How to Clear Premiere Pro Media Cache on Mac (2026)

Over time, Adobe Premiere Pro builds up a media cache that can consume several gigabytes — sometimes tens of gigabytes — on your Mac. If you need to clear Premiere Pro media cache on Mac to reclaim disk space or fix playback issues, the process is straightforward and completely safe: your projects, sequences, and original footage are never touched. This guide covers both the built-in Preferences method and manual removal via Finder or Terminal.

What Is the Premiere Pro Media Cache?

When you import video, audio, or graphics into Premiere Pro, the application pre-processes those files to speed up playback and rendering. It stores the results as cache files — conforming audio waveforms (.cfa), peak files (.pek), and other rendered previews. These live in a dedicated folder separate from your project files.

Deleting the cache is safe. Premiere Pro regenerates it the next time you open an affected project and play back media. You will notice a brief re-conforming step on first playback, but nothing is lost.

Where Is the Premiere Pro Media Cache Located on Mac?

By default, Premiere Pro stores its media cache in:

~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Media Cache Files
~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Media Cache

A second folder holds the database that tracks which cache files belong to which projects:

~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Media Cache

You can confirm — or change — this location inside Premiere Pro at Preferences > Media Cache. Some users redirect the cache to an external drive to keep their internal SSD clear.

Method 1: Delete Media Cache from Inside Premiere Pro (Recommended)

This is the safest approach because Premiere Pro manages its own database and cleans up the index alongside the files.

1. Open Premiere Pro. You do not need a project open.
2. Go to Premiere Pro > Settings (macOS 13 and later) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Media Cache (macOS 12 and earlier).
3. Click the Delete button next to "Delete Media Cache Files."
4. A dialog appears with two options:
   • Delete unused media cache files — removes cache for footage no longer referenced by any open project. Safest choice if you have active projects.
   • Delete all media cache files — removes everything. Projects are still intact; cache is just regenerated on next use.
5. Confirm the deletion. Premiere Pro updates its database automatically.

After deletion, quit and reopen any projects you are actively working on so Premiere can begin regenerating the cache in the background.

Method 2: Delete the Media Cache Folder Manually via Finder

If Premiere Pro is unavailable (e.g., during a reinstall) or if the in-app button is greyed out, you can delete the cache folders directly.

1. Quit Premiere Pro completely before proceeding.
2. In Finder, press Cmd + Shift + G to open "Go to Folder."
3. Paste the following path and press Return:

   ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common

4. You will see folders including Media Cache Files and Media Cache. Move both to the Trash.
5. Empty the Trash.

Premiere Pro will recreate these folders and re-index from scratch the next time it runs. This is still safe, but note that the media cache database is also deleted, so Premiere Pro must re-conform all previously imported media.

Method 3: Delete Media Cache via Terminal

For those comfortable with the command line, this is the fastest approach:

# Quit Premiere Pro first, then run:
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Adobe/Common/Media\ Cache\ Files
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Adobe/Common/Media\ Cache

Double-check the paths before pressing Return. The rm -rf command is permanent — it does not move files to Trash.

Comparison: Which Method Should You Use?

How Much Space Can You Reclaim?

It depends entirely on how much footage you have imported over time. A single 4K project conforming a few hours of footage can generate 5–15 GB of cache. Editors who work across many projects over months can accumulate 50 GB or more. The in-app Preferences screen shows the current size of your cache before you delete it, which is a good first check.

Should You Also Clear Premiere Pro's Render Previews?

Render previews (.mpeg files stored alongside your .prproj file) are different from the media cache. You can delete them from within Premiere Pro at Sequence > Delete Render Files. Like the media cache, they are regenerated on demand and do not affect your project's edit or original footage.

Preventing Cache Bloat Going Forward

• Set a cache location on a secondary drive. If you have a large external SSD or a second internal drive, redirect the cache there under Preferences > Media Cache. Keeps your main SSD free.
• Enable automatic cache deletion. In the same Preferences pane, Premiere Pro can automatically delete cache files older than a set number of days.
• Clear cache between projects. After finishing and archiving a project, run a quick "Delete unused" pass before starting the next one.

A Faster Way to Find the Adobe Cache on Mac

If you want to see exactly how large the Adobe Common folder has grown before deciding whether to clear it, Crumb can help. Its Visualize tab scans your entire Mac and surfaces the largest folders by size, so the Adobe cache shows up immediately rather than requiring you to navigate deep into ~/Library manually. Once you see the size and decide to remove it, you can delete it directly from Crumb's interface — or proceed with the in-app Premiere Pro method described above. You can download Crumb if you'd like a visual overview of what else is taking up space on your Mac beyond just the Premiere cache.

Summary

Clearing the Premiere Pro media cache on Mac is safe and reversible in effect — Premiere rebuilds the cache automatically, and your projects and footage are never at risk. The in-app method under Preferences is the cleanest option for most users. Manual deletion via Finder or Terminal works equally well when Premiere Pro is not running. Either way, the only downside is a brief re-conforming delay the next time you open your projects.