How to clear excel cache

Answer

To clear Excel cache, use the built-in cache controls in Excel for general cached files, clear PivotTable cache settings for old Pivot items, and delete the Office Document Cache or local query cache when working with synced/cloud or Power Query data. 

Why clear the cache?

1. Cache can cause stale data to appear in drop-down lists or PivotTable filters. 

2. Corrupt cache files can block saving or syncing to cloud storage. 

3. Clearing the cache frees local space and forces Excel to rebuild fresh data from sources.

Clear general Excel/Office cached files (Windows and Mac)

1. Open Excel.

2. Go to File → Options.

3. Select Save (left pane).

4. Scroll to the Cache Settings or Office Document Cache section.

5. Click Delete cached files (or Delete Cache Files), confirm, then restart Excel.

What differs on Mac?

1. The Excel UI follows the same File → Options → Save flow in recent Microsoft 365 for Mac builds, but older Mac builds do not show the same dialog. 

2. Manual deletion on Mac may be necessary: close all Office apps, open Finder → Go → Go to Folder, enter ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Caches or ~/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft.OsfWebHost/Data/ and delete the contents, then restart Excel. Excel will rebuild the cache on the next launch. 

Clear Power Query / Get & Transform cache

1. In Excel, go to the Data tab.

2. Click Get Data → Query Options (bottom of menu).

3. Under GLOBAL, select Data Load.

4. Use Data Cache Management Options and click Clear Cache (or adjust cache settings). 

Clear PivotTable cache and remove old filter items

1. Right-click inside the PivotTable and choose PivotTable Options.

2. Go to the Data tab.

3. Set the Number of items to retain per field to None.

4. Click OK and then refresh the PivotTable (Analyze/Refresh). This removes old items from filter lists and slicers. 

Clear the Office Document Cache used by cloud features (OneDrive/SharePoint)

1. Close all Office apps.

2. Use the Microsoft support guidance to delete the Office Document Cache via the Upload Center or by deleting the cache folder contents; then restart and allow Office to repair and resync files. 

Clear the add-in web cache (Office web add-ins)

1. In Excel, go to File → Options → Trust Center → Trust Center Settings → Trusted Add-in Catalogs.

2. Check Next time the Office starts, clear all previously started web add-ins cache, and restart Excel. 

Quick commands and locations (handy reference)

1. Windows — Excel UI: File → Options → Save → Delete cached files. 

2. Windows — Office Document Cache: follow Microsoft Support steps to use the Upload Center or delete cache files per their article. 

   Mac — manual cache folders:

3. • ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Caches

   • ~/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft.OsfWebHost/Data/
     Delete contents after closing Office apps. 

Safety and troubleshooting notes

1. Close Excel before deleting cache files to avoid file corruption. 

2. Deleting cache does not delete your workbook content stored in the cloud; it forces Excel to re-download or re-create cached data. 

3. If problems persist after clearing the cache, perform a clean boot or follow the Microsoft steps for repairing Office, then retry cache deletion. 

Performance tips after clearing the cache

1. Reopen Excel and refresh data connections and PivotTables to ensure current data loads. 

   Adjust cache retention periods in Excel options or Query Options to balance speed and storage.

How do I remove old items from a PivotTable filter list?

To remove old PivotTable filter items, set Number of items to retain per field to None in PivotTable Options → Data, then refresh the PivotTable. 

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