Where Does Quarto Store Cache and Logs?
Quarto splits state between a per-project .quarto scratch folder and a per-user cache and logs tree under ~/.local/share/quarto.
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Quarto keeps two kinds of scratch around. Inside each project, a .quarto folder holds render caches and the project database that speeds up repeat builds. Outside the project, a per-user tree holds logs and shared caches. The project folder is the one you will trip over; the user tree is the one support will ask about.
Both are disposable. A broken render after an upgrade often traces back to a stale project cache, and the official advice is to clear it. The user logs folder is plain text and worth a look before filing issues.
Where Quarto stores this, by platform
[ProjectDir]/.quarto
Project render cache and index database. Safe to delete when builds misbehave; Quarto recreates it on the next render. Keep it out of version control with .gitignore.
~/.local/share/quarto
Logs and shared caches live here (logs subfolder included). Respects XDG_DATA_HOME when set. quarto check prints the resolved locations, which is the authoritative answer on any machine.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the exact cache path on my system?
Run quarto check and read the cache location line. It prints the resolved directories for your machine, which settles any doubt faster than guessing from documentation.
Is it safe to delete the Quarto cache?
Generally yes. The project cache speeds re-renders and rebuilds itself. Delete it when renders fail mysteriously; stale caches behind Julia and Jupyter engine upgrades are a documented source of trouble.
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