How to Delete OBS Studio Cache When Migrating Profiles

This article provides a straightforward, step-by-step guide on how to safely locate and delete temporary cache folders when migrating your OBS Studio settings to a new profile. Clearing these caches prevents configuration conflicts, resolves performance hiccups, and ensures a clean transition while preserving your essential scenes, sources, and stream configurations.

Step 1: Close OBS Studio Completely

Before modifying or deleting any files, ensure that OBS Studio is completely shut down. If the application is running in the background, files may be locked, or the system might write corrupt data to your new profile.

Step 2: Navigate to the OBS Studio AppData Folder

OBS Studio stores its configuration and cache files in system-specific application directories. Open your file explorer and navigate to the appropriate path for your operating system:

• Windows: Press Windows Key + R, type %appdata%\obs-studio, and press Enter.
• macOS: Open Finder, press Cmd + Shift + G, type ~/Library/Application Support/obs-studio/, and press Enter.
• Linux: Navigate to ~/.config/obs-studio/.

Step 3: Back Up Your Configuration

Before deleting any directories, create a backup of your current settings. Copy the entire obs-studio folder and paste it into a safe location, such as your Desktop. If you make a mistake during the migration, you can restore this folder to revert to your original setup.

Step 4: Safely Identify and Delete Cache Folders

To clear the cache without losing your profile configurations (which are stored in the basic folder), target only the specific temporary directories. Inside the main obs-studio folder, delete the contents of the following directories:

1. Browser Source Cache: Navigate to plugin_config > obs-browser. Safely delete the folders named Cache, GPUCache, and Local Storage. These folders hold temporary web data from your browser sources, alerts, and widgets. Deleting them forces OBS to reload fresh web data.
2. Update Cache: Locate and delete the updates folder. This directory contains temporary files left over from previous OBS Studio software updates.

Note: Do not delete any .json or .ini files in the basic/profiles or basic/scenes folders, as these contain your actual stream configurations and scene layouts.

Step 5: Launch OBS and Verify the Migration

Open OBS Studio and load your new profile. The software will automatically regenerate clean, conflict-free cache folders. Verify that your browser sources, transitions, and stream settings are functioning correctly.