Adjust Video Editing Cache Memory in Blender

This guide explains how to increase or adjust the system memory (RAM) and video memory (VRAM) cache limits for the Video Sequence Editor (VSE) in Blender. Allocating more cache allows Blender to store pre-rendered video frames in your system memory, resulting in smoother real-time timeline playback, faster scrubbing, and improved overall editing performance.

Step 1: Open Preferences

  1. Launch Blender.
  2. In the top-left menu bar, click Edit.
  3. Select Preferences from the drop-down menu (or press Ctrl + Alt + U on Windows/Linux, Cmd + , on macOS).

Step 2: Navigate to System Settings

  1. In the left-hand sidebar of the Preferences window, select the System tab.
  2. Locate the Memory & Limits section.

Step 3: Adjust the Video Sequencer Cache Limit

  1. Find the Sequencer Cache Limit (or Memory Cache Limit in older Blender versions).
  2. The value is measured in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB) depending on your version.
  3. Click the numeric field and enter a higher allocation based on your total system RAM:
    • 16 GB System RAM: Allocate 8,192 MB (8 GB) to 10,240 MB (10 GB).
    • 32 GB System RAM: Allocate 16,384 MB (16 GB) to 24,576 MB (24 GB).
    • 64 GB System RAM or more: Allocate 32,768 MB (32 GB) or higher.
  4. Always leave at least 4 GB to 8 GB of RAM free for your operating system and background applications to prevent system crashes.

Step 4: Adjust Viewport and GPU Texture Limits (VRAM)

  1. Still inside the System tab or the Viewport tab (depending on Blender version), locate Textures.
  2. Look for Texture Limit / GL Texture Limit or GPU Texture Limit.
  3. Adjust the limit to match or optimize for your dedicated GPU VRAM capacity. Setting this appropriately ensures high-resolution video strips and images render quickly in the preview window without exhausting GPU resources.

Step 5: Save Your Changes

  1. Blender saves preferences automatically by default.
  2. If automatic saving is disabled, click the Save Preferences button (or the menu icon in the bottom-left corner and choose Save Preferences) to ensure your cache settings remain active across future sessions.