# Premiere Pro Media Cache on Mac: Clear, Rebuild and Limit It

> Find Premiere Pro’s active media cache, remove unused files, allow rebuilding and set cleanup limits while keeping projects, sources and proxies separate.

Published: 2026-06-28 | Updated: 2026-10-31

Premiere Pro's media cache can grow while the app itself stays the same size. Start in Premiere's media-cache settings, not by deleting the Adobe support folder: conformed audio, peak files, the cache database, project files and proxies have different jobs and different recovery costs.

## Separate Cache From Editing Material

Adobe's [media-cache explanation](https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/troubleshooting/media-issues/manage-media-cache.html) distinguishes generated files from the database that tracks them. Use that distinction before choosing a cleanup target.

| Data | Purpose | Cleanup boundary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Media Cache Files | Generated conformed audio and peak files, including `.cfa` and `.pek` | Rebuild requires accessible source media and time |
| Media Cache | Database links to the generated cache files | Use Adobe's cache workflow, not a whole support-folder reset |
| [Projects and source footage](https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/organize-media/create-projects/start-projects.html) | Your edit and its original material | Keep out of cache cleanup |
| Proxies | Separate media linked to the original clips | Keep unless you have made a separate proxy-management decision |

Adobe documents [attaching proxies to full-resolution media](https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/organize-media/ingest-proxy-workflow/attach-proxies-to-full-resolution-media.html) as a separate workflow. Do not classify a proxy as disposable cache simply because it was generated for editing.

## Locate the Active Cache Before Deleting

Open Premiere's media-cache settings and record the current location before changing it. Adobe allows a custom location, so a large folder at an old path is not proof it is the current cache.

Adobe's [manual-cleanup instructions](https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/troubleshooting/media-issues/delete-media-cache-files-manually.html) identify this Mac parent location:

```text
~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common
```

Inspect the individual cache folders there, or at your configured location. Do not delete `Common` itself or expand the task to all of `Adobe`. If the folder is absent, check Premiere's recorded location instead of creating it.

For general folder choices, see [which Mac caches are safe to delete](https://mole.fit/blog/which-mac-caches-are-safe-to-delete). This is cache maintenance, not the [Creative Cloud removal workflow](https://mole.fit/blog/creative-cloud-leftovers-mac).

## Start With Premiere's Unused-Cache Option

Save your project and connect the drives containing its source media. Adobe's [preferences cleanup instructions](https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/troubleshooting/media-issues/clear-media-cache-using-preferences.html) describe the cache-removal button and the choice between unused cache and all cache at the current location.

1. Record the cache location and its size before starting.
2. Open the cache-removal dialog in Premiere's media-cache settings.
3. Choose the unused-cache option for the narrower first test, then confirm.
4. Reopen the same project and check audio, waveforms and playback before changing anything else.

In Adobe's definition, unused means the source media can no longer be found. A disconnected source drive can therefore change which files qualify; reconnect working media first rather than assuming unused means an old completed project.

For a complete cache rebuild, Adobe tells you to close all projects and perform the all-cache action before opening a project. This is broader than the unused-cache test, so reserve time for the next project to rebuild its cache.

## Let Cache Rebuild Before Judging Playback

Adobe warns that [reopening a project after cache removal takes rebuilding time](https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/troubleshooting/media-issues/delete-media-cache-files-manually.html). Check the same sequence after that work finishes, not only at the first slow playback immediately after cleanup.

Rebuilding depends on the source media still being available. Cache deletion cannot restore missing original footage, project files or a lost proxy, so stop and resolve missing media rather than deleting more folders when a project cannot find its clips.

If Premiere cannot open, Adobe also documents manual removal while the app is closed. Limit it to confirmed cache files at the recorded location. Keep any manually removed items recoverable during testing; the [Trash retains items only until permanent deletion](https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/mac-help/mchlp1093/mac), and a removal button inside an app should not be assumed to offer that recovery path.

## Set a Cleanup Policy or Change Location

Adobe's [automatic cache management](https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/troubleshooting/media-issues/automatically-manage-your-media-cache-files.html) offers age-based and size-based deletion. Record the existing choice, choose one policy that fits your work, then quit and reopen Premiere for the change to take effect.

Automatic cleanup is not an immediate empty-cache command. Adobe says eligible housekeeping starts after launch and subsequently runs weekly; its scope is the documented `.pek`, `.cfa` and `.ims` cache files, not your whole project archive.

You can also choose another cache location through the location control. This changes where cache is stored, not how much editing material you own. Record both locations, verify a project using the new one, and inspect the old cache separately before removing anything.

To reverse the policy or location change, restore the recorded preference and reopen Premiere. That reverses future behavior, not files already deleted. Use the [large-file guide](https://mole.fit/blog/how-to-find-large-files-on-mac) if the remaining space is footage or proxies rather than cache.

## Where Mole Fits

Mole Mac's **Clean** view includes the standard `~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Media Cache Files` folder under **Design Tools**, when eligible. This catalog entry does not include the sibling `Media Cache` database or follow Premiere's custom cache location.

Mole withholds this media-cache cleanup while a recognized Adobe media app is running and checks again before deletion. For Adobe's unused-file decision, automatic policy or location change, use Premiere's own settings.

## FAQ

### Will Clearing Media Cache Delete My Project?

The cache workflow targets generated cache, not the project or original footage. Keep those files separate and do not replace the cache operation with deletion of the Adobe parent folder.

### Why Does the Cache Grow Again?

Premiere recreates needed cache when source media is used. Compare the finished rebuild and your chosen retention policy, rather than expecting an active project's cache to stay empty.

### Can I Delete Proxies Along With Cache?

Treat that as a separate decision. Proxies are linked media, and clearing cache is not a proxy-management or project-archiving workflow.

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