To clear the Teams cache on a Mac, quit Teams and move its two data folders to the Trash, the folders Microsoft's own steps remove. Slack has a menu item that clears its cache, and Discord's cache is three folders you remove by hand. Each app does it differently.
What you give up differs too. Slack and Discord keep you signed in, because their caches hold only what they download again. Teams resets your personal settings, deletes its diagnostic logs and may ask you to sign in again. In all three, your messages and shared files stay on the service's servers.
Zoom is the odd one out. What fills a Mac there is usually local meeting recordings, in a Zoom folder inside Documents. They aren't a cache: they're your files, often the only copy, and Zoom's settings decide where new ones go.
Clearing a cache frees space and often fixes a glitch, such as a blank window or images that won't load. It doesn't make your Mac faster, and the cache grows back as you use the app.
Why chat apps keep large caches on a Mac
Most desktop chat apps are, underneath, a website in a window. That design is why they keep the same kinds of cache folders a browser does, and why those folders grow the way a browser's do.
Why are Slack and Discord built like browsers?
Slack's engineering blog explains that its desktop app moved to Electron, which combines Chromium's rendering engine with the Node.js runtime. Its first Mac app used a framework called MacGap, a history still visible in its identifier, com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap. Discord's folders follow the same Chromium layout.
Building on web technology lets a company ship one app for the Mac, Windows and the web. The cost is that each app carries its own copy of a browser engine, with its own caches, separate from Safari's or Chrome's.
What's inside a chat app's cache?
The catalog's entries for Slack and Discord name the same set of folders, all of them Chromium's:
- Cache: images, files and web content the app downloaded
- Code Cache: compiled scripts, so the interface starts faster
- GPUCache: data the graphics chip prepared for drawing the window
- Service Worker/CacheStorage (Slack): the app's own offline copy of its interface
Slack's engineers describe what its service worker keeps: the HTML, JavaScript, CSS, fonts and sounds the app needs, plus some responses from Slack's servers. Images and videos go through the ordinary web cache instead.
Why do the caches keep growing?
Because every image, video and GIF someone posts in a busy channel or server passes through the cache. How-To Geek's guide to Discord's cache makes the same point: the files build up as you send and receive media.
None of the three documents a size limit for its cache. A heavy Slack or Discord user in many large channels keeps a much larger cache than someone in one small team.
Where do these caches count in Storage settings?
Open System Settings, click General, then Storage. The apps themselves count under Applications. Their caches and data, in your Library folder, count toward System Data, like most apps' data. Zoom's recordings are in your Documents folder, so they count with documents.
That's why a growing chat app shows up as a larger System Data figure rather than as its own entry. Storage settings can't break that number down by app.
| App | Where its cache lives | What it is | Its own way to clear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slack | ~/Library/Application Support/Slack | Web, code and GPU caches | Help › Troubleshooting |
| Slack, App Store version | ~/Library/Containers/com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap | The same folders, in its container | Help › Troubleshooting |
| Microsoft Teams | ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.teams2 | Cache, settings and logs | Microsoft's steps remove both folders |
| Microsoft Teams | ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.com.microsoft.teams | Shared cache and settings | Same steps |
| Discord | ~/Library/Application Support/discord | Web, code and GPU caches | Remove three folders by hand |
| Zoom | ~/Documents/Zoom | Your meeting recordings | Zoom's Recording settings |
How to clear Slack's cache on a Mac
Slack is the easiest of the three, because it has a menu item that clears its cache and restarts the app. Slack's help center lists it as the first step for loading trouble.
What are the steps?
- Open Slack.
- In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click Help.
- Choose Troubleshooting.
- Click Clear cache and restart.
Slack quits, clears its cache and opens again. The first launch afterwards takes longer, because it downloads its interface and recent content again.
Will clearing Slack's cache sign you out or delete messages?
No. The catalog rates Slack's cache as Safe: Slack downloads what it needs again from its servers, and your messages, files and settings stay in your workspace. You stay signed in.
