Where Does minikube Store Clusters?
Where minikube keeps clusters, ISOs, and kubeconfig entries in the user home folder.
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minikube keeps everything under ~/.minikube: per-profile configs in profiles/, VM disks in machines/, cached ISOs and addons nearby. kubectl access lands in ~/.kube/config as a context pointing at the profile.
That split explains cleanup. minikube delete removes the profile and disks together, while manual rm needs both trees. Cache folders can stay; they re-download only when versions change.
Where minikube stores this, by platform
~/.minikube/
Profiles, machines (VM disks), cache, and certs. kubectl contexts in ~/.kube/config point here. Delete per profile with minikube delete -p; prune machines/ for space.
%USERPROFILE%\.minikube\
Same profiles plus machines layout. Docker and Hyper-V drivers share this home, so one cleanup covers every driver.
~/.minikube/
Same layout as Linux. QEMU and Docker drivers both resolve under this home; check here when disk usage surprises you.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove a cluster fully?
Delete the profile folder under profiles/ for the cluster name, or run minikube delete -p <name>. The machines/ dir holds the VM disks, which is where the gigabytes hide. Keep ~/.kube/config entries tidy afterwards.
What belongs to one cluster?
Each profile folder holds its config.json, certs, and VM reference. The shared machines/ dir holds the actual disks. Copy both trees plus the kubeconfig context to move a cluster; version skew between minikube builds can break old profiles.
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