance, Cache, Scratch Disk, or similar settings first.
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If an application does not provide a documented cache-clearing control, avoid deleting broad Adobe folders at random. Adobe’s documented procedures for Premiere Pro and After Effects are application-specific, and there is no universal desktop command that safely clears every Adobe cache on Windows 11.
Should you use the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool?
Usually, no—not for routine cache maintenance. The Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool is intended for repairing or removing outdated Adobe software, cleaning corrupt files, addressing Adobe Content Synchronizer problems, and repairing host-file issues. It is not Adobe’s normal cache-clearing procedure.
Use it only when Adobe Support or a specific troubleshooting guide directs you to do so. It can remove software and configuration components, so it is substantially more invasive than clicking Empty Disk Cache or deleting Premiere-generated cache files.
If you have been instructed to run it on Windows:
- Download the tool from Adobe’s official Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool page.
- Right-click the downloaded tool and select Run as administrator. If that option is unavailable, Adobe says to double-click
AdobeCreativeCloudCleanerTool.exe. - At the language prompt, type
Efor English orJfor Japanese, then press Enter. - Type
yto accept the license agreement, then press Enter. - Choose only the numbered cleanup option specified by the Adobe troubleshooting instructions. For example, Adobe documents
3for Creative Suite and Creative Cloud app removal,4for Creative Cloud app removal, and12for the host-file repair option. - Wait for Adobe Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool completed successfully, press Enter, and restart Windows.
The tool uses an interactive numbered menu; it is not a general Windows shell command for clearing Adobe caches. If the host-file repair option is used, the tool creates a backup named hosts_bkup.
What happens after clearing the cache?
- Projects and source files remain: Adobe’s documented cache operations remove generated cache data, not your original media or project files.
- Cache files return: Premiere and After Effects recreate them when source media or previews require them.
- The first launch may be slower: waveform, peak, audio-conform, indexing, and preview data may need to be rebuilt.
- Free space may not stay available: active projects can quickly regenerate a large cache.
- Insufficient RAM is a separate problem: In After Effects, disk caching cannot compensate when a single frame does not fit into a contiguous block of RAM.
Quick decision guide
| Problem | Use this first |
|---|---|
| Premiere playback, waveform, or audio-conform issues | Edit > Preferences > Media Cache > Delete |
| Premiere will not open or its cache dialog cannot be used | Close Premiere and remove the files from its configured cache location; the default is C:Users<username>AppDataRoamingAdobeCommon. |
| After Effects previews or disk usage are excessive | Edit > Preferences > Disk > Empty Disk Cache |
| After Effects needs both RAM and disk caches purged | Edit > Purge > All Memory & Disk Cache |
| Old Adobe installation or corrupted Creative Cloud components | Consider the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool only when Adobe’s troubleshooting instructions call for it. |
Official Adobe references
- Clear Premiere Pro media cache using Preferences
- Delete Premiere Pro media cache files manually
- Automatically manage Premiere Pro media cache files
- After Effects memory and storage preferences
- Run the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool
FAQ
Will clearing Adobe cache delete my projects or original videos?
No. Premiere Pro and After Effects cache controls remove generated cache data. Your project files and source media are stored separately. Adobe recreates required cache files when you reopen or work on a project.
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Why did the cache come back after I deleted it?
Cache files are temporary working data. Premiere and After Effects regenerate peak, conforming, indexing, preview, or other cache files when the current project needs them.
Can I delete the entire %AppData%Adobe folder?
Do not use that as a universal cache-clearing method. For Premiere, Adobe documents the default cache location as %AppData%AdobeCommon, while After Effects uses its configured Disk cache folder. Deleting the wider Adobe folder may remove settings or unrelated application data.
Does closing After Effects clear its disk cache?
No. Quitting After Effects automatically purges the RAM cache, but the persistent disk cache remains until you use Empty Disk Cache or another appropriate disk-cache control.
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Why is Premiere still using disk space after automatic cleanup is enabled?
Premiere’s automatic cleanup targets only certain .pek, .cfa, and .ims files in its Peak and Media Cache subdirectories. It does not delete every file under the Adobe Common folder, and cleanup may not begin until after a restart and a delay of about 10 minutes.
Is the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool a cache cleaner?
Not in the normal sense. Adobe positions it as a repair and removal utility for outdated software, corrupt files, Content Synchronizer issues, and host-file problems. Use the dedicated Premiere or After Effects cache controls for routine cleanup.
The Bottom Line
Use the cache controls inside the Adobe application rather than deleting broad Adobe folders. In Premiere Pro, go to Edit > Preferences > Media Cache and click Delete. In After Effects, use Edit > Preferences > Disk > Empty Disk Cache, or use Edit > Purge > All Memory & Disk Cache when you also need to clear RAM caches. Manually delete files only after the application is closed and only from its confirmed cache location.
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