The cache doesn't hold your only copy of anything. Slack is a cloud service, and the desktop app is a view of what's stored there.
Where does Slack keep its cache?
It depends on where you got Slack. The version from Slack's website keeps its folders in ~/. The Mac App Store version keeps the same folders inside its container, at ~/.
In either place, the cache is the Cache, Code Cache and GPUCache folders, plus CacheStorage inside Service Worker. Everything else in Slack's folder is outside the catalog's entry.
What else is in Slack's folder?
Other folders hold data Slack keeps for itself, such as IndexedDB. Slack's engineers describe saving a copy of the app's data store to IndexedDB, which lets Slack open before it reaches the server and show conversations you've already read while offline.
The catalog's entry stops at the cache folders on purpose. Leave IndexedDB and the rest to Slack; its menu item knows what's safe to clear.
Can you clear Slack's cache in Finder instead?
Yes, but the menu item is simpler and does the same job. If Slack won't open far enough to reach its Help menu, use Finder:
- Quit Slack with Slack › Quit Slack.
- In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder, enter
~/and press Return.Library/ Application Support/ Slack - Move Cache, Code Cache and GPUCache to the Trash.
- Open Service Worker and move CacheStorage to the Trash.
- Open Slack and check it works.
For the App Store version, start from the container folder above instead. Finder's Move to Trash can be undone with File › Put Back until you empty the Trash.
Where do files you download from Slack go?
Files you save from a conversation are ordinary files in the folder you saved them to, and clearing the cache doesn't touch them. Slack's help center describes changing the default folder: click your profile picture, choose Preferences, then Advanced, and under Download location click Change.
Slack notes that this setting is only there if you downloaded the app from Slack's downloads page. The Mac App Store version doesn't show it.
How to clear the Teams cache on a Mac
Microsoft documents clearing the cache of the new Teams on a Mac, and it's more drastic than Slack's. Its steps remove two whole folders, which hold Teams' settings and logs as well as its cache. Teams rebuilds them when it next opens.
When does Microsoft say to clear it?
Only for problems with the app itself. Microsoft's article says not to clear the cache for missing messages, chat history that won't load, a channel that doesn't appear or wrong notification counts, because it doesn't fix those and deletes the diagnostic logs needed to find the cause.
For a problem with the Teams app on your Mac, such as a window that won't draw or an app that won't start properly, clearing the cache is a reasonable targeted step. Microsoft is clear that it's not a first step for every issue.
What are the steps in Finder?
Microsoft's article removes the two folders with commands in Terminal. Finder does the same thing, and the Trash lets you undo it:
- Quit Teams: right-click its icon in the Dock and choose Quit, or press Command-Q.
- In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder, enter
~/and press Return.Library/ Group Containers - Select the folder UBF8T346G9.com.microsoft.teams and choose File › Move to Trash.
- Choose Go › Go to Folder again and enter
~/.Library/ Containers - Select com.microsoft.teams2 and move it to the Trash.
- Open Teams and sign in if it asks.
Microsoft notes that the first start afterwards may take longer than usual, because Teams has to rebuild its cache files.
What does clearing the Teams cache reset?
The catalog rates Teams' cache and app data as Usually safe rather than Safe, because more than the cache goes. Teams takes longer to open, your personal app settings are reset, its diagnostic logs are removed, and custom backgrounds you uploaded are likely removed too.
You might also need to sign in again. Your chats, channels and files aren't affected: they're stored in Microsoft 365, not in these folders.
Which other Microsoft folders should you leave alone?
The letters UBF8T346G9 identify Microsoft's apps, so Office's own folders in Group Containers start with them too, such as UBF8T346G9.Office. Those hold Word, Excel, Outlook and the rest's shared data.
Move only the folder ending in com.microsoft.teams. If you select the wrong one by accident, File › Put Back returns it, as long as the Trash hasn't been emptied.
What about the old, classic Teams?
Microsoft replaced classic Teams with the new Teams, and says classic Teams stopped being available on July 1, 2025. It tried to uninstall the classic app after installing the new one, but its data could stay behind.
