Wednesday, January 7, 2026

How to Clear Visual Studio Cache || Visual Studio Component Cache Location

Visual Studio Component Cache Location
Main Path (User-specific)
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio
Inside this folder, you will see version-specific folders like:
16.0_xxxxxx → Visual Studio 2019
17.0_xxxxxx → Visual Studio 2022

Common Cache Folders You Can Clear
ComponentModelCache (Most important)
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\16.0_xxxxxx\ComponentModelCache
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\17.0_xxxxxx\ComponentModelCache
Clearing this fixes:
Visual Studio slowness
IntelliSense issues
Extension load errors

MEF Cache
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\16.0_xxxxxx\Cache

Roslyn Cache (C# / IntelliSense)
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\17.0_xxxxxx\Roslyn

Designer Shadow Cache
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Designer

How to Clear Visual Studio Cache (Safe Steps)
Method 1: Manual (Recommended)
Close Visual Studio completely
Press Win + R
Paste:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio
Open the required version folder (16.0 / 17.0)
Delete these folders:
ComponentModelCache
Cache
Roslyn (optional)
Restart Visual Studio
Cache will be recreated automatically

Method 2: Command Prompt
devenv /clearcache
Run from Developer Command Prompt for Visual Studio

What NOT to Delete
Do NOT delete:
Extensions folder
Settings files
.vs folder inside your solution (unless troubleshooting)