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How to Delete the Render Cache Quickly in DaVinci Resolve

cache

If you are new to DaVinci Resolve, after a while, you might have noticed something rather curious. After a few completed projects, you could potentially find your Windows drive lacking free space.

This may be happening because DaVinci doesn’t automatically delete working folders. You get a working folder for render cachegallery stills, and even optimized media files only if you choose to generate them to reduce the demand on your hardware.

Therefore you might find it really helpful to know how to delete the render cache and optimized media files.

It’s very simple to delete the Render Cache from DaVinci Resolve. Just go to “Playback“, from the top of the window, then click on “Delete Render Cache“, select the desired settings and you’re done!

How to delete the render cache

First of all, I recommend changing the default save paths of your render cache and gallery stills onto a fast drive that has lots of storage. This will make your software run smoother, and faster, and it will ensure you will not run out of storage on your Windows drive.

There are two ways to delete the render cache in DaVinci Resolve:

Method 1  – Locating the folders

Simply go to where the file path indicates the location of all your cache files, select which you want to delete and delete them. This method can be used to delete all the render cache for all projects.

Delete the render cache in davinci resolve

Method 2 – Delete from inside DaVinci Resolve

  1. Select “Playback” from the top-left corner.
  2. Press on “Delete Render Cache“.
  3. Here, you will have three options you can use:

Option 1 – All

The first option, “All…” deletes every cache file related to this project.

Option 2 – Unused

The second option, “Unused…” deletes only the cache files that are not currently in use for the footage on your timeline.

Option 3 – Selected clips

The third option, “Selected clips…” allows you to decide for what footage you want to remove the cache files.

This way, you can only delete the cache files associated with the project you are currently working on. If you want to delete cache files for other projects, you have to enter them one by one and do the same thing or use the first method to delete them all.

Delete the render cache in davinci resolve

How to delete optimized media files

Using optimized media files is one of the easiest ways to reduce the demand for your hardware in Resolve.

This method will create lower bitrate and resolution encodings of the file you select and will help smooth up your workflow.

In this article, I will also show you how to delete them. If you want to learn more about optimized media or other ways to reduce the demand on your hardware or learn tricks to speed up your workflow, you can read the article on how to make DaVinci Resolve run faster.

After you finish your project and don’t need the optimized media files anymore, you can delete them in order to save up free space on your scratch drive. To do this:

  1. Just like render cache, you can identify them in your scratch drive and delete them.
  2. Or use the software to delete all the optimized media files related to your project.
  3. Select “Playback“ from the top-left corner
  4. Select “Delete Optimized Media” and press “OK“.
Delete render cache in davinci resolve

Video tutorial

FAQ

Can I delete the render cache for multiple projects at once within DaVinci Resolve?

You cannot delete the render cache for multiple projects at once within DaVinci Resolve. To delete cache files for all projects, you need to locate the folders in your file system, as mentioned in Method 1, and delete them. Alternatively, you can open each project individually and delete the cache files using the in-app method.

What are the benefits of using optimized media files in DaVinci Resolve?

The benefits of using optimized media files in DaVinci Resolve include smoother playback, faster editing, and reduced demand on your hardware. Optimized media files have lower bitrate and resolution encodings of the original files, which help improve your workflow without compromising the final output quality.

Are there other ways to reduce the demand on my hardware while using DaVinci Resolve?

Apart from using optimized media files, there are other ways to reduce the demand on your hardware while using DaVinci Resolve. You can adjust the playback resolution, use proxy media, close unnecessary background applications, and ensure your system meets or exceeds the recommended hardware specifications for the software.

Summary

And this is it! Now you know how to delete and organize your render cache and optimized media files!

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Robert Sutton

An unwavering enthusiasm for games, films, literature, and comics has always been a profound element of my life. I possess skills in SEO, mastery in using Adobe Software, proficiency in Microsoft Office, and a keen understanding of SQL Database operations.

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