Microsoft's steps for classic Teams on a Mac remove ~/. If that folder is still there and you only use the new Teams, it belongs to an app that no longer works.
Is Teams in a browser any different?
Yes. Teams on the web keeps its data in your browser's website data, not in these folders. Clearing it means clearing that site's data in the browser, which signs you out of Teams there. The post on clearing cookies on a Mac covers how each browser does it.
How to clear Discord's cache on a Mac
Discord's Mac app keeps a web cache, a code cache and a GPU cache in its data folder, the same three folders as Slack. Discord doesn't document a clear-cache command for its Mac app that we could find, so the usual route is Finder, with Discord quit.
What is in Discord's cache?
Images, videos and GIFs from the servers and chats you read, plus compiled scripts and graphics data. The catalog's entry for Discord's cache notes that Discord downloads what it needs again, and your messages and servers stay on Discord's servers.
How do you clear it?
- Quit Discord completely with Discord › Quit Discord. Closing its window leaves it running.
- In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder, enter
~/and press Return.Library/ Application Support/ discord - Move Cache, Code Cache and GPUCache to the Trash.
- Open Discord and check it loads.
Leave everything else in the folder alone. Local Storage, for example, is outside the catalog's entry: it holds data Discord saved on purpose, not a cache it rebuilds.
Does clearing Discord's cache sign you out?
No. The catalog says you stay signed in. Discord takes longer to open the first time and loads images again as you scroll back through channels.
Why can't Finder change Discord's folder on macOS 27?
macOS 27 Golden Gate protects the data folders of a few apps so that other apps can't open or change them. Security researcher Wojciech Reguła found Discord's folder on that list, alongside Chrome, Brave, Edge, Firefox and some cryptocurrency wallets.
So on macOS 27, Finder may not be allowed to move Discord's cache folders. If it's refused, leave them: there's no supported way around the protection, and you shouldn't look for one. On macOS 26 Tahoe, the folder isn't protected this way.
| App | How to clear the cache | Signed in afterwards? | Level in the catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slack | Help › Troubleshooting › Clear cache and restart | Yes | Safe |
| Teams | Quit, move both folders to the Trash | Maybe not | Usually safe |
| Discord | Quit, move three folders to the Trash | Yes | Safe |
| Zoom recordings | Not a cache; delete only what you've saved or don't need | Not affected | Review first |
Zoom's local recordings: your files, not a cache
Zoom keeps caches and settings like any app, but its large items are different: recordings you made to your computer. Zoom's documentation calls them computer recordings, and they're stored only on the Mac that made them.
Where does Zoom save recordings on a Mac?
By default, in ~/. Zoom's support article gives the same folder for every Mac. Inside, each recorded meeting gets its own folder, named with its date and topic.
Zoom's guide to recording file formats lists what a computer recording produces:
- an MP4 file with the audio and video
- an M4A file with the audio alone
- chat.txt, if you saved the in-meeting chat
- separate audio files for each participant, if that option is on
Zoom notes that the M3U playlist file it also creates is for Windows only.
How big do Zoom recordings get?
Zoom doesn't publish a size per hour, because it depends on the video, the layout and whether you record each participant's audio separately. The catalog's entry notes that a long meeting can take up several gigabytes, and every meeting adds its own folder.
That's why Zoom's folder can quietly become one of the largest things in Documents if you record regularly and never tidy up.
How do you find your recordings in Zoom?
- Open the Zoom app and sign in.
- Click the Home tab.
- Below your list of meetings, click Open recordings.
- On the My files › Meeting recordings page, click Computer recordings.
Click a meeting's name to play it. The ellipsis at the end of each row has View file location, which opens the folder in Finder.
How do you delete a recording in Zoom?
On the same Computer recordings tab, hover over the recording, click the ellipsis, choose Delete, then click Delete to confirm. Zoom's article doesn't say whether this removes the files from your disk, so check the folder in Finder afterwards.
