How to Manage and Clear After Effects Disk Cache

Adobe After Effects relies on a disk cache to store rendered frames and audio files, allowing for faster timeline previews and smoother playback. Over time, these cached files accumulate, consuming hundreds of gigabytes of drive space and potentially causing playback errors or system slowdowns. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to quickly clear the disk cache, empty the conformed media cache, and optimize your cache settings for peak performance.

How to Clear the Disk Cache

If your system is running low on storage or you are experiencing playback glitches, clearing the disk cache is the fastest solution.

Method 1: The Purge Menu (Quickest)

  1. Open Adobe After Effects.
  2. In the top menu, navigate to Edit > Purge.
  3. Select All Memory & Disk Cache.
  4. A dialogue box will appear indicating how much disk space will be freed. Click OK to confirm.

(Note: Selecting "All Memory" only clears active RAM, while "All Memory & Disk Cache" completely deletes the temporary rendered files stored on your hard drive.)

Method 2: Through Preferences

  1. Open the Preferences menu:
    • Windows: Go to Edit > Preferences > Media & Disk Cache.
    • macOS: Go to After Effects > Settings (or Preferences) > Media & Disk Cache.
  2. Locate the Disk Cache section at the top.
  3. Click the Empty Disk Cache button.
  4. Click OK when the confirmation prompt appears.

How to Clean the Conformed Media Cache

In addition to visual frame previews, After Effects creates cached audio and index files known as the Conformed Media Cache.

  1. Go to Edit > Preferences > Media & Disk Cache (Windows) or After Effects > Settings > Media & Disk Cache (macOS).
  2. Scroll to the Conformed Media Cache section.
  3. Click Clean Database & Cache.
  4. To automate this process in the future, select the option to automatically delete cache files older than a set number of days, or when the cache exceeds a specific size.

How to Optimize and Manage Cache Settings

Properly configuring your cache settings prevents After Effects from filling your primary drive and improves rendering speeds.

1. Change Cache Location to a Fast Drive

By default, After Effects assigns the disk cache to your system boot drive. For optimal performance, move the cache to a fast, secondary internal SSD or NVMe drive separate from your operating system and footage.

  • In the Media & Disk Cache settings window, click Choose Folder... under the Disk Cache section.
  • Select a dedicated folder on your secondary high-speed drive and click Select Folder.

2. Set Maximum Disk Cache Size

Limit how much drive space After Effects can occupy:

  • In the Maximum Disk Cache Size field, enter a value that leaves adequate free space on your drive.
  • A minimum of 50 GB to 100 GB is recommended for basic motion graphics, while 150 GB to 300 GB or more is ideal for complex visual effects, high-resolution footage, and 3D compositions.

3. Maintain Drive Overhead

Always ensure the drive hosting your disk cache retains at least 15% to 20% free space. Running a solid-state drive near full capacity significantly degrades read and write speeds, negating the performance benefits of caching.