How to Clear Outlook Cache on Different Devices – A Guide

January 23, 2024 By Janne Smith No Comments 6 minutes

500+ million Outlook users, yet, the process to clear Outlook cache remains a struggle. Considering how often your IT guy emphasized clearing the cache, it might annoy a few ears. But honestly, we’ve all been there.

Clear Outlook's Cache

Meanwhile, clearing out the cache differs from device to device. And that’s what our article’s about. Find out our comprehensive tutorials on clearing Outlook cache on Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android. Let’s dive in!

Note: Clearing the Outlook cookies also helps you improve digital security as well, i.e., you never have to worry about auto-suggestions. Meanwhile, to elevate digital privacy, we recommend using FastestVPN always to conceal your IP address.

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What Happens if I Clear My Outlook Cache

Mailbutler says employees spend an average of 4.1 hours daily on emails. And with over half of a workday spent on emails, we all expect the email apps to perform smoothly, too.

If your app is running slow or encountering slow performance, it is time to clear out the cache. However, a similar issue can occur when you run out of storage space.

Reasons to Clear Outlook Cache

Here’s what directs the need to clear the Outlook cache:

1. Slow Device Performance

With a full cache, you should expect your Outlook app to lag or perform slowly. Wanting a reference? Take Zootopia’s sloth for that.

2. Email Access Issues

Generally, when Outlook stores old files, it leads to slow performance and display errors.

3. Formatting Issues

Your email always has to look well-formatted, especially when every corporate detail has to be communicated over it. You’ll notice formatting issues with an unclear cache, and that’s your sign to clear the Outlook cache.

Benefits of clearing the Outlook Cache

According to 6sense, the 3 primary industries using Microsoft Outlook are:

Project Management
Marketing
Consulting

However, here’s what happens when you clear the Outlook cache:

1. Improved Performance

May it be any software, its performance will always be its reigning factor. And, once you delete Outlook cache, you’ll also notice an improved Outlook performance.

2. Free Up Storage

Not clearing the cache takes a huge chunk of storage space. And deleting it is the only way out. With the cache deleted, you’ll save some storage space.

3. Improves Data Protection

If any data in the background tracks or steals your personal information from Outlook, clearing the cache brings you back to the safe zone.

Although the reasons mentioned above and the benefits of deleting Outlook cache are limited, what weighs the significance of deleting cache is your data privacy. Along with deleting the cache, we recommend you use a reliable VPN, like FastestVPN, for guaranteed digital protection.

Where Is the Cache Setting in Outlook?

While this may seem to be the next Bermuda mystery, finding the cache settings on Outlook is only a cakewalk. Here’s a brief set of instructions to locate Outlook’s cache settings to exchange cache on Outlook:

Navigate and select File.
Go to Info.
Go to Account Settings.
Click on Change.
Check out the “Cached Exchange Mode” box.

How to Clear Outlook Cache on Mac and Windows

Here’s a brief set of guides for clearing Outlook cache on Mac and Windows:

Clear Outlook Cache on Mac

The following instructions are for clearing the Outlook cache on Mac:

Open Finder on your Mac.
Use the keyboard shortcut Command + Shift + G and search for ~/Library/Caches. Press Return.
Locate a folder named com.microsoft.Outlook and move it to the Trash by right-clicking on it.

If you can’t find the Outlook folder using Finder, you can use a third-party app to clear the app cache. CleanMyMac X is recommended for its user-friendly interface and additional features to optimize your Mac. You can purchase CleanMyMac X from the official website for a one-time fee of $29.

After installing CleanMyMac X, follow these steps:

Open CleanMyMac X and choose System Junk from the sidebar.
Run a scan and review the details by selecting User Scanned Files.
Uncheck everything except Microsoft Outlook.app Cache.
Click Clean at the bottom to remove the chosen cache files.

Clear Outlook Cache on Windows

This tutorial gives brief instructions on clearing Outlook cache on Windows:

Press the Windows key + R. This will open the Run menu.
Type: %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook.
Press Enter or click OK.
Open the RoamCache folder.
You’ll see a list of files. Press Ctrl + A. Left-click and select the bin to delete all.
Go to the recycle bin and permanently delete all.

How Do I Clear My AutoComplete Cache?

Ever wondered how Outlook always fills in some information for you? Like the email address? It’s the AutoComplete feature doing that part for you. Despite its usefulness, it’s essential to clear it, too.

Let’s first understand the consequences of not clearing Outlook’s AutoComplete cache. Accidents happen, but what if you send an email to the wrong recipient? If you’re willing to ensure high privacy standards, then clearing the AutoComplete cache is the only option to avoid that.

Not only that, with the cache cleared, you’ll see a noticeable difference in the performance, too. That said, here are the 2 methods how to clear Outlook’s AutoComplete cache:

Method 1

Follow the below-mentioned steps for generally clearing AutoComplete cache:

Open the Outlook application and create a new email.
In the “To” field, type the beginning of the address you wish to delete.
Click on the “X” icon that appears beside the suggested address to remove it.

Method 2

These steps are for turning of the AutoComplete cache from Outlook:

Launch your Outlook application and go to “File”> “Options.”
Navigate to the “Mail” tab.
Under the “Send messages” section, deselect the option(s) that say, “Use the auto-complete list to suggest names.

FAQs - How to Clear Outlook Cache

How do I delete Outlook temp files?

If you want to delete the Outlook temporary files on your Windows 10, here's how you can do that:

Enter "disk cleanup" in the search bar and launch the utility.
Choose Drive C and click OK.
Mark the folders for deletion by selecting the checkboxes.
Click on Delete File to proceed.

How do I free up space in Outlook?

You can free up space in Outlook by following the below-mentioned steps:

Go to Files.
Select MailBox cleanup.

How to clear cache in Outlook mobile app?

Here's how to clear Outlook cache on the mobile app:

Navigate to Settings.
Choose Apps.
Find and select Outlook.
Go to Storage and Cache.
Select Clear Cache.

Wrapping Up

Hubspot mentions, there are over 4 billion Email users. But what if an email application performance makes email communications a nightmare for you? The problem might be the cache.

Despite how random clearing the cache might sound, it also clears out significant issues like enhancing user privacy and security. Speaking of privacy, you can raise the barriers by using a reliable VPN, like FastestVPN.