You can also delete in Finder: move a meeting's folder from ~/ to the Trash. Zoom's own article says deleted computer recordings can be recovered from the Trash, until you empty it.
How do you change where Zoom saves recordings?
- In the Zoom app, click your profile picture at the top right, then Settings.
- Click the Recording tab.
- Under Local recording storage, find Storage location and click Change.
- Choose the new folder.
Zoom's article doesn't say that changing the folder moves earlier recordings, so check the old folder for them.
Can you save Zoom recordings to iCloud Drive or an external drive?
Zoom advises against it. Its article on starting a computer recording says a cloud syncing folder, an external drive or network storage may cause problems saving and converting the recording, and Zoom strongly recommends keeping the default location on a local drive.
A safer pattern is to record to the default folder, then move finished recordings to an external drive or a cloud folder once Zoom has converted them.
Why does Zoom need time after a meeting ends?
Zoom converts a computer recording after the meeting ends, then opens the folder. Its documentation warns that restarting or shutting down the Mac, letting the disk sleep or closing a laptop's lid during conversion can leave the files corrupted and unrecoverable.
If a recording didn't convert, find it on the Computer recordings tab and click Convert.
Should you delete Zoom recordings to free space?
Only the ones you've saved elsewhere or truly don't need. The catalog rates Zoom's local recordings as Review first: unlike cloud recordings, they exist only on this Mac, so nothing brings them back once the Trash is emptied.
Cloud recordings, stored in your Zoom account, aren't affected by anything you do to this folder.
| Item | Where it lives | Comes back on its own? | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer recordings | ~/Documents/Zoom | No | Keep, move or delete what you don't need |
| Cloud recordings | Your Zoom account | Not on the Mac | Manage on Zoom's website |
| Chat saved with a recording | chat.txt in the meeting's folder | No | Keeps the in-meeting chat |
| Zoom's settings and data | Zoom's folders in your Library | Not a recording | Leave to Zoom |
What you lose when you clear each app's cache
The short answer is almost nothing, for Slack and Discord. Teams costs a little more, and Zoom's recordings aren't a cache at all. Here's what changes in each case.
Do you stay signed in?
In Slack and Discord, yes: the catalog's entries say so, and Slack lists its menu item as a first step for loading trouble. In Teams, maybe not. Microsoft's steps remove more than the cache, and the catalog warns you might need to sign in again.
If your work account uses two-factor sign-in, have your phone nearby before you clear Teams' folders.
Do you lose messages?
No. Slack, Teams and Discord keep conversations on their servers, and the desktop apps download them again. What you won't see straight away is anything the app had cached for offline reading, until it downloads it again.
That's the opposite of WhatsApp, Telegram's secret chats and Signal, whose Mac folders can hold history that exists nowhere else. The post on WhatsApp, Telegram and WeChat storage explains those.
Do you lose files you downloaded?
No. Files you saved from a chat are ordinary files in the folder you chose, often Downloads, and no cache-clearing step touches them. If they're what's filling your Mac, the post on cleaning up the Downloads folder helps you sort them.
Do you lose settings?
In Slack and Discord, no: the cache folders don't hold your preferences. In Teams, yes: clearing its folders resets your personal app settings, and custom backgrounds you uploaded are likely gone too.
| App | Messages | Sign-in | Settings | Downloaded files |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slack | Kept on Slack's servers | Kept | Kept | Kept |
| Teams | Kept in Microsoft 365 | May need to sign in | Reset | Kept |
| Discord | Kept on Discord's servers | Kept | Kept | Kept |
| Zoom recordings | Not applicable | Not affected | Not affected | The recordings are the files |
Does clearing chat app caches make a Mac faster?
No. It's one of the most repeated claims about caches, and it gets the purpose of a cache backwards.
Why doesn't it speed things up?
A cache exists to make an app faster, by keeping a local copy of what it would otherwise download. Clearing it makes the next launch slower, while the app fetches everything again. Microsoft says as much for Teams, and Slack's catalog entry says the same.
