In this digitally advanced world, you never know where your data gets picked up and stored. If you are active on a Discord server, you can experience dozens of messages every day. Even previously, we found attackers using the Discord app to target online gamers. And this is just one server. Each version of the Discrd app saves a massive amount of data in a cache folder. If it gets too heavy, your app and device can slow down. Thankfully, you can clear the Discord cache with a few steps. In this guide, we will discuss how to clear Discord cache on your device, be it a PC, Mac, iPhone, or Android mobile device. Let’s start with the basics.
What is a Discord Cache?
Before delving into ‘how to clear Discord cache’, we must understand exactly what it is. The Discord Cache is a temporary file that is being stored on your device by the Discord app. It could be stored on a PC, a Mac, or a mobile device. The Cache includes:
- Images, GIFs, and Videos: Previews or media shared in chats
- Profile Pictures: Avatars of users and servers
- Message Data: Cached snippets of the newest chats or server information
- App Data: Temporary files that help Discord load quickly
The cache is stored temporarily to boost Discord’s performance by decreasing the need to re-download the content every time you launch the application or switch channels. For instance, it extracts your friend’s profile picture from your device’s cache instead of fetching from Discord’s servers.
How Discord Cache Impacts Performance?
Discord’s cache has both positive and negative impacts on performance based on the size and management.
The positive impacts include:
- Faster loading times: Cached files mean Discord does not need to extract data from the internet every time, accelerating navigation between servers, messages, and channels.
- Decreased bandwidth use: By reusing the local files, it secures data that is good for users with restricted bandwidth.
- Seamless experience: Pre-loaded media, such as GIFs, can be shown immediately instead of buffering.
- The negative impacts include:
- Storage scarcity: Cache grows with time as you use Discord more frequently because of the active servers with lots of media. This makes it consume much space.
- Slowdowns: A packed cache can slow down Discord or your device, especially on older hardware or phones with limited storage. It may lead to lag, stuttering, or expanded app launching times.
- Old data: If the cache is not cleared regularly, it may store old files. This may lead to glitches like syncing old profile pictures or broken media previews.
Now, let’s jump into ‘how to clear discord cache’ on different devices.
How to Clear Discord Cache on Windows PC?
Your search for how to clear discord cache ends here. For Windows PC, you need to navigate to the Discord app data file. This is where Windows saves the basic code and assets Discord requires for funding, and this is where the cache is saved. So make sure to close Discord before starting with ‘how to clear Discord cache’
Step 1: Close Discord and find the search menu on your desktop. Then type in %appdata%. Open the folder that appears in your results.
Step 2: You will find a list of various apps. Choose the Discord folder
Step 3: Find and delete the three folders in your Discord folder- cache, code cache, and GPU cache.
Do not worry about breaking Discord, as you will get the three folders again whenever you open it next time.
How to Clear Discord Cache on Mac?
We observed many requests on the internet searching for ‘how to clear Discord cache on Mac’.
In macOS, many apps store their crucial data within a big repository named ‘Application Support’. This is where you can get the Discord cache. Here are the simple steps:
Step 1: Close Discord and launch any Finder Window
Step 2: Press Go at the top of the screen and then visit ‘Go to Folder’ from the drop-down menu
Step 3: Type in ~/Library/Application Support/discord and click ‘Return’ on your keyboard.
Step 4: Now you will see the Discord Application Support folder that is full of various folders and files. Navigate to and clear the cache, code cache, and GPU cache folders by right-clicking and choosing Move to Trash.
Do not worry about breaking Discord, as you will get the three folders again whenever you open it next time. Also, check our article on how to clear the host cache on Chrome.
How to Clear Discord Cache on Android Devices?
You will need to launch the Settings app on your Android device to clear caches. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Go to the Settings app and click on Storage and then Apps
Step 2: Find the list until you find Discord and click on it
Step 3: Hit the Clear Cache button
You can also check our recommendations on top Android phones of 2025 in the market.
How to Clear Discord Cache on an iPhone?
Your search for ‘how to clear Discord cache on iPhone ends here. Not like any other device, you can clear the cache on an iPhone by removing the app. You can do this in two ways: by offloading it or deleting it.
Offloading an application will remove all temporary data but keep the application unchanged, allowing you to redownload it quickly. Whereas deleting the application will help you get rid of everything. Follow the steps below to offload or clear Discord:
Step 1: Go to the Settings app and press ‘General’ and then iPhone storage or iPad storage
Step 2: Wait for the list of applications to load and then click on ‘Discord’
Step 3: Choose Offload App or Delete App
If you want to just delete Discord, you can just do so from the Home Screen by tapping on the icon, selecting the Remove app option, and then deleting. Check the step-by-step video guide to visually understand how to clear discord cache.
We have also covered how to clear the cache on Instagram on Android and iPhone.
