Where Does the Slack Desktop App Store Its Cache?
Slack desktop's local cache and app data folder, the go-to fix when Slack is stuck, slow, or showing stale data.
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Like Discord and VS Code, the Slack desktop app is built on Electron, so it keeps a browser-style local cache for each workspace you're signed into. Files you download from a Slack conversation itself go to your regular OS Downloads folder, not here: this folder is Slack's own app cache and local storage.
Slack support commonly recommends clearing this folder (with Slack fully quit) as a first step for a client that's frozen, stuck syncing, or using unusually high memory.
Where Slack stores this, by platform
%appdata%\Slack\Cache
Quit Slack completely (check the system tray, not just the window) before deleting Cache contents. "Storage" and "Local Storage" in the same parent folder can also be cleared for a more thorough reset.
~/Library/Application Support/Slack/Cache
Quit Slack from the menu bar (Cmd+Q), not just close the window, before clearing this folder.
~/.config/Slack/Cache
Snap installs nest this under ~/snap/slack/ instead. Check there if the path above doesn't exist.
Frequently asked questions
Will clearing Slack's cache sign me out or delete messages?
No. Messages are stored on Slack's servers. You may need to sign back in and workspaces will take a moment to re-sync the first time you reopen Slack.
Where do files I download from Slack actually go?
Your browser or OS default Downloads folder. Slack doesn't route downloaded attachments into its own cache folder.
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