How to Clear Microsoft Outlook Cache and Enjoy a Smooth Experience

ByJim Miller

Microsoft Outlook is a popular email client used by millions of users on various platforms like Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. While Outlook offers a feature-rich experience for managing emails, calendars, tasks, contacts, and notes, it is not entirely free of bugs and glitches. Users often face issues like not receiving emails on Windows, inability to open MSG files, and occasional glitches on Android and Mac.

Fortunately, clearing the Outlook cache is a common troubleshooting technique that can help resolve such problems. In this article, we will guide you on how to clear the Outlook cache on different platforms to ensure a smooth and hassle-free experience.

What Happens When You Clear Outlook Cache

Before we get to the steps to clear the Outlook cache, let's understand what happens when you perform this action. Clearing the Outlook cache does not affect your existing email inbox, calendar, or contacts. It does not delete any personal data or attached files either.

When you clear the Outlook cache, you are essentially deleting small files that Outlook collects to save recipient email addresses for suggestions during email drafting and to improve overall app performance. In some cases, Outlook may collect corrupt files, leading to issues on Windows, Mac, or Android. By clearing the cache, you free up space on your device and resolve performance issues.

Clear Outlook Cache on Windows

If you are experiencing frequent glitches and issues on Outlook for Windows, follow these steps to clear the Outlook cache:

  1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run menu.
  2. Type “%localappdata%MicrosoftOutlook” in the Run menu and press Enter.
  3. Open the RoamCache folder.
  4. Select all the files in the folder, right-click on them, and click Delete.
  5. Empty the Recycle Bin to completely remove all the cache files.

Clear Auto-Complete Cache

Outlook also saves recipient email addresses for auto-complete purposes. If you want to clear the auto-complete cache or disable this feature, follow these steps:

  1. Launch Outlook on Windows.
  2. Click File in the top left corner.
  3. Select Options.
  4. Open the Mail tab.
  5. Uncheck the “Use Auto-Complete List to suggest names when typing in the To, Cc, and Bcc lines” option.
  6. Optionally, click the “Empty Auto-Complete List” option to delete the existing list.

Clear Outlook Cache on Mac

If you are using Outlook on a Mac, you can follow these steps to clear the Outlook cache:

  1. Open Finder on your Mac.
  2. Press Command + Shift + G and search for “~/Library/Caches”. Press Return.
  3. Right-click on the folder named “com.microsoft.Outlook” and move it to the Bin.

If you can't find the Outlook folder in Finder, you can use third-party apps like CleanMyMac X to clear the app cache. CleanMyMac X offers a sleek user interface and useful features to keep your Mac running smoothly.

Clear Outlook Cache on Android

To clear the Outlook cache on your Android device, follow these steps:

  1. Long-tap on the Outlook app icon and tap the (i) button.
  2. It will open the app info menu.
  3. Open “Storage and cache”.
  4. Tap “Clear cache”.

After clearing the cache, you may experience slightly slower performance initially as Outlook rebuilds the cache from scratch. However, this is a temporary issue, and your Outlook experience will soon become smooth and seamless.

In conclusion, clearing the Outlook cache is an effective way to resolve performance issues and ensure a smooth experience. We recommend regularly clearing the cache of your frequently used apps on both desktop and mobile devices to optimize performance. For more information on clearing cache on other apps like Facebook Messenger, check out our dedicated posts.