How to Clear the Epic Games Launcher Cache on Mac (Webcache & Downloads)

If the Epic Games Launcher is crashing, stuck on a login screen, or eating through your Mac's storage, clearing the Epic Games cache on Mac is usually the fastest fix. The launcher maintains several cache folders — a webcache for the built-in browser UI, a download staging area for game files, and a local preferences store — and these can balloon to several gigabytes over time without any obvious warning. This guide walks through every folder, what it contains, and the safest way to remove it on macOS Sequoia and Tahoe, whether you're on Apple Silicon or Intel.

Why Epic Games Launcher Cache Builds Up

The Epic Games Launcher is built on Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF), so it generates a web browser cache alongside ordinary app data. Every time you browse the store, view a game page, or open a friend's profile, CEF writes image tiles, scripts, and session tokens to disk. On top of that, the launcher keeps a download buffer for game installations and patches. If you cancel a download midway or the connection drops, those partial files often linger in a staging directory.

On a machine used regularly for gaming, the combined cache can range from a few hundred megabytes to well over 5 GB. If you're running low on storage, understanding what is taking up space on your Mac will help you prioritize which caches to clear first.

Where Epic Games Stores Cache on Mac

Epic Games Launcher scatters data across three distinct top-level directories. None of them are in the standard ~/Library/Caches path that macOS manages — Epic uses its own structure under ~/Library/Application Support for most data and a separate location for the CEF webcache.

Before You Start: Quit Epic Games Launcher Completely

The launcher runs a background helper process even after you close the main window. If you delete cache files while the process is running, it can write new data mid-deletion or throw errors. Always terminate it fully first.

1. Click the Epic Games Launcher icon in the menu bar (top-right area of your screen) and choose Quit.
2. Open Activity Monitor (find it in Spotlight with Cmd + Space, then type the name).
3. Search for EpicGames in the search field. If any process appears, select it and click the X button to force quit.
4. Also check for EpicWebHelper and terminate it the same way if present.

How to Clear the Epic Games Launcher Webcache on Mac (Step by Step)

The webcache is the largest single cache location and the most likely culprit when the store UI is rendering incorrectly or refusing to load. Here is how to remove it manually.

1. Open Finder, then press Cmd + Shift + G to open the Go to Folder dialog.
2. Paste the following path and press Enter:
   ~/Library/Application Support/EpicGamesLauncher/Data
3. You will see a folder named webcache (and possibly webcache_4147 or a similar versioned variant). Move both to the Trash.
4. While you are in this directory, also check for a Downloads subfolder. If no game installation is currently in progress, move that folder to Trash as well.
5. Empty the Trash, then relaunch Epic Games Launcher. It will recreate the webcache from scratch during the first store page load.

Clearing via Terminal

If you prefer the command line, open Terminal and run each command individually. Verify the paths exist before deleting:

ls "$HOME/Library/Application Support/EpicGamesLauncher/Data/webcache"
rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Application Support/EpicGamesLauncher/Data/webcache"
rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Application Support/EpicGamesLauncher/Data/webcache_4147"

The quotes around the path are required — the directory name contains spaces. On Apple Silicon Macs running macOS Sequoia or Tahoe, these commands behave identically to Intel; no Rosetta layer is involved for file deletion.

Clearing Staged Download Files

Partial game downloads are stored separately from the webcache. If you have ever canceled a large installation — Fortnite, for example, can approach 100 GB — unfinished chunks may still occupy significant space. Before removing staged downloads, make sure you are not actively downloading or patching any game. You can confirm this in the launcher's Library tab under the Downloads view.

Once confirmed idle, remove the staging folder:

rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Epic/EpicGamesLauncher/Data/Downloads"

Note the slightly different parent path: Epic instead of EpicGamesLauncher at the top level. Both directories can exist simultaneously. Check both.

Removing Launcher Logs and Crash Reports

Logs are safe to delete at any time. Epic will create a fresh log file on the next launch. Old crash reports are only useful if you are debugging a recurring issue; otherwise they are pure dead weight.

rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Logs/Epic Games/EpicGamesLauncher"
rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Application Support/EpicGamesLauncher/Data/crashes"

What NOT to Delete

The EpicGamesLauncher Application Support folder also contains files that are not cache. Avoid deleting these:

• Manifests/ — JSON files tracking installed game versions. Deleting them can force a full re-download verification.
• Saved/Config/Mac/ — your launcher preferences (language, installation paths, login state).
• Any .mancpn or .manifest files — these are game inventory records used to detect installed titles.

If you accidentally delete a manifest file, Epic Launcher will typically prompt you to verify or reinstall the affected game, which can trigger a multi-gigabyte download. Stick to the webcache, Downloads, crashes, and Logs directories.

How Much Space Can You Expect to Reclaim?

Results vary based on how long the launcher has been installed and how actively you browse the Epic store. For a machine that has had Epic installed for a year or more without manual cleanup:

• Webcache: typically 300 MB to 1.5 GB
• Staged downloads (if any incomplete installs exist): 1 GB to 20+ GB
• Logs and crash reports: 50 MB to 200 MB

If you also have other game clients — Steam, GOG Galaxy, or Battle.net — their caches accumulate separately and can be targeted with the same manual approach. A tool like Crumb can audit all of these cache locations at once and show you exactly how large each folder is before you commit to deleting anything, which is helpful when you want to prioritize without opening a dozen Finder windows.

For a broader picture of where your storage is going, the guide on what cache files are on a Mac explains how the system categorizes different types of cached data and which ones macOS will reclaim automatically versus which ones you need to handle yourself.

Fixing Common Epic Games Launcher Issues After Clearing Cache

Clearing the webcache resolves the majority of UI-related problems, but a few issues have additional steps.

Launcher Won't Log In After Cache Clear

If you are prompted to log in again after deleting the webcache, that is expected — the session token stored in the CEF database was removed with the cache. Simply sign in with your Epic credentials. Two-factor authentication may also prompt again.

Games Show as "Not Installed" After Clearing Cache

This symptom indicates a manifest file was accidentally deleted or corrupted. Open the Epic Games Launcher, navigate to your Library, right-click the affected game, and choose Verify. The launcher will scan the actual game folder on disk and update the manifest without re-downloading files that are already present.

Store Still Looks Broken After Clearing Webcache

If the store UI is still rendering incorrectly, try removing the preferences file as well. Quit the launcher, then delete or rename ~/Library/Application Support/EpicGamesLauncher/Saved/Config/Mac/GameUserSettings.ini. The launcher will regenerate it with default values on next launch.