Is It Safe to Delete Prefetch?

What is the Prefetch Folder?

Located at C:\Windows\Prefetch, this folder contains dozens of obscure .pf files with names corresponding to the software you use on your computer (e.g., CHROME.EXE-3F2A1B.pf).

Why Does It Exist?

Introduced all the way back in Windows XP, the Prefetch feature monitors how your computer behaves when it boots up and when you launch your favorite applications. It tracks exactly which tiny fragments of code the hard drive needs to read to open an app.

It then saves this map in a .pf file. The next time you launch Chrome, Windows looks at the Prefetch file, knows exactly what code needs to be loaded, and pre-loads it into RAM. This makes applications launch significantly faster.

Can You Delete It?

Yes, it is safe to delete—but you absolutely shouldn’t.

There is a 20-year-old internet myth that emptying the Prefetch folder will “speed up your PC” and “free up RAM”. This is completely false. Emptying the Prefetch folder does the exact opposite.

What Happens If You Delete It?

1. Your apps will load slower: The next time you open your web browser or video game, Windows won’t have a map of how to load it efficiently. The launch time will noticeably increase.
2. You save almost no space: Windows strictly caps the Prefetch folder to a tiny size (usually holding exactly 128 files on Windows 10/11). It naturally self-cleans old files. You will only save about 30 Megabytes of space by emptying it.
3. It comes right back: Windows will immediately start analyzing your app launches and rebuilding the folder the very next day.

Bottom Line

While technically safe to delete, clearing the C:\Windows\Prefetch folder is a debunked PC maintenance myth. Leave it alone; it is actively working in the background to make your computer run faster.