# Can You Delete Steam and Graphics Shader Caches on Windows?

More games and driver updates can leave download and shader caches on a drive. Game installations, saves, Workshop content and caches are different kinds of data. Establish what the directory stores before deciding which space to recover.

## Download caches and shader caches are separate

Steam's download cache supports installation and updating. For download problems, follow [Steam's official instructions](https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/6AD7-820D-8BE5-E51F) in client settings; confirmation explains that you must sign in again. This is not an uninstall control or permission to delete a whole library.

Shader caches retain prepared graphics work. Removing them may require downloading or compilation again, with longer waits at the next launch or scene. Recovered storage does not establish a higher frame rate.

## Shader caches avoid repeating compilation work

Lighting, materials and effects use graphics programs executed by the GPU. The same shader source can require different compiled results for different hardware, drivers and graphics APIs. Keeping those results on disk allows later reuse. They are neither lower-resolution game assets nor saved game progress.

[NVIDIA's settings reference](https://www.nvidia.com/content/Control-Panel-Help/vLatest/en-gb/mergedProjects/nv3dENG/Manage_3D_Settings_%28reference%29.htm) explains the driver's shader cache and compilation work. Driver updates can require regeneration. Steam-managed caches and driver-managed caches are separate locations; clearing one does not establish that the other was cleared or that every game will be affected.

## Compare the same scene on first and subsequent loads

If a game works normally, removing a large cache trades disk space for possible recompilation at its next launch or a new scene. Repeating that work is not a general frame-rate optimization. Follow a game's specific rebuilding instructions when its vendor identifies a cache-related fault; that is a different reason to clear it.

Keep the game, save and graphics settings fixed. Observe the scene before removal, on the first load afterward, and again after leaving and reopening the game. One stutter does not establish a corrupt cache, and a first-load delay has no universal recovery time. The game, driver and scenes determine what must be rebuilt.

<figure class="blog-diagram">
  <picture>
    <source media="(max-width: 900px)" srcset="/img/blog/windows-steam-shader-cache-windows-en-mobile.webp" type="image/webp" width="768" height="1180">
    <img src="/img/blog/windows-steam-shader-cache-windows-en.webp" width="1360" height="454" loading="lazy" alt="Cached graphics work can be reused">
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  <figcaption>Caches retain prepared graphics work. Removal may require compilation or fetching again; it does not itself establish a higher frame rate.</figcaption>
</figure>

## How Mole recognizes Steam libraries

Mole reads Steam's registered location and listed libraries, then checks per-game content under `steamapps\shadercache`. It does not guess a Steam folder on C or D and delete it. Review each recognized library and the paths offered in the list.

While Steam runs, the corresponding cache is held back. Finish the game, save progress and quit Steam normally before reviewing cleanup choices. A similarly named folder outside the recognized scope does not become part of that rule.

## Game data is not cache

| Content | Appropriate handling |
| --- | --- |
| Steam shader cache | Review cleanup candidates after quitting and accept rebuilding time |
| A failed Steam download | Start with the client's official troubleshooting route |
| Installed game directory | Use Steam's storage, move or uninstall workflow |
| Local saves, mods and Workshop content | Confirm sources and backups, then use game and Steam controls |

Check synchronization for the particular game. Cloud sync is not an independent backup that survives synchronized deletion. Manually added mods, screenshots and configuration do not become regenerating cache because the game appears in an uninstall list.

## Graphics caches have their own scope

Mole recognizes some Windows, browser and graphics shader caches separately from driver installer packages and games. Cache growth after a driver update is normal. Keep content being compiled or used; an entire graphics-vendor directory is not a cache category.

After cleanup, compare the same game and scene on the first load and later runs. Rebuilding delays are not proof that the game was damaged. If installations occupy most space, investigate [the drive's actual contents](/windows/blog/find-large-files-on-windows) before moving or uninstalling games.


Canonical: https://mole.fit/windows/blog/steam-shader-cache-windows