How to Clear Microsoft Teams Cache: A Quick Fix Guide

Microsoft Teams running slow, freezing mid-call, or refusing to load your messages? Before you reinstall or call IT, there's a faster fix. Knowing how to clear Microsoft Teams cache can resolve most performance issues in under five minutes. Cached data builds up over time -- old thumbnails, stale conversation history, and broken session tokens all drag Teams down. This guide covers exact steps for Windows, Mac, and the difference between Classic and New Teams, so you clear the right files without losing anything important.

What Is the Microsoft Teams Cache (And Why Clear It)?

The Microsoft Teams cache is a set of temporary files stored locally on your device. It includes conversation snippets, user profile images, app icons, thumbnails, authentication tokens, and GPU rendering data. Teams uses this cache to load faster -- instead of downloading everything from the server each time, it pulls from local storage.

Over time, this cache grows and can become corrupted. Outdated tokens cause sign-in loops. Stale data conflicts with server-side updates. The result: Teams freezes, messages fail to send, meetings lag, or the app won't open at all.

Clearing the cache forces Teams to rebuild these files fresh from the server. Your chat history, files, channels, and settings are all stored in the cloud (OneDrive and SharePoint), so nothing permanent is lost. You'll need to sign back in after clearing, and the first launch will be slightly slower as Teams rebuilds.

Experiencing other Teams issues? Our guide on getting the most from Microsoft Teams meetings covers setup, troubleshooting, and best practices for smoother calls.

How to Clear Teams Cache on Windows

The steps differ depending on whether you're running Classic Teams or the New Teams app (the UWP version Microsoft rolled out in 2023). If you're not sure which version you have, click the three dots in the top-right of Teams and look for "About" -- it will say "Microsoft Teams classic" or simply "Microsoft Teams (new)."

Classic Teams (Windows)

1. Right-click the Teams icon in your taskbar and select Quit. Clicking the X only minimizes it -- you need to fully exit.
2. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
3. Type %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams and press Enter.
4. Select all files and folders in this directory and delete them.
5. Restart Teams and sign back in.

New Teams (Windows)

The New Teams app stores its cache in a completely different location. You have two options:

Option A: Reset via Windows Settings (easiest)

1. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
2. Search for "Microsoft Teams" and click the three dots next to it.
3. Select Advanced options.
4. Scroll to the Reset section and click Reset.
5. Restart Teams.

Option B: Delete cache files manually

1. Quit Teams completely.
2. Press Windows key + R and enter:

%userprofile%\appdata\local\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Microsoft\MSTeams

3. Delete all files and folders in this directory.
4. Restart Teams.

According to Microsoft's official documentation, the New Teams cache path changed because the app was rebuilt as a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) application, which uses a different storage model than the original Electron-based Classic Teams.

How to Clear Teams Cache on Mac

Mac users also need to know which version of Teams they're running before clearing cache.

Classic Teams (Mac)

1. Right-click the Teams icon in the Dock and select Quit, or press Command + Q.
2. Open Finder, then press Command + Shift + G.
3. Enter ~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Teams and click Go.
4. Delete the contents of the Teams folder.
5. Restart Teams.

New Teams (Mac)

1. Quit Teams completely.
2. Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal).
3. Run the following commands one at a time:

rm -rf ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.com.microsoft.teams

rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.teams2

4. Restart Teams.

Important: Be careful with Terminal commands. Only copy the exact paths listed above. Running a remove command against the wrong directory can delete unrelated files.

If your team relies on Microsoft 365 for daily work, keeping Teams and other apps running smoothly is critical. Always Beyond's managed IT services include proactive monitoring and maintenance so issues like these get resolved before they slow your team down.

When Should You Clear the Teams Cache?

Clearing cache isn't something you need to do on a regular schedule. It's a targeted troubleshooting step for specific symptoms. If Teams is working fine, the cache is doing its job. But when these issues appear, clearing it should be your first move:

• Teams won't open or gets stuck on the loading screen
• Messages aren't sending or appearing in chat or channels
• Calls and meetings lag, freeze, or drop despite a good internet connection
• Sign-in loops where Teams keeps asking you to authenticate
• Notifications stop working or show outdated information
• After a major Teams update that seems to break functionality

If none of these symptoms apply, leave the cache alone. Clearing it unnecessarily just means a slower first launch while Teams rebuilds its local data. For persistent issues that survive a cache clear, the problem likely sits at the network, device, or tenant level -- not in local storage.

What You Lose (And What You Keep) When Clearing Cache

This is the part most guides skip. Here's exactly what happens:

What gets deleted (local only):

• Locally cached profile pictures and thumbnails
• Saved authentication tokens (you'll need to sign in again)
• Local display preferences and custom emoji
• GPU rendering cache
• Temporary meeting data

What stays safe (stored in the cloud):

• All chat history and messages
• Files shared in channels and chats (stored in SharePoint and OneDrive)
• Team memberships, channels, and settings
• Calendar events and meeting recordings
• Your Teams profile and account information

Think of it like clearing your browser cache -- you lose saved logins and some visual elements, but all your actual data remains on the server. This is safe to do at any time without risking data loss.

FAQs About Clearing Microsoft Teams Cache

Does clearing Teams cache delete my chat history?

No. Chat history is stored on Microsoft's servers, not locally. After clearing the cache and signing back in, all your conversations will reload from the cloud. The only messages you might temporarily lose are those sent while you were offline and hadn't yet synced.

How often should I clear the Teams cache?

Only when you're experiencing issues. There's no benefit to clearing it on a regular schedule. If Teams is working normally, the cache is doing its job -- making the app faster.

Can I clear Teams cache on mobile (iOS or Android)?

Yes, but the process is different. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Microsoft Teams > Storage > Clear Cache. On iPhone, there's no direct cache-clearing option -- you'll need to delete and reinstall the Teams app. Your data syncs from the cloud after reinstalling.

Keep Teams Running Without the Troubleshooting

Clearing the Microsoft Teams cache is a quick fix for most performance issues, but it shouldn't be something your team deals with regularly. If Teams problems keep recurring -- slow performance, sign-in errors, audio glitches -- the root cause is usually deeper: outdated hardware, network configuration issues, or Microsoft 365 licensing gaps.

That's the kind of problem a managed IT partner can catch before it disrupts your workday. Reach out to Always Beyond to get your Microsoft 365 environment running the way it should -- stable, secure, and hands-off for your team.