Where Does Figma Store Its Cache?
The desktop app's cache folders on Windows and macOS, where the browser version caches instead, and why clearing either loses nothing.
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Figma files live in the cloud, and the desktop app is a shell around the same web app, so what it keeps locally is cache: rendered canvases, images, font data and your last session. Clearing that costs a slower first open and nothing else.
Which folder matters depends on how you run Figma. The desktop app has its own cache under AppData or Application Support. The browser version creates no Figma folder at all, it caches inside your browser profile instead, so clearing browser data is the way to shrink that.
Where Figma stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\Figma
Figma's own support article says to force quit the app, open %APPDATA%\Figma and delete the Desktop and DesktopProfile folders, plus the font_cache and settings files, when the app hangs or shows stale content. Plenty of machines also have %LOCALAPPDATA%\Figma with a Cache subfolder inside, so clearing both is what people do before a reinstall.
~/Library/Application Support/Figma
The official fix is rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Figma", which wipes the cache and your local login, so expect to sign in again. Inside, DesktopProfile holds version-numbered folders (v12, v17 and so on) with a Preferences file, useful if you only want to reset preferences rather than everything.
Frequently asked questions
will i lose my work if i clear the figma cache
No. Your designs and version history are on Figma's servers, so a cache clear only empties local temporary files. The app re-downloads everything when you open a file, and that first open after clearing is slower than usual.
figma cache location windows
Press Win+R and type %APPDATA%\Figma. That is where the desktop app keeps Desktop and DesktopProfile. Some machines also have %LOCALAPPDATA%\Figma, which holds a Cache folder, and deleting either is safe.
where does figma save files when i use the browser
Inside your browser profile, alongside every other site's cache. There is no Figma folder in AppData for the browser version, so use your browser's own clear-data controls, then sign back in at figma.com.
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