Windows Font Cache Service Folder (FontCache)

Bottom Line: It is 100% safe to delete the Windows FontCache folder. Stopping the Windows Font Cache Service and deleting .dat font cache files will not delete your installed Windows system fonts or corrupt documents.

What is the Windows Font Cache Folder?

Located at C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\FontCache on Windows 10 and 11, this hidden directory is managed by the Windows Font Cache Service (FontCache).

To prevent apps like Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, and web browsers from spending CPU resources rendering font glyphs repeatedly, Windows pre-renders and caches font files into .dat cache files (e.g. FontCache-System.dat, FontCache-User.dat).

When custom fonts become corrupted or installed fonts conflict, the FontCache service can get stuck in an infinite loop, causing 100% CPU usage or rendering garbled, unreadable text on desktop apps.

Can You Delete FontCache?

✅ Yes, it is completely safe to delete.

• No font files lost: Installed TrueType (.ttf) and OpenType (.otf) fonts live safely in C:\Windows\Fonts and remain 100% untouched.
• Auto-rebuilt: Windows will automatically rebuild fresh, clean font cache files upon restart.

How to Safely Clear Windows Font Cache

Method 1: Delete via Services & Command Prompt (Recommended)

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Stop the Font Cache services:

   net stop FontCache
   net stop FontCache3.0.0.0

3. Delete the cached .dat files:

   del /f /s /q %WinDir%\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\FontCache\*
   del /f /s /q %WinDir%\System32\FNTCACHE.DAT

4. Restart the service or restart your computer:

   net start FontCache

Related Guides

• Learn about deleting [Windows Temp folder].
• How to clean up SoftwareDistribution folder.
• Check if you can clean Prefetch files.