How To Clear Steam Download Cache

Do you feel that Steam’s client isn’t what it used to be? Or you’re suddenly facing stutters or lag issues in your games? Sometimes, your system collects too many useless or temporary files that cause these issues. Fortunately, if you know how to clear your Steam download cache, you can get rid of these issues, and we’re here to tell you how to do it.

How Does Clearing Steam Download Cache Affect Your System?

Firstly, it clears all the temporary files stored on your PC via Steam. These may include your profile or community data. Additionally, data you frequently access is stored along with some game updates. These files initially work to hasten the process of loading things but become outdated over time. This makes them useless and sometimes corrupted so it’s best to remove them.

Besides this, storing cache files fills up your storage. Clearing these junk files improves the overall performance of your Steam client and gives more space so it can create more files. Freeing up disk space has two uses. Namely, these are more storage files for cache leading to faster loading speeds, and giving space to updates and downloads. You may have faced issues while updating games that require you to make storage. Deleting the Steam download cache is an excellent way to do that.

Sometimes Steam prompts you to clear its download cache by giving errors of corrupted game files. So if your updates are stopping, or games are causing problems after the latest update, try clearing the Steam download cache and reinstalling these updates.

How to Clear Steam Download Cache on PC and Mac

1. Click on the Steam client’s name in the upper-left corner after launching it.
2. Next, click “Preferences” on Mac while “Settings” on Windows.
3. Choose “Downloads” on the list and click the “Clear Cache” button.
4. A prompt will ask you to confirm and warn that all data, including your login details, will be deleted. Proceed with this and log in again when the process completes.

Daniyal Khan

Updated: Dec 12, 2024 19:05

I’ve been gaming since before I could properly tie my shoes, which might explain why I can nail a mid-lane gank in Dota 2 but still trip over shoelaces on occasion. With over 12,000 hours in Dota 2, I’ve probably spent more time defending the Ancient than I have doing anything remotely “productive,” unless you count explaining to my team why “mid or feed” is a valid strategy. When I’m not casting spells or clashing swords in Assassin’s Creed (I like to think I’d make a decent assassin in another life), I’m likely trying to save my team in Fortnite or squeeze in a quick game of Padel to balance out all those hours in front of a screen. Writing about video games was a natural career choice—someone had to make sure Dota players got some representation, after all. Over the past decade, I’ve cranked out close to 10,000 articles for some of the biggest names in gaming journalism, covering everything from meta shake-ups to the eternal mystery of why my support always forgets to buy wards. When I’m not typing, playing, or yelling at my screen, I’m usually watching anime and dreaming of a life where respawns are real.