How to Locate Temp & Temporary Internet Files

This wikiHow teaches you how to find the temporary internet files for your web browser, as well as how to find other temporary files on your PC or Mac. Temporary files, or cache, are temporary data your computer uses to make operations run more smoothly. Your web browser uses temporary internet files to load websites faster. You can easily find where your browser or computer stores temporary files when you know where to look.

Where to Find Your Temporary Files

In Microsoft Edge, temporary internet files are in "C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Cache"
To view other temporary files on Windows, press Win + R, type "%temp%", and press Enter.
To see temporary files on your Mac, navigate to "~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Caches" in Finder.

Section 1 of 6:

Microsoft Edge

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View the Microsoft Edge cache folder on Windows. Microsoft Edge stores your temporary internet files in "C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Cache" on Windows. Use the following steps to navigate to it:^{[1]
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- Press Win + R to open Run.
- Type "%AppData%" and press Enter.
- Click AppData in the address bar at the top.
- Open the Microsoft folder.
- Open the Edge folder.
- Open the User Data folder.
- Open the Default folder.
- Open the Cache folder.
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View the Microsoft Edge cache folder on Mac. The Microsoft Edge cache folder on Mac is located at "~/Library/Caches/Microsoft Edge/Default/Cache" and "~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft Edge/Default." Use the following steps to navigate to these folders:
- Open Finder.
- Click Go.
- Hold Option and click Library.
- Open the Caches or Application Support folder.
- Open the Microsoft Edge folder.
- Open the Default folder.
- Open the Cache folder.

Section 2 of 6:

Google Chrome

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View Chrome's temporary internet files on Windows. The Google Chrome cache folder is stored at "C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Cache." Use the following steps to open the Google Chrome cache folder on Windows:^{[2]
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- Press Win + R to open Run.
- Enter %AppData% and press Enter.
- Click AppData in the address bar at the top.
- Open the Local folder.
- Open the Google folder.
- Open the Chrome folder.
- Open the User Data folder.
- Open the Default folder.
- Open the Cache folder.
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View Chrome temporary internet files on a Mac. On Mac, Google Chrome stores cache files in "~/Library/Caches/Google/Chrome" as well as "~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Applications Caches." Use the following steps to navigate to the Google Chrome cache folder:^{[3]
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- Open Finder.
- Click Go.
- Hold Option and click Library.
- Open the Caches or Application Support folder.
- Open the Google Folder.
- Open the Chrome (stop here if you are in the "Caches" folder.)
- Open the Google folder.
- Open the Chrome folder.
- Open the Default folder.
- Open the Application Caches folder.

=== Safari ===

To find temporary internet files on your Mac, you'll need to go to the Safari cache folder at "~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Caches" or "~/Library/Caches" on older versions of macOS. You can navigate to it using Finder. Click the blue smiling face icon on the bottom-left to open your Finder.
It's in the menu bar at the top of the page
This will open your user library folder.
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Navigate to the Safari cache folder. Use the following steps to navigate to the Safari cache folder:
- Open the Containers folder (or "Caches" on older versions of macOS".)
- Open the com.apple.Safari folder.
- Open the Data folder.
- Open the Library folder.
- Open the Caches folder.

Section 3 of 6:

Firefox

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This command opens and displays your temporary internet files (cache) in Firefox.
It's below the "disk" heading near the middle of the page. Doing so will open a page listing all of your Firefox's temporary internet files.
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Open the Firefox cache folder in Windows (optional). You can also find the Firefox cache files at "C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default\cache2" on Windows. Use the following steps to navigate to it:
- Press Win + R to open Run.
- Type %AppData% and press Enter.
- Click AppData in the address bar at the top.
- Open the Local folder.
- Open the Mozilla folder.
- Open the Firefox folder.
- Open the Profiles folde.r
- Open the folder that has an 8-digit string of characters followed by ".default".
- Open the cache2 folder.
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Navigate to the cache folder on Mac: The location of the cache folder for Firefox on Mac is "~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles." Use the following steps to navigate to it:
- Open Finder.
- Click Go.
- Hold Option and click LIbrary.
- Open the Application Support folder.
- Open the Firefox folder.
- Open the Profiles folder.

Section 4 of 6:

Windows Temp Files

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There are two types of temp files on Windows: Windows temp files, which are used by the operating system, and local user temp files, which are used by the apps you run. You can use File Explorer to find your Windows temp files.
On most computers, this will be the "OS C:" drive. You can find it in the menu bar to the left, or under "This PC."
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Navigate to the Windows temp files. These are the general temp files that Windows creates. They are usually located at "C:\Windows\Temp." You may need administrative access to access these files. Use the following steps to navigate to the Windows temp files.
- Click Windows.
- Scroll down and click Temp.
You can use Run to quickly navigate to your local user temp files. These are where most of your applications store their temp files. Use the keyboard shortcut to open Run.
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Type %temp% and press ↵ Enter. This will open the local temp folder in File Explorer. The location of the local user temp folder is usually "C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp."
- You will see a bunch of free-floating files as well as a few folders for various programs.

Section 5 of 6:

Mac Cache Files

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Your Mac stores temporary files (other than those from your web browser) in folders for each app. Click the blue smiling face icon on the bottom-left to open your Finder.
It's in the menu bar at the top of the page
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Hold ⌥ Option and click Library. This will open your user library folder.
- The Library option only shows up when you press down the Option/Alt key.
This folder contains the temp files for all the applications on your Mac.
Most temp folders on a Mac have a name like "com.apple.safari." Here you can find the temp folders for various applications on your Mac.

Section 6 of 6:

How do I remove temporary internet files?

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You can easily clear your web cache from your web browser.
- Microsoft Edge: Click the three dots at the top-right corner and select Delete browsing data. Check the box next to "Cached images and files," and remove the checkmarks from all other boxes. Select All time from the "Time range" menu and click Clear now to delete your cache.
- Google Chrome: Click the three dots at the top-right corner and select Delete browsing data. Check the box next to "Cached images and files," uncheck all other boxes, select All time from the "Time range" menu, and then click Delete data.
- Safari: First, enable the Develop menu in Safari > Settings > Advanced. Then, click the Develop menu, followed by Empty Caches.
- Firefox: Click the three-line menu and go to Settings > Privacy & Security. Click Clear Data…, check the box next to "Temporary cached files and pages," and remove all other checkboxes. Select Everything from the When menu, then click Clear.

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How do I delete temporary Internet files in Chrome?

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Within Chrome: CTRL-H Click on Clear Browsing Data Check what you want deleted and select how far back Then click Clear Browsing Data

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Temporary internet files can be anything from copies of the images and icons one finds on any website to files containing pieces of website code.

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Neither Chrome nor Firefox stores usable files on your computer.

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Some temporary Internet files will be impossible to open without the context of the website for which they were designed.

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