What clearing a cache does is free disk space and remove a possibly damaged copy of something. That's why it fixes some glitches.
Is a chat app using too much memory the same problem?
No. An app that uses a lot of memory while it runs is about RAM, not disk space, and clearing its cache won't change that. The post on memory and storage on a Mac explains the difference.
When is clearing the cache worth it?
- Slack shows loading trouble, a blank window or content that won't update. Slack lists clearing the cache as the first step.
- Teams itself misbehaves on your Mac, not your chats or channels. Microsoft draws that line clearly.
- Discord shows broken images or won't finish loading after an update.
- Your disk is short of space and the caches are large.
Should you clear chat app caches regularly?
No. They refill as you use the apps, so a weekly routine buys back the same space each time and makes every following launch slower. Clear them when there's a problem, or once after you've left a busy workspace or server you no longer read.
Other apps that keep the same kind of cache
Slack, Teams and Discord aren't alone. Many apps built on web technology keep the same set of Chromium folders, and the same rules apply: the cache is regenerated, the rest of the folder may not be.
Which other apps work like this?
Desktop apps for AI chat services are often built the same way, with caches in their own data folders. The post on ChatGPT, Claude and other AI chat apps' storage covers what they keep and what's safe to clear.
Browsers are the original case. Edge, Brave, Arc, Opera and Vivaldi all use Chromium's layout, and the post on Firefox, Edge, Brave and Arc storage explains each one's cache and profile.
How can you tell a cache folder from data you'd miss?
Look at the folder's name and where it sits. Folders called Cache, Code Cache or GPUCache inside an app's folder are Chromium caches, rebuilt on demand. Folders such as IndexedDB or Local Storage hold data the app saved deliberately, and are better left to the app.
Where an app keeps data in Application Support, the parent folder itself is never something to delete. Remove only the cache folders inside it, and only with the app quit.
What about apps from the Mac App Store?
They keep their data inside their own container, which is why the App Store version of Slack lives in ~/. The post on Containers and Group Containers explains why sandboxed apps work this way and what each folder holds.
Mistakes to avoid with chat app caches
Most problems come from deleting a whole app folder instead of its cache, or from clearing Teams when the problem is really a chat or channel.
Common mistakes
- Deleting a whole app folder. Slack's and Discord's data folders hold more than their caches. Move only the cache folders.
- Clearing caches with the app open. The app writes to them as it runs. Quit it first, from its menu, not just its window.
- Clearing Teams for a missing message. Microsoft says it won't help and removes the logs support needs.
- Moving the wrong UBF8T346G9 folder. Office's folders start the same way. Read the whole name.
- Treating Zoom's folder as a cache. Recordings are the only copy. Save the ones you need first.
- Pasting cleanup commands from a web page. Files they delete skip the Trash and can't be put back.
| Don't | Why | Instead |
|---|---|---|
Move ~/Library/Application Support/Slack itself | It holds Slack's local data, not just the cache | Use Clear cache and restart |
| Clear Teams for missing messages | It doesn't help and deletes logs | Contact your IT team or Microsoft support |
| Empty the Trash straight away | You lose the chance to put things back | Use the apps for a day first |
Delete ~/Documents/Zoom without looking | Every recording is the only copy | Review each meeting's folder |
| Force your way past macOS 27's protection | It guards the app's sign-in data | Leave the folder if Finder is refused |
A worked example
Say System Data has grown and you use all four apps. You open Slack and choose Help › Troubleshooting › Clear cache and restart. You quit Discord from its menu and move its three cache folders to the Trash, which Finder allows on your Mac running macOS 26.
Teams works fine, so you leave its folders alone. In Zoom's Computer recordings tab you find a year of meetings; you move the three you need to an external drive and delete the rest. Your sign-ins, chats and settings are untouched, and the recordings are the real space you get back.
How the app does it
Wombit is a native Mac app that shows what's using your storage, explains every item in plain language, and clears it safely: Trash first, undoable and logged. File names and paths never leave your Mac.
