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The Cache Folder

Solar Sailer caches thumbnails, waveforms, and proxy files so projects open and play fast. This page covers where the cache lives, how to move it, and how to clear it safely.

Cache files are tied to your source media, not to a project. Projects that use the same footage share the same cache files, so a second project with the same clips opens with its thumbnails and waveforms already built.

Set the default cache location​

  1. Open Edit → Preferences… and select Cache.
  2. In the Default Media Cache Directory row, click Browse… and pick a folder. Click Reset to go back to the built-in default.
  3. Click Apply.

If you never set one, the cache lives in a folder inside your Windows user profile. The field's placeholder shows that exact path.

Override the location for one project​

A project can use its own cache folder instead of the default. The project setting always wins.

  1. Open Edit → Project Settings….
  2. In the Media Cache section, set Project Cache Directory with Browse…. Click Use Default to fall back to the Preferences setting.
  3. Click Apply. The change takes effect immediately.

Clear cache to reclaim disk space​

The cache is safe to delete. Anything you remove regenerates as you play, scrub, or reopen projects. There are three ways to clear it:

  • Clear Old, in Preferences → Cache, removes cache files generated more than 90 days ago. A message reports how many files were removed. This is the safe periodic cleanup.
  • Clear All, in the same place, wipes the entire cache directory. A confirmation dialog titled Clear all cache? lists the exact folders it will empty and reminds you that other projects sharing those folders lose their cache too.
  • Clear Project Cache, in Project Settings, clears only the cache for the media in the current project. Its confirmation dialog is titled Clear this project's cache?. Because cache is shared, other projects using the same source files will rebuild theirs when reopened.
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Clearing is deliberately conservative. Solar Sailer deletes only files it recognizes as its own cache, and it never digs into subfolders. Pointing the cache setting at a folder that holds other files won't put those files at risk.