Apps
Claude Desktop Caches
Claude Desktop stores several Chromium and Electron cache layers to speed up the app UI and embedded web content, including HTTP disk cache entries in Cache_Data, V8 compiled JavaScript in Code Cache, GPU resource data in GPUCache, and on Windows shared dictionary and Dawn WebGPU or Graphite shader-related caches. Claude also keeps local app and plugin cache folders under .claude for temporary downloaded assets and runtime artifacts. Kudu removes these rebuildable caches while preserving account state, conversations, local storage, sessions, projects, and any local VM bundles.
Why it matters
Why clean Claude Desktop Caches?
- Corrupted HTTP disk cache entries in Cache_Data can leave parts of the Claude interface stuck loading or showing outdated assets even though the app is online
- Invalidated Electron V8 code cache after a Claude Desktop update can cause an unusually slow first launch, delayed sidebar rendering, or sluggish opening of conversation views until bytecode is rebuilt
- Stale GPUCache data after a graphics driver update can produce black panels, flickering text, or laggy scrolling because Chromium has to discard incompatible cached GPU resources
- Old DawnGraphiteCache or DawnWebGPUCache files on Windows can keep shader pipelines from matching the current graphics stack, leading to brief freezes or visual glitches when the app redraws complex views
- An oversized Shared Dictionary cache on Windows can waste hundreds of megabytes on compressed web content that Claude will simply redownload, with no effect on your account or chat history
- Temporary files in .claude/cache or .claude/plugins/cache can accumulate from plugin and runtime activity, causing unnecessary disk usage and occasional repeated asset-loading hiccups
- If Claude keeps showing a broken or partially updated interface after a release, clearing its web, code, and GPU caches forces a clean rebuild without deleting conversations, projects, sessions, or saved settings
What gets cleaned
Cache paths Kudu targets
Windows
%AppData%/Claude/Cache/Cache_Data |
%AppData%/Claude/Code Cache |
%AppData%/Claude/GPUCache |
%AppData%/Claude/DawnGraphiteCache |
%AppData%/Claude/DawnWebGPUCache |
%AppData%/Claude/Shared Dictionary/cache |
%LocalAppData%/Packages/Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc/LocalCache/Roaming/Claude/Cache/Cache_Data |
%LocalAppData%/Packages/Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc/LocalCache/Roaming/Claude/Code Cache |
%LocalAppData%/Packages/Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc/LocalCache/Roaming/Claude/GPUCache |
%LocalAppData%/Packages/Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc/LocalCache/Roaming/Claude/DawnGraphiteCache |
%LocalAppData%/Packages/Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc/LocalCache/Roaming/Claude/DawnWebGPUCache |
%LocalAppData%/Packages/Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc/LocalCache/Roaming/Claude/Shared Dictionary/cache |
macOS
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/Cache/Cache_Data |
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/Code Cache |
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/GPUCache |
~/.claude/cache |
~/.claude/plugins/cache |
Linux
~/.config/Claude/Cache/Cache_Data |
~/.config/Claude/Code Cache |
~/.config/Claude/GPUCache |
~/.claude/cache |
~/.claude/plugins/cache |
Frequently asked
Common questions about Claude Desktop Caches
Related cleaners
Free & open source
Download Kudu and reclaim your disk space.
Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. No account required, no feature gates, no telemetry without consent. All cleaning targets are open source and community-auditable.