How to Clean Up Local Claude Code Cache and Data ​

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Claude Code generates a significant amount of cache, logs, and temporary files during use. Regular cleanup can free up disk space and resolve common issues.

Why Clean Up? ​

Common Problem Scenarios ​

• 💾 Low Disk Space - Claude Code cache consuming large amounts of space
• 🐛 Runtime Errors - Corrupted cache causing errors
• 🔄 Configuration Issues - Need to reset to initial state
• ⚡ Performance Degradation - Excessive cache affecting performance

Benefits of Cleanup ​

• ✅ Free up disk space
• ✅ Resolve cache-related errors
• ✅ Improve runtime performance
• ✅ Reset to clean state

Cleanup Methods ​

Windows System ​

Method 1: Using File Explorer ​

1. Clean User Data Directory

   %APPDATA%\.claude-code
   

   • Press Win + R to open Run dialog
   • Enter %APPDATA%\.claude-code
   • Delete the entire folder

2. Clean Cache Directory

   %LOCALAPPDATA%\.claude-code-cache
   

   • Press Win + R to open Run dialog
   • Enter %LOCALAPPDATA%\.claude-code-cache
   • Delete the entire folder

3. Clean Temporary Files

   %TEMP%\claude-code-*
   

   • Press Win + R to open Run dialog
   • Enter %TEMP%
   • Delete all folders starting with claude-code-

Method 2: Using PowerShell Script ​

Open PowerShell (with administrator privileges) and run:

powershell

# Stop Claude Code processes
Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.ProcessName -like "*claude*"} | Stop-Process -Force

# Clean user data
Remove-Item -Path "$env:APPDATA\.claude-code" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Clean cache
Remove-Item -Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\.claude-code-cache" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Clean temporary files
Remove-Item -Path "$env:TEMP\claude-code-*" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Clean npm cache
npm cache clean --force

Write-Host "Claude Code cleanup complete!" -ForegroundColor Green

macOS System ​

Method 1: Using Finder ​

1. Clean User Data Directory

   ~/Library/Application Support/claude-code
   

   • Press Cmd + Shift + G to open Go to Folder
   • Enter the path above
   • Delete the entire folder

2. Clean Cache Directory

   ~/Library/Caches/claude-code
   

   • Press Cmd + Shift + G
   • Enter the path above
   • Delete the entire folder

3. Clean Log Files

   ~/Library/Logs/claude-code
   

   • Press Cmd + Shift + G
   • Enter the path above
   • Delete the entire folder

Method 2: Using Terminal Commands ​

Open Terminal and run:

bash

#!/bin/bash

# Stop Claude Code processes
pkill -f "claude-code"

# Clean user data
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/claude-code

# Clean cache
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/claude-code

# Clean logs
rm -rf ~/Library/Logs/claude-code

# Clean temporary files
rm -rf /tmp/claude-code-*

# Clean npm cache
npm cache clean --force

echo "✅ Claude Code cleanup complete!"

Linux System ​

Using Terminal Commands ​

bash

#!/bin/bash

# Stop Claude Code processes
pkill -f "claude-code"

# Clean user data
rm -rf ~/.config/claude-code
rm -rf ~/.local/share/claude-code

# Clean cache
rm -rf ~/.cache/claude-code

# Clean temporary files
rm -rf /tmp/claude-code-*

# Clean npm cache
npm cache clean --force

echo "✅ Claude Code cleanup complete!"

Files to Keep ​

Important: Backup Before Cleanup ​

If you have custom configurations, backup these files before cleanup:

Windows ​

%APPDATA%\.claude-code\config.json
%APPDATA%\.claude-code\settings.json

macOS/Linux ​

~/.config/claude-code/config.json
~/.config/claude-code/settings.json

Configuration File Descriptions ​

• config.json - Claude Code main configuration file
• settings.json - User personalization settings
• .env - Environment variable configuration (if exists)

Common Questions ​

Q1: Do I need to reinstall after cleanup? ​

A: No. Cleanup only removes cache and user data, not the Claude Code program itself. You can run it directly after cleanup.

