Adobe Premiere Pro Scratch Disks & Media Cache

Bottom Line: It is safe to delete Adobe Premiere Pro Scratch Disk files and [Media Cache)))))))))))))))))))))))))) files]. Deleting them will NOT delete your original camera footage, project files (.prproj), or exported final videos.

What are Premiere Pro Scratch Disks?

When editing video in Adobe Premiere Pro, the software generates temporary working files saved to your designated Scratch Disks (or %AppData%\Adobe\Common\Media Cache Files).

These scratch files include:

• Conformed Audio (.cfa & .pek): Generated wave peak files so Premiere can draw audio waveforms quickly.
• Video Previews (.m2v): Rendered timeline video files created when you press Enter to preview effects.
• Captured Video & Audio: Temporary scratch ingest files.

Working on a few 4K video projects can cause Scratch Disks and Media Cache files to hoard 20 GB to 100 GB+ of unneeded disk clutter.

Can You Delete Scratch Disk Files?

✅ Yes, it is safe to delete.

• No original footage lost: Your raw camera clips (.mp4, .mov) and project files remain 100% safe.
• Auto-regenerated: If you reopen an active project later, Premiere Pro will simply recreate any missing .pek audio waveforms in the background.

How to Safely Clean Up Premiere Pro Scratch Disks

Method 1: Clear Media Cache inside Premiere Pro (Recommended)

1. Open Adobe Premiere Pro (close all active projects so you are on the home screen).
2. Go to Edit > Preferences > Media Cache (or Premiere Pro > Settings > Media Cache on Mac).
3. Next to Remove Media Cache Files, click Delete.
4. Select Delete all media cache files from the system.
5. Click OK.

Method 2: Set Automatic Media Cache Management

To prevent Premiere Pro from eating up your drive in the future:

1. In the Media Cache Preferences window, enable Automatically delete cache files older than 30 days.
2. Or set Automatically delete oldest cache files when cache exceeds 50 GB.

Related Guides

• Learn about deleting Adobe Media Cache.
• How to clean up DaVinci Resolve CacheClip.
• Check if you can clean Unity AssetCache.