Arch Linux Pacman Package Cache (/var/cache/pacman/pkg)

Bottom Line: It is 100% safe to clear the Pacman package cache. Running paccache -r or pacman -Sc will NOT uninstall your Linux applications or corrupt system packages.

What is the Pacman Package Cache Folder?

Located at /var/cache/pacman/pkg on Arch Linux, Manjaro, and EndeavourOS, this directory stores downloaded .pkg.tar.zst binary package archives.

Unlike Debian/Ubuntu apt (which deletes package installers after upgrading), Pacman never automatically deletes old package archives. Over months of updating Arch Linux, Pacman retains every historical version of installed packages, rapidly consuming 10 GB to 40 GB+.

Can You Delete Pacman Package Cache?

✅ Yes, it is safe to clear.

• No software uninstalled: Active installed binaries in /usr/bin remain untouched.
• Rollback safety: Keeping the last 1 or 2 package versions allows package rollbacks if a system update breaks a driver.

How to Safely Clean Up Pacman Cache

Method 1: Using paccache (Recommended - Retains 2 Backup Versions)

Run paccache to clean old packages while keeping the last 2 versions for emergency rollback:

sudo paccache -r

Method 2: Purge Uninstalled Package Archives Completely

To purge archives for uninstalled software:

sudo pacman -Sc

To purge all cached package archives (maximum space recovery):

sudo pacman -Scc

Related Guides

• Learn about deleting [Ubuntu APT Cache].
• How to clean up Flatpak cache.
• Check if you can clean Linux /var/log.