How to Clear FiveM Cache (Client & Server) – Step-by-Step Guide [2026]

What Is the FiveM Cache (And Why Do You Need to Clear It?)

Whenever you connect to a FiveM roleplay server, your game client automatically streams and downloads megabytes—sometimes gigabytes—of custom content: custom vehicles, clothing items (EUP), weapon skins, MLO interiors, map modifications, and UI scripts.

To prevent you from having to re-download all those files every single time you reconnect, FiveM saves them locally on your computer inside your FiveM Application Data cache.

While this caching system makes loading times faster, it creates major issues over time:

• Stale assets & texture glitches: If a server updates a custom car model or clothing item, your local cache might still try to load the old version, causing invisible bodies, floating heads, or broken textures.
• Corrupted temporary files: Abrupt game crashes or internet disconnects during asset downloading can leave half-downloaded files in your cache, causing the game to crash on startup with memory errors.
• Wasted disk space: If you play across 5 to 10 different servers, your FiveM cache folder can quietly swell to 30GB to 50GB+ of junk data you will never use again.
• Server-side sync conflicts: For server owners, outdated server cache can prevent code edits in fxmanifest.lua or new map streaming files from appearing in-game.

Clearing your cache is the #1 universal fix for 90% of FiveM crashes, texture bugs, and connection timeouts.

When Should You Clear Your FiveM Cache?

Did you know? Clean, optimized scripts that follow modern asset streaming standards reduce cache bloat and eliminate memory crashes for players. Browse clean, verified resources on FiveVault →

Method 1: How to Clear FiveM Client Cache (For Players & Developers)

Follow these steps to safely clear your client cache on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Step 1: Completely Close FiveM & GTA V

Before touching any game folders, ensure FiveM and GTA V are not running in the background.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Look for FiveM, GTA V, or CitizenFX processes.
3. If any are running, right-click and select End Task.

Step 2: Open the FiveM Application Data Folder

There are two easy ways to locate your FiveM data folder:

#### Option A: Using the Windows Run Dialog (Fastest)

1. Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open the Run prompt.
2. Copy and paste the following path into the box and press Enter:

   %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app
   

#### Option B: Using Desktop Shortcut

1. Find your FiveM desktop icon.
2. Right-click the icon and select Open file location.

Step 3: Navigate to the data Folder

Inside the FiveM.app directory, double-click on the folder named data.

FiveM.app/
├── citizen/
├── crashes/
├── logs/
├── plugins/
└── data/             <-- Open this folder!

Step 4: Delete the Cache Folders (DO NOT Delete game-storage!)

Inside the data/ folder, you will see several subfolders and files.

data/
├── cache/                  ❌ DELETE
├── server-cache/           ❌ DELETE
├── server-cache-priv/      ❌ DELETE
├── nui-storage/            ❌ DELETE
└── game-storage/           ✅ DO NOT DELETE! (KEEP THIS!)

#### What to Delete:

• Delete the folder named cache
• Delete the folder named server-cache
• Delete the folder named server-cache-priv
• Delete the folder named nui-storage (Optional: clears cached web UI menus, bank HUDs, and inventory assets)

[!WARNING]
CRITICAL: NEVER DELETE game-storage!
The game-storage folder contains the core Grand Theft Auto V base DLC files that FiveM uses to run. If you delete game-storage, FiveM will be forced to redownload 15GB to 25GB+ of data the next time you launch the game!

Step 5: Empty Recycle Bin & Restart FiveM

1. Right-click your desktop Recycle Bin and select Empty Recycle Bin to reclaim your disk space.
2. Launch FiveM.
3. Connect to your favorite server. FiveM will cleanly download fresh, uncorrupted server assets.

Method 2: The 1-Click Automated Batch Script (Power Users)

If you play FiveM frequently or develop scripts, manually browsing folders every few days gets tedious. You can create a simple Windows Batch (.bat) script that safely clears your cache in 1 second.

How to Create the Cleaner Script:

1. Right-click on your desktop, go to New, and select Text Document.
2. Open the file and paste the following code:

@echo off
title FiveM Safe Cache Cleaner [2026]
echo ========================================================
echo          Closing FiveM & Cleaning Cache Safely          
echo ========================================================
echo.

