How to Clear Discord Cache When Facing Issues?

[Sanya]

I’ve been told that learning how to clear discord cache can fix lag, crashes, and loading problems. What exactly does clearing the cache remove, and how often should it be done to avoid problems without losing important settings?

 

[Evelinawright]

Deleting the cache will not Break your server based settings such as keybinds, emojis, or friends list-that is stored on the servers of Discord. It simply erases the temporary files of images, videos and GIFs you have seen. On Windows, all one needs is to simply close Discord, press Win + R, and use the path: %appdata%/discord and empty the Cache, Code Cache and GPUCache folders. It is similar to a fresh start of the app without losing your real profile information.

 

[AnnP111966]

By the way, you should be aware that you might need to re-log in again in case the local storage folder is cleared by mistake and the cache. Just in case you are an unsocial person like myself, and have not typed in your password since 2022, you should actually remember it first before you begin deleting stuff.

 

[Ghausmakin]

The most significant bit is the "GPUCache" section in case you are experiencing those strange visual glitches or black boxes. It holds the pre-rendered images of the hardware acceleration. So when this folder is corrupted, it does not matter what a fast PC is, Discord will drop frames anyway. I have mine cleared several times a year or when a big Windows update is released which tends to bring the app back to a responsive state.

 

[captainghost]

Stop, why are we not doing this through programming? On Android, it is just a matter of going into Settings Apps Discord Storage and clicking Clear Cache. It is a one-button repaired. Users of iPhones are also at a disadvantage, as you either have to offload the application in the storage section or enable the Developer Mode in the Discord app itself to see the hidden clear cache button in the bottom of the settings menu.

 

[megamind]

It is certainly not a magic panacea to all problems. Your Discord will lag despite having a terrible internet connection. However, when you find your 10GB of storage being occupied by a chatting application then it is, indeed, time to have a look at your cache. Discord has a reputation of not having to clean up after itself; it will hoard a meme you read in a random server three years ago until the end of time should you allow it.

 

[jameswill8520]

Should this correct the problem of images appearing as gray boxes? I have been having that a week and I am about losing my head. I will attempt the trick of the percent appdata tomorrow and report. Should I be logged out and locked out of my account I am laying the blame on this thread!

 

[HeatherMun]

I believe Discord is storing all GIFs sent in 100k servers in the cache as some sort of a secret storage. I wiped mine last night and I recovered 4GB of free space at my C: drive. 4GB! For a text app! It is half an indie game literally. You had better give yourself a cleansing at least once a season.

 

[TaylorTravels]

In fact, there is be carefulness with the frequency. In fact, it can slow down the app itself in the first few minutes, by having to re-download your all avatars and emojis every time you open a channel, in case you clear it every day. It's a balance. You should not do it until the lag becomes something that is noticeable or you are getting short of disk space.

 

[rebeccareed]

On a Mac, it is found at the path of, ~/Library/Application Support/discord/. It is the three folders (Cache, Code Cache, GPUCache). I observed that clearing them resolved a bug in which my Discord was consuming 40% of my CPU when it was idle. It seems a compromised "Code Cache" is capable of literally creating an endless loop in the background.

So the consensus is:
1. Delete folders.
2. Don't panic.
3. Never touch Local storage as you will have to re-type your password.
4. Enjoy a faster app. Got it. The honest truth is that Discord ought to simply have a button that does this, dubbed as Maintenance. It is 2026, and I
still need to find something in AppData.