Snap App Cache
Snap stores per-app writable data under ~/snap, including Chromium and Electron browser caches, GPU shader caches, thumbnail and icon caches, package-manager download leftovers, and SQLite write-ahead logs created inside each snap's sandboxed user data. These files speed up web views, media decoding, and app startup, but they can persist across app revisions or graphics-driver changes and become oversized or stale. Kudu removes disposable cache content from ~/snap such as browser cache directories, GPUCache data, temporary download artifacts, and rotatable WAL or journal files without touching accounts, documents, or app settings.
Why clean Snap App Cache?
- A snap that bundles Chromium or Electron can keep stale HTTP cache entries and service-worker data, causing pages inside the app to show outdated content, missing styles, or repeated sign-in prompts until the cache is rebuilt
- GPUCache and shader blobs generated before a Mesa, NVIDIA, or kernel graphics update can become invalid, leading to black windows, flickering, or sluggish first renders after the driver change
- Large media and image caches inside confined app data can grow for months under ~/snap, filling the home partition and showing up as low disk space warnings even though personal files did not increase much
- Interrupted downloads or failed auto-updates can leave partial archives and temporary files in a snap's writable area, which users notice as repeated update retries, stuck progress bars, or apps reopening to repair themselves
- Corrupted thumbnail, icon, or web asset caches can make a snap start with blank images, broken avatars, or missing interface graphics until the application regenerates them
- SQLite databases used by snaps for cache indexes and local state can accumulate page fragmentation over time; VACUUM rewrites the database file without deleting rows, which can reduce wasted space and fix unusually large cache databases
- Old WAL and journal files from apps that crashed inside their sandbox can linger in ~/snap, leaving unexpectedly large cache folders and occasionally causing slower startup while the app replays or discards stale transactions
Cache paths Kudu targets
Linux
~/snap |
Common questions about Snap App 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.