:: Kill active FiveM tasks
taskkill /F /IM FiveM.exe >nul 2>&1
taskkill /F /IM FiveM_GTAProcess.exe >nul 2>&1
taskkill /F /IM FiveM_ChromeBrowser.exe >nul 2>&1

:: Set FiveM Data Path
set "FIVEM_DATA=%localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\data"

if not exist "%FIVEM_DATA%" (
    echo [ERROR] FiveM data directory not found!
    echo Checked: %FIVEM_DATA%
    pause
    exit /b
)

:: Safely remove only cache directories (Leaving game-storage intact)
echo Removing temporary cache folders...
rmdir /s /q "%FIVEM_DATA%\cache" >nul 2>&1
rmdir /s /q "%FIVEM_DATA%\server-cache" >nul 2>&1
rmdir /s /q "%FIVEM_DATA%\server-cache-priv" >nul 2>&1
rmdir /s /q "%FIVEM_DATA%\nui-storage" >nul 2>&1

echo.
echo ========================================================
echo       [SUCCESS] FiveM Cache Cleared Successfully!       
echo          (game-storage DLC files were protected)        
echo ========================================================
echo.
pause

1. Click File > Save As...
2. Set Save as type to All Files (.).
3. Name the file Clear_FiveM_Cache.bat and click Save.
4. Whenever you experience glitches or crashes, simply double-click this file to clean your game instantly!

Method 3: How to Clear FiveM Server Cache (For Server Owners & Admins)

If you are a server owner, administrator, or developer, you also have to manage the server-side cache.

Whenever you edit .meta files (handling, carvariations), modify fxmanifest.lua, or update MLO map files, the server might still serve cached asset headers to connecting players.

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   SERVER CACHE PURGE                   │
└───────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
      ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
      │   1. Stop the FiveM Server in txAdmin    │
      └─────────────────────┬────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
      ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
      │   2. Navigate to your server-data root   │
      │      Locate the folder: /cache/          │
      └─────────────────────┬────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
      ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
      │   3. Delete the entire /cache/ folder    │
      └─────────────────────┬────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
      ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
      │   4. Start the Server                    │
      │      (Server rebuilds cache on boot)     │
      └──────────────────────────────────────────┘

Step-by-Step Server Cache Clearing:

1. Open your txAdmin web panel or server terminal.
2. Click Stop Server (Never clear server cache while the server is running, or database writes may corrupt).
3. Connect via SFTP / SSH or open your hosting File Manager.
4. Navigate to your server root directory (where your server.cfg and resources folder live).
5. Locate the folder named cache (or txData/default/cache depending on your txAdmin profile path).
6. Delete the entire cache folder.
7. Click Start Server in txAdmin.

On startup, your FiveM artifact will rebuild a fresh, updated index of all resources with zero old streaming data.

Cache Folders Breakdown: What Each Folder Actually Does

Troubleshooting Common Cache & Loading Errors

❌ FiveM stuck on "Downloading Content" loop after clearing cache

1. This is normal on your first connection after clearing cache because your game is downloading clean server files.
2. If it freezes on a specific asset for more than 5 minutes, restart FiveM and check your internet connection.
3. If it persists, the server owner may have an oversized unoptimized file (>16MB) failing to stream.

❌ Accidentally deleted the game-storage folder

Launch FiveM. The client will detect the missing base game files and display a verification prompt: "FiveM needs to update local game data (~15GB)". Click Yes and let the download finish. Do not interrupt the download.

❌ Cleared cache but custom vehicle / clothing is still invisible

If clearing client cache does not resolve the issue, the bug is on the server side:

1. The server owner must verify that the vehicle or clothing resource has correct fxmanifest.lua streaming definitions.
2. The server owner needs to clear the server-side cache following Method 3 above.

❌ "Could not load resource cache_file" error on join

This error indicates an antivirus or Windows Defender blocked FiveM from writing to %localappdata%. Add the FiveM.app folder to your Windows Defender Exclusions list, clear cache again, and relaunch.

❌ NUI menus (Phone, Bank, Inventory) remain blank after script update

Ensure you deleted the nui-storage folder inside FiveM.app/data/. CEF (Chromium Embedded Framework) aggressively caches web files; deleting nui-storage forces the browser engine to load updated frontend code.

Recommended Performance & Optimization Resources

Final Tips for Managing Cache & Game Stability

• ✅ Clear client cache once every 2–4 weeks to keep your game running at peak FPS and clear disk clutter.
• ✅ Always keep