Where Does Premiere Pro Store Media Cache Files?
Premiere Pro media cache sits in Adobe Common folders with .pek and .cfa files. Windows and Mac paths plus safe cleanup.
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Premiere keeps two different things people mix up. Auto-saves are versioned project copies beside your .prproj file. Media cache is separate: peak files, conformed audio and index databases that let the timeline scrub smoothly. This post covers the cache half only.
The cache uses a Common folder shared across Adobe versions, so it survives upgrades that move everything else. Peak and conformed files rebuild on demand, which makes the cache safe to delete with the app closed. Set auto cleanup under Preferences, Media Cache instead of hunting files by hand.
Where Adobe Premiere Pro stores this, by platform
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Common\Media Cache Files
Holds .pek peak, .cfa conformed audio and .ims files. The sibling Media Cache folder holds the .mcdb database linking media to cache. Change both under Edit, Preferences, Media Cache. Safe to delete with Premiere closed.
~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Media Cache Files
Same layout as Windows, with the database in the sibling Media Cache folder. Change under Premiere Pro, Settings, Media Cache. There is no Linux build, so no third path exists.
Frequently asked questions
Can I delete Premiere Pro media cache files?
Yes, with Premiere closed. The app rebuilds peak and conformed files the next time each timeline opens, so the only cost is a slower first scrub. Prefer Preferences, Media Cache, Delete for housekeeping over manual deletes.
What is the difference between Media Cache and Media Cache Files?
Media Cache Files holds the bulky .pek and .cfa render data. Media Cache holds the small .mcdb database that maps source clips to those files. Clearing one without the other is fine; Premiere reconciles them on launch.
Where are Premiere Pro auto-saves then?
Beside your project in an Adobe Premiere Pro Auto-Save folder, or under Documents\Adobe\Premiere Pro\<version> for the default location. Auto-saves are project copies, not cache, and deleting them loses edit history rather than freeing scratch space.
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