Visual Studio
Visual Studio stores per-user caches under %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\VisualStudio to speed startup, extension discovery, and solution loading. These folders commonly contain Managed Extensibility Framework component model caches, Roslyn and IntelliSense databases, temporary designer data, and SQLite files with write-ahead logs that accumulate as the IDE indexes code and composes installed workloads and extensions. Kudu removes those rebuildable caches so Visual Studio can regenerate fresh metadata on the next launch without touching source code, solutions, settings, accounts, or saved credentials.
Why clean Visual Studio?
- A stale MEF component model cache after updating Visual Studio or an extension can break package composition, causing missing menu commands, disabled tool windows, or extensions that never load
- Corrupted Roslyn and IntelliSense databases can leave error lists out of sync with the code, showing phantom squiggles, missing completions, or Go To Definition jumping to the wrong symbol
- Old solution and designer cache data can make WinForms, XAML, or other designers open slowly, render blank surfaces, or repeatedly reparse projects after every launch
- Cache files under the VisualStudio profile can grow for months across multiple instances and previews, leading to unexpectedly large AppData usage and slower first-open behavior for big solutions
- SQLite cache databases can become page-fragmented over time; VACUUM rewrites the database into a compact file without deleting rows, reducing wasted space and improving locality
- Leftover index and temporary state from removed workloads or extensions can trigger repeated background scanning, high disk activity, and CPU spikes while the IDE appears idle
- After a crash or forced shutdown, orphaned WAL and SHM sidecar files can keep cached state inconsistent, which shows up as sluggish startup, delayed solution load, or features that recover only after caches are rebuilt
Cache paths Kudu targets
Windows
%LocalAppData%/Microsoft/VisualStudio |
Common questions about Visual Studio
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.