Delivery Optimization Cache

Why clean Delivery Optimization Cache?

• Abandoned partial update chunks from failed or canceled downloads keep consuming space, and users usually notice missing disk space on the system drive even after the update is no longer pending
• Superseded Windows update payloads remain in the Delivery Optimization cache after newer revisions replace them, so SoftwareDistribution grows unusually large and Storage settings reports high temporary file usage
• Corrupted Delivery Optimization metadata or chunk files can make Windows Update sit at a fixed percentage while repeatedly retrying the same download in the background
• A stale peer-to-peer cache can cause Delivery Optimization to spend time validating unusable local content before falling back to Microsoft servers, which shows up as slow update starts and erratic download progress
• Large cached Store app packages and update fragments can trigger low disk space warnings on smaller SSDs, especially after feature updates or multiple app updates in a short period
• Delivery Optimization may keep resumable payload fragments for updates that will never complete, leading to persistent disk activity from svchost and repeated download attempts with no visible progress
• Unlike a database cleanup, deleting Delivery Optimization cache does not touch a SQLite file that needs VACUUM for page fragmentation; it simply removes cached payload files so Windows can fetch fresh copies if needed

Common questions about Delivery Optimization Cache

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.