Where Is the Chrome Cache Saved?

When you visit websites using Google Chrome, the browser saves materials from those sites to your hard drive in a cache. This cache helps Chrome access the site faster in the future. You can find the cache folder inside your Windows user folder, but because Chrome does not store cache data in its original format, locating it won't allow you to actually open saved files.

Chrome stores its cache inside your Windows user folder, so its exact location varies. You can find it on your computer by pressing "Windows-R," entering the address "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Cache" and clicking "OK." After the cache window opens, click its address bar to see the location of the folder within your particular account. This cache applies only to the default Chrome profile. If you have multiple profiles, browse up to the User Data folder and open the correct folder, such as "Profile 1" or "Profile 2."

You can delete Chrome's cache by erasing the files in the Cache folder, but there's no need to do so. Instead, open Chrome's settings, click "History," press "Clear Browsing Data" and check "Empty the Cache" to have Chrome erase its own cache. (See Reference 2).

Information in this article applies to Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista. It may vary slightly or significantly in other versions.