Adobe Illustrator FontTarget & Data Recovery Cache

Bottom Line: It is 100% safe to clear the Adobe Illustrator cache. Clearing temporary recovery files will NOT delete your .ai vector graphics, EPS files, custom swatches, or saved artwork.

What is the Adobe Illustrator Cache Folder?

Located at %LocalAppData%\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator [Version]\Caches on Windows (or ~/Library/Caches/Adobe/Adobe Illustrator on macOS), this directory is used by Adobe Illustrator.

Illustrator caches:

• FontTarget/: Pre-rendered font glyph preview caches for Illustrator’s font dropdown menu.
• DataRecovery/: Auto-save recovery document backups created while working on vector projects.
• GPU Canvas Shaders: Fast viewport zoom and pan render caches.

If Illustrator crashes or freezes unexpectedly, orphan data recovery files accumulate, taking up 2 GB to 10 GB+.

Can You Delete Illustrator Cache?

✅ Yes, it is completely safe to delete.

• Vector artwork stays 100% safe: Saved .ai and .svg files live safely in your document folders.
• Fixes Illustrator crash on launch: Clearing font cache and preferences is Adobe’s official fix when Illustrator crashes while loading plugins or fonts.

How to Safely Clean Up Illustrator Cache

Method 1: Delete Cache Folders via File Explorer / Finder

1. Close Adobe Illustrator.
2. Press Win + R, type %LocalAppData%\Adobe, and press Enter.
3. Open Adobe Illustrator [Version] and delete the Caches folder.

Related Guides

• Learn about deleting Photoshop Scratch Disks.
• How to clean up Figma cache.
• Check if you can clean After Effects Disk Cache.