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Clear shared caches

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Works with any Linux distroWorks with any Linux distribution that can run bash scripts.
  • Linux onlyThis script improves your privacy on Linux
  • Multiple actionsThis page belongs to a category, containing some changes with similar goal.
  • Impact: High

    System Functionality / Data Loss Risk: High

    This action improves privacy with high impact when you run the recommended script.

  • Bash (Shell script)These changes use Linux system commands to update your settings.
  • 5 scripts
  • No subcategories
  • Sudo/root requiredThis script requires privilege access to do the system changes
  • IrreversibleYou can restore parts of this action (revert back to the original behavior) using the application.

Overview​

The scripts in this category bulk delete all cache entries for the given scope. These scripts are designed to affect more than a single application and do a wide range of cleaning.

Not Advised

This script should only be used by advanced users.

This script is not recommended for daily use as it breaks important functionality.

Consider creating a system backup before doing any changes.

Apply Now​

Choose one of two ways to apply:

Download script​

Download and run the script directly
  • No app needed
  • Offline usage
  • Free
  • Open-source

Maximum — Strongest Possible Privacy (Military-Grade)​

  • Military-grade privacy protection
  • Major system impact
  • Consider having system backup.

Read more about Maximum and other protection levels

Help

How to apply "Clear shared caches" using script​

  • ≈ 3 min to complete
  • Tools: Web Browser
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • ≈ 5 instructions
  1. 1

    Download

    Download the script file by clicking on the   Apply protection  button above.
  2. 2

    Keep the file

    If warned by your browser, keep the file.
  3. 3

    Open

    Open the downloaded file.
  4. 4

    Exit

    Once it's done, press any key to exit the window.
  5. 5

    Restart

    Restart your computer for all changes to take effect.

Apply with privacy.sexy​

Guided, automated application with safety checks
  • Recommended for most users
  • Includes safety checks
  • Shows the code
  • Free
  • Open-source
  • Popular
  • Offline/Online usage
Open privacy.sexy
Help

How to apply "Clear shared caches" using privacy.sexy​

  • ≈ 3 min to complete
  • Tools: privacy.sexy
  • Difficulty: Simple
  • ≈ 4 instructions
privacy.sexy is free and open-source application that lets securely apply this action easily with more advanced options.
  1. 1

    Open or download

    Open or download the desktop application
  2. 2

    Choose script

    1. Search for the category name: Clear shared caches
    2. Check the category by clicking on the checkbox of the category.
  3. 3

    Run

    Click on ▶️ Run button at the bottom of the page.

    This button only appears on desktop version (recommended). On browser, use 💾 Save button.

Explore This Guide​

  • 5 Privacy settings

Choose what to protect based on your needs:

Click any option to learn more about what it does.

Each change can be applied and reversed individually.

Some settings and commands may require technical knowledge to apply correctly.

Clear user-specific cache

User-specific non-essential data is stored in "$XDGCACHEHOME", which defaults to "$HOME/.cache". Even though this data should be safe to delete, an application might still not comply with the standard and put anything in the cache folder, but this is very rare. This cache is used by both the operating system and different applications on it, e.g., used by KDE since v5.0, pip (Python package manager), or Google Chrome and Chromium-based browsers. Deleting this cache does not affect sandboxed ap...

Clear system-wide cache

The "/var/cache" directory contains cached files, i.e. files that were generated and can be re-generated at any time, but they are worth storing to save time recomputing them. The application must be able to regenerate or restore the data, so the system can delete the contents of /var/cache either periodically or when its contents get too large. However, there is no guarantee that applications will follow the specification, but this is very rare. It's not only used by applications but also by th...

Clear Flatpak application cache

Non-essential user-specific data is stored in "~/.var/app//cache" by Flatpak applications. This directory points to "XDGCACHEHOME" from the XDG base directory specification.

Clear Snap application cache

Application caches are isolated per application and stored in the "~/snaps/APP-NAME/VERSION/.cache" folders for Snap applications.

Clear thumbnails (icon cache)

Thumbnails are reduced-size versions of pictures or videos, used to help in recognizing and organizing them, serving the same role for images as a normal text index does for words. Depending on the program that processes the thumbnails, the "icons" are usually located either in the "~/.cache/thumbnails/" folder (e.g., Nautilus from GNOME does this) or the "~/.thumbnails/" directory.

Similar Guides​

Wider Goal​

The guide below includes this guide to achieve a wider goal.

See other more general settings that includes this one as one of its actions.

These plans combine multiple privacy settings, including this one, for stronger protection.

These scripts allow you to increase privacy by deleting collected data about you and your behavior.

— Privacy cleanup

Same Goal​

Other guides in Privacy cleanup 

See settings that are in the same category as this guide.

Using other actions in the same category may help you achieve your goal better.

See all 9 guides

About the Creators​

These people have authored this documentation and written its scripts:

  • Avatar of undergroundwires. The creator of PrivacyLearn and privacy.sexy. Black and white portrait showing a person wearing a polka dot tie and suit jacket, reflecting the professional expertise behind the privacy protection tools.
    • Certified security professional
    • 7+ years experience securing banks
    • Open-source developer since 2005
    • EU advisor, Public Speaker, Moderator
    • Hundreds across the globe
    • Testers, reviewers, developers
    • Companies, military agencies
    • Community since 2017
About Us

Reviewed By​

This guide has undergone comprehensive auditing and peer review:

  • Expert review by undergroundwires​

    • Verified technical accuracy and editorial standards
    • Assessed system impact and user privacy risks

  • Public review by large community​

    • Privacy enthusiasts and professionals peer-reviewed
    • Millions of end-users tested across different environments

History​

We continually monitor our guides, their impact and all other privacy options. We update our guides when new information becomes available. On every update, we publicly store who made the change, what has been changed, why the change was made and when the change was made.

Review Change History Our Change Process