Bottom Line: Creative editing workstations running Premiere Pro, After Effects, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, and Blender hoard hundreds of gigabytes of media cache renders, peak files, optimized proxies, and auto-save project backups. You can safely purge 30 GB to 200 GB+ of scratch disk bloat without deleting your original source footage or master project files.
Understanding Creative App Scratch Disks & Render Bloat
Video editing and 3D rendering applications generate temporary proxy files, waveform peak files, and optical flow cache renders to play back multi-stream 4K/8K video timelines without dropping frames.
However, these applications never delete old project render caches automatically. Even after a project is finished, exported, and delivered to a client, its 50GB render cache remains on your SSD indefinitely.
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| [Source Footage: 100GB] [DaVinci & Adobe Render Caches: 180GB] [Free: 5GB]|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
^
Hidden Render Bloat!App-by-App Storage Audit & Cleanup Instructions
1. Adobe Premiere Pro & After Effects Media Cache — 20 GB to 80 GB
Premiere Pro and After Effects store conform files (.cfa), audio peak files (.pek), and frame caches:
- Location (macOS):
~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Media Cache Files - Location (Windows):
%AppData%\Adobe\Common\Media Cache Files
How to Purge:
- Open Premiere Pro > Edit > Preferences > Media Cache.
- Click Delete next to Remove Media Cache Files.
- Select Delete all media cache files from the system.
2. DaVinci Resolve CacheClip & Optimized Media — 30 GB to 150 GB
DaVinci Resolve generates proxy media and render caches inside the CacheClip directory:
- Location: Stored inside your assigned Local Database or Project Library path (
CacheClip/audio,CacheClip/optimized_media).
How to Purge:
- Open DaVinci Resolve > Playback > Delete Render Cache > All.
- Alternatively, manually delete contents inside the
CacheClipfolder for finished projects.
3. Final Cut Pro Render Files (macOS) — 20 GB to 100 GB
Final Cut Pro libraries (.fcpbundle) embed render files directly inside the library package:
How to Purge:
- Select your Library in Final Cut Pro.
- Go to File > Delete Generated Library Files.
- Check Delete Render Files > select All.
4. Blender Auto-Save .blend1 & Mesh Caches — 10 GB to 40 GB
Blender generates backup copies (.blend1, .blend2) every time you save a project, plus fluid/smoke physics simulations in cache_fluid.
How to Purge:
Search your project folders for .blend1 backup files or clear physics cache directories.
5. Pro Audio DAWs (Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro) — 10 GB to 30 GB
- Ableton Live: Purge decoding cache in
Preferences > Library > Cache Folder. - FL Studio: Delete temporary stems cache in
Data\FL Studio\Caches. - Logic Pro: Delete frozen track files (
Freeze Files) in project packages.
Creative App Storage Impact Matrix
| Application | Cache Type | Location | Typical Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premiere Pro / After Effects | Media Cache (.cfa, .pek) |
Adobe/Common/Media Cache Files |
20 GB – 80 GB |
| DaVinci Resolve | Render Cache (CacheClip) |
Assigned Project Cache Path | 30 GB – 150 GB |
| Final Cut Pro | Generated Render Files | Embedded in .fcpbundle |
20 GB – 100 GB |
| Blender | Fluid & Physics Simulations | Project local cache_ folders |
10 GB – 40 GB |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Will deleting Adobe Media Cache delete my original raw video footage?
No. Media cache files are temporary playback waveforms and pre-rendered preview frames. Your camera’s raw video files (.mp4, .mov, .braw, .r3d) remain completely untouched.
Related Creative Guides
- How to clear SuperSlicer cache.
- Learn about Screen Studio temp recordings.
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