Where Does minikube Keep Clusters and Cache?
Where minikube keeps config, cached ISOs and VM disk images under .minikube on each OS.
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minikube keeps everything under ~/.minikube (or %USERPROFILE%\.minikube on Windows): config.json at the root, machine disks in machines/, cached ISOs and images in cache/. One folder per profile means clusters never intermingle.
Disk images dominate the size: each VM disk is gigabytes, while config and certs are kilobytes. When the folder balloons, suspect abandoned profiles first (minikube profile list), stale cached Kubernetes versions second. The cache subfolder is the only part worth preserving across reinstalls.
Where minikube stores this, by platform
%USERPROFILE%\.minikube
Same layout on every OS, only the home prefix changes. Paste %USERPROFILE%\.minikube into Explorer. Driver choice (docker, hyperv, virtualbox) changes disk format, not location.
~/.minikube
Profiles in profiles/, disks in machines/, downloads in cache/. Remove clusters with minikube delete rather than by hand to keep the cache.
~/.minikube
Same as macOS. Root owned files appear if minikube ever ran under sudo; chown them back before normal use or every command fights permissions.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove a cluster without losing the download cache?
Run minikube delete. It removes the cluster VMs and their disks while keeping the cached ISOs, so the next start is fast. Deleting ~/.minikube by hand works too but also wipes the cache, forcing full re downloads.
Where do extra minikube profiles live?
Profiles isolate clusters as subfolders under .minikube/profiles, each with own config and disks. Run minikube profile list to see them. Deleting one profile folder removes that cluster only.
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