The chat apps' folders appear on the map like everything else. Select one and the app says what it is, how safe it is to remove and what removing it costs, from a catalog written and checked by hand with sources:
~/
Library/ Application Support/ Slack/ {Cache,Code Cache,GPUCache} Web content, compiled scripts and graphics data that the Slack app caches so it opens faster.
Safe · Moves it to the Trash
~/
Library/ Containers/ com.microsoft.teams2 Microsoft Teams cache and app data
The new Microsoft Teams app's local cache, settings and diagnostic logs.
Usually safe · Moves it to the Trash
~/
Library/ Application Support/ discord/ {Cache,Code Cache,GPUCache} Images, compiled scripts and graphics data that Discord caches so it opens and scrolls faster.
Safe · Moves it to the Trash
~/
Documents/ Zoom Meeting recordings that Zoom saved on this Mac, in a folder for each meeting.
Review first · Moves it to the Trash
Slack's and Discord's caches are Safe: they start checked in Cleanup and count in the headline number. Teams' folders are Usually safe, so they wait for your choice, with the settings and logs you'd lose spelled out. Zoom's recordings are Review first, never checked for you.
If an app is open, its items are left out of a cleanup, and the review sheet offers to quit it the way ⌘Q does. On macOS 27, folders macOS doesn't let the app read, such as Discord's data folder, are listed rather than skipped.
Finding and explaining all of this is part of the free analyzer. Cleanup is PRO: one payment of $4.99 with lifetime access. Every Pro tool's review is free to open, so you see what would go and why before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
How do I clear the Teams cache on a Mac?
Quit Teams, then in Finder move two folders to the Trash: UBF8T346G9.com.microsoft.teams in your Library's Group Containers folder and com.microsoft.teams2 in its Containers folder. Those are the folders Microsoft's own steps remove. Open Teams again; it rebuilds them and may ask you to sign in.
Does clearing the Teams cache delete my chats?
No. Chats, channels and files are stored in Microsoft 365, not on your Mac. Clearing the cache resets your personal app settings and removes diagnostic logs, and custom backgrounds you uploaded are likely removed too.
How do I clear Slack's cache on a Mac?
In Slack, click Help in the menu bar, choose Troubleshooting, then Clear cache and restart. Slack restarts and downloads what it needs again. You stay signed in, and your messages and files stay in your workspace.
Is it safe to delete Discord's cache on a Mac?
Yes, with Discord quit. The Cache, Code Cache and GPUCache folders in Discord's folder in Application Support hold images, compiled scripts and graphics data that Discord downloads again. You stay signed in. On macOS 27, macOS protects Discord's data folder, so Finder may not be allowed to change it.
Where are Zoom recordings saved on a Mac?
Computer recordings go to a Zoom folder inside your Documents folder by default, with a folder for each meeting. Each holds an MP4 video, an M4A audio file and, if you saved it, the chat as a text file. You can change the folder in Zoom's Settings, on the Recording tab.
Can I delete Zoom recordings to free space?
Yes, but only ones you've saved elsewhere or don't need. Computer recordings are stored only on the Mac that made them, unlike cloud recordings. Deleted ones go to the Trash, where you can recover them until it's emptied.
Does clearing Slack or Teams cache make my Mac faster?
No. A cache exists to make an app faster, so clearing it makes the next launch slower while the app downloads everything again. It frees disk space and can fix glitches, such as a window that won't load.
Why is Slack taking up so much space on my Mac?
Slack's desktop app is built on web technology and keeps a web cache, a code cache, a GPU cache and a service worker cache. Images and files from busy channels pass through them. Clearing them from Slack's Help menu frees the space, and it grows back as you use Slack.
Sources
- Optimize storage space on your Mac · Apple
- Troubleshoot connection issues · Slack
- Clear the Teams client cache · Microsoft Learn
- Managing computer recordings · Zoom
- Understanding recording file formats · Zoom
- Crossing the Golden Gate: macOS's New Application Support Protection · Wojciech Reguła