Clear Microsoft Teams Cache [Step-by-Step Guide for Windows & Mac]

If Microsoft Teams is acting up, loading slowly, showing old profile pictures, crashing randomly, or refusing to let you sign in, there’s a good chance the cache is the culprit. Clearing it is one of those fixes that sounds technical but is actually pretty straightforward. I’ve done it dozens of times, and it almost always clears up weird behavior instantly.

In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through exactly how to clear the Microsoft Teams cache on both Windows and Mac, for both the new Teams and the classic (old) Teams app. I’ll also show you a PowerShell method if you prefer doing things the script way.

What Is the Teams Cache Anyway?

Think of the cache as a drawer where Teams saves temporary files, things like profile photos, chat history snippets, channel data, and app settings, so it doesn’t have to re-download everything every time you open it. That’s helpful for speed.

The problem is that over time, that drawer gets messy. Old files pile up, some get corrupted, and Teams starts tripping over its own saved data. That’s when you start seeing issues like:

• The app is sluggish or takes forever to load
• Profile pictures are outdated or not showing at all
• Messages or channels aren’t loading correctly
• You’re stuck in a login loop
• Teams freezes or crashes randomly
• Status indicators (like “Available” or “Away”) stop updating

Clearing the cache doesn’t delete your messages, files, or any actual Teams data. All of that lives on Microsoft’s servers. You’re just deleting the local temporary files on your computer. Teams will rebuild the cache fresh the next time it starts up.

Before You Start: Close Microsoft Teams Completely

This is the most important step and the one people most often skip. If Teams is still running in the background when you try to delete cache files, Windows or Mac will block you from deleting some of them.

Here’s how to fully quit Teams:

• Windows: Right-click the Teams icon in the system tray (bottom-right corner near the clock) and select Quit. Just clicking the X on the window doesn’t close it — it keeps running in the background.
• Mac: Right-click the Teams icon in the Dock and select Quit. Or go to the top menu bar, click Microsoft Teams, and choose Quit Microsoft Teams.

Once Teams is fully closed, you’re ready to go.

Clear Microsoft Teams Cache

Now I will show you different ways to clear the Microsoft Teams cache.

Method 1: Clear New Microsoft Teams Cache on Windows (Using File Explorer)

This is the method I use most. If you’re on the new Microsoft Teams (the one that was pushed out as a mandatory update from 2023 onwards), the cache is stored in a different location than the old app.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog.
2. Copy and paste this path into the box:
   %userprofile%\appdata\local\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Microsoft\MSTeams
3. Press Enter or click OK.
4. A File Explorer window will open, showing all the cache files and folders.
5. Press Ctrl + A to select everything in the folder.
6. Press Delete to remove it all.
7. Restart Microsoft Teams.

Teams will take a little longer to load the first time after this — that’s completely normal. It’s just rebuilding the cache from scratch.

Method 2: Reset New Teams Through Windows Settings

If you’d rather not dig through file paths, there’s a cleaner option built right into Windows Settings. This is a great option if you want a full reset.

1. Open Windows Settings (press Windows + I).
2. Go to Apps → Installed apps.
3. Search for Microsoft Teams in the search box.
4. Find the new Teams app in the results, click the three dots (…) next to it, and select Advanced options.
5. Scroll down to the Reset section.
6. Click Reset and confirm.
7. Restart Teams and sign back in.

Heads up: This method will sign you out of Teams and reset some app settings. It’s more thorough than just deleting cache files, so keep that in mind if you have custom settings you want to keep.

Method 3: Clear Classic Microsoft Teams Cache on Windows

If you’re still on the old (classic) Teams, the cache lives in a completely different folder. Here’s how to clear it:

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type this path:
   %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams
3. Press Enter.
4. Inside this folder, you’ll see several subfolders. You can delete everything here, but if you want to be safe, focus on deleting these specific folders (they hold the cache but not your personal settings):
   • Cache
   • blob_storage
   • databases
   • GPUcache
   • IndexedDB
   • Local Storage
   • tmp
5. Once done, restart Teams.

