Where Is the After Effects Disk Cache Folder?
The After Effects disk cache folder on Windows and macOS, where to see the real path, and how to clear it safely while the app is open.
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The disk cache stores rendered preview frames so After Effects does not have to recompute them every time you scrub the timeline. It fills up on purpose: the default limit is 10 percent of the cache volume, capped at 100 GB, and the folder keeps growing until it reaches that ceiling.
Two caches are easy to mix up. The RAM cache holds frames in memory and empties when you quit; the disk cache writes frames to a folder on disk and they survive restarts. The preference pane always prints the folder it is using, which is more trustworthy than any default path you find online.
Where Adobe After Effects stores this, by platform
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp\Adobe\After Effects\<version>\Disk Cache - <computername>.noindex
The version number and your computer name are part of the folder name, so copy the pattern rather than the literal string. Uninstaller logs from After Effects 15.0 through 25.3 show real .aecache files at exactly this path on fresh installs, but several guides list other folders, so treat the path in Edit > Preferences > Disk (older versions: Media & Disk Cache) as the authority. Empty Disk Cache in that pane, or Edit > Purge > All Memory & Disk Cache, is the safe way to clear it while After Effects runs.
~/Library/Caches/Adobe/After Effects
This is the default macOS location, with a version folder inside it; third-party guides disagree about the exact subfolder naming, so confirm in After Effects > Settings > Disk (older versions: Media & Disk Cache), which always shows the current path. The separate conformed media cache is shared with Premiere Pro under ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common, and it is cleaned from the same pane with Clean Database and Cache.
Frequently asked questions
how do i clear the after effects disk cache
Open Edit > Preferences > Disk on Windows or After Effects > Settings > Disk on macOS and click Empty Disk Cache, or use Edit > Purge > All Memory & Disk Cache. Both work while the app is open. Deleting the files by hand while it runs risks locked or half-written frames.
what is the difference between ram cache and disk cache after effects
The RAM cache holds preview frames in memory for the current session and is purged when you quit. The disk cache writes frames to a folder on disk so previews survive restarts and take seconds to reopen. Adobe recommends putting that folder on a fast drive separate from your source footage.
why is my after effects disk cache so large
It grows to the maximum you set, and the default is 10 percent of the cache drive up to 100 GB. Lower the slider in the same preference pane to cap it, or choose another folder on a second drive. Clear it from inside After Effects so the cache database and the files stay in sync.
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