Q2: What data will be lost after cleanup? ​

A: Will lose:

• Cached conversation history
• Local settings and configurations
• Login status

Won't lose:

• Claude Code program itself
• Your project code

Q3: What if it won't start after cleanup? ​

A: Try these steps:

1. Completely uninstall Claude Code
2. Reinstall the latest version
3. Check system environment variable configuration

Q4: How often should I clean up? ​

A: Recommendations:

• Normal use : Once a month
• Heavy use : Once a week
• When issues occur : Immediately

Automated Cleanup Scripts ​

Windows Batch Script ​

Create cleanup-claude-code.bat file:

batch

@echo off
echo Cleaning Claude Code...

taskkill /F /IM claude-code.exe 2>nul

rmdir /S /Q "%APPDATA%\.claude-code" 2>nul
rmdir /S /Q "%LOCALAPPDATA%\.claude-code-cache" 2>nul
del /Q "%TEMP%\claude-code-*" 2>nul

npm cache clean --force

echo.
echo ✅ Claude Code cleanup complete!
pause

macOS/Linux Shell Script ​

Create cleanup-claude-code.sh file:

bash

#!/bin/bash

echo "Cleaning Claude Code..."

# Stop processes
pkill -f "claude-code"

# Clean files
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/claude-code 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/claude-code 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Logs/claude-code 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/.config/claude-code 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/.cache/claude-code 2>/dev/null
rm -rf /tmp/claude-code-* 2>/dev/null

# Clean npm cache
npm cache clean --force

echo ""
echo "✅ Claude Code cleanup complete!"

Grant execution permission:

bash

chmod +x cleanup-claude-code.sh

Run the script:

bash

./cleanup-claude-code.sh

Selective Cleanup ​

If you don't want a complete cleanup, you can selectively clean specific content:

Only Clean Cache (Keep Configuration) ​

Windows:

powershell

Remove-Item -Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\.claude-code-cache" -Recurse -Force

macOS/Linux:

bash

rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/claude-code
rm -rf ~/.cache/claude-code

Only Clean Logs ​

Windows:

powershell

Remove-Item -Path "$env:APPDATA\.claude-code\logs" -Recurse -Force

macOS:

bash

rm -rf ~/Library/Logs/claude-code

Linux:

bash

rm -rf ~/.local/share/claude-code/logs

Only Clean Temporary Files ​

Windows:

powershell

Remove-Item -Path "$env:TEMP\claude-code-*" -Recurse -Force

macOS/Linux:

bash

rm -rf /tmp/claude-code-*

Reconfiguration After Cleanup ​

1. Re-login ​

You'll need to log in to your Claude account again after the first startup following cleanup.

2. Restore Configuration ​

If you backed up configuration files, you can restore them:

Windows:

powershell

Copy-Item -Path "backup_path\config.json" -Destination "$env:APPDATA\.claude-code\"

macOS/Linux:

bash

cp ~/backup/config.json ~/.config/claude-code/

3. Reconfigure Environment Variables ​

If you used custom environment variables, you'll need to set them up again. Reference: Claude Code Environment Variable Configuration

Related Articles ​

• How to Uninstall Claude Code - Complete uninstallation
• Claude Code Installation Guide - Reinstall Claude Code
• Windows Environment Variable Setup - Configure environment variables

💡 Best Practices ​

1. Regular Cleanup - Recommend cleaning cache and logs monthly
2. Backup Configuration - Always backup important configuration files before cleanup
3. Complete Exit - Ensure Claude Code is completely closed before cleanup
4. Use Scripts - Create automation scripts to simplify the cleanup process
5. Troubleshooting - Try cleaning cache first when encountering issues

Need Help? ​

If you encounter issues after cleanup, feel free to join our Carpool Community for technical support.

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Last updated: October 2025