Avoid deleting the Downloads folder inside here if you’ve downloaded any files through Teams that you still need.

Method 4: Clear Teams Cache Using PowerShell (Windows)

If you’re comfortable with PowerShell — or if you need to automate this for multiple users — this is a neat way to handle it in seconds.

For new Teams:

Open PowerShell and run:

Remove-Item -Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Microsoft\MSTeams\*" -Recurse -Force

For classic Teams:

Remove-Item -Path "$env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Teams\Cache\*" -Recurse -Force

Make sure Teams is closed before running either of these commands. After the script runs, just restart Teams, and you’re good to go.

Method 5: Clear Microsoft Teams Cache on Mac (New Teams)

The new Teams app on Mac stores its cache in a different location than the classic version. Here’s how to clear it:

1. Fully quit Microsoft Teams (right-click the Dock icon → Quit).
2. Open Finder.
3. Press Command + Shift + G to open the “Go to Folder” window.
4. Type this path and press Enter:
   ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.teams/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Teams
5. Delete the Teams folder inside this location.
6. Restart your Mac (optional but recommended).
7. Relaunch Microsoft Teams.

Method 6: Clear Classic Microsoft Teams Cache on Mac (Using Terminal)

If you’re still on the classic Teams for Mac, the Terminal method is the quickest:

1. Quit Microsoft Teams completely.
2. Open Finder → go to Applications → Utilities → open Terminal.
3. Type the following command and press Return: rm -r ~/Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Teams
4. Restart Teams.

That command deletes the entire classic Teams cache folder. Teams will recreate it automatically when it starts back up.

How Often Should You Clear the Teams Cache?

Honestly, you don’t need to do this on a schedule. Clear the cache when something is actually going wrong — not just as a routine habit. That said, a good rule of thumb is:

• Clear it when: Teams is running slowly, showing outdated data, crashing, or refusing to load properly
• Consider a monthly clear if: You’re on a shared or low-storage machine where disk space matters
• After a major Teams update: Sometimes a cache clear after a big update smooths out any leftover glitches

What Happens After You Clear the Cache?

The first launch after clearing the cache will be slightly slower than usual — Teams needs to re-download your profile data, channel information, and other content from Microsoft’s servers. That’s totally expected.

You may also be asked to sign back into Teams, depending on which method you used. Just enter your Microsoft credentials, and you’ll be back up and running.

Everything else — your messages, files, meetings, channels, team memberships — will be exactly as you left them. None of that is stored locally in the cache.

Quick Troubleshooting: Cache Clear Didn’t Fix It?

If you cleared the cache and Teams is still acting up, here are a few other things to try:

• Update Teams: Go to your profile picture → Check for updates. Running an outdated version can cause all kinds of odd behavior.
• Restart your computer: A full restart clears other temporary system files that might be interfering.
• Reinstall Teams: If nothing else works, uninstall Teams completely, manually delete any remaining app folders, and reinstall from the Microsoft website.
• Check your internet connection: Sometimes what looks like a Teams issue is actually a network issue.

Wrapping Up

Microsoft Teams cache is one of the quickest and most effective ways to fix common issues like slow performance, sign-in problems, outdated profile pictures, sync issues, and unexpected crashes. Whether you’re using the new Teams app or the classic version on Windows or Mac, the steps are simple and safe to perform.

Remember, clearing the cache only removes temporary files stored on your device. Your chats, files, meetings, and team data remain securely stored in Microsoft 365 and will be available when you sign back in.

If Teams is still not working properly after clearing the cache, try updating the app, restarting your computer, or reinstalling it.

Also, you may like:

• Make Microsoft Teams Dark Mode
• Change Your Name in Microsoft Teams
• Set Microsoft Teams to Record Automatically
• Change Background in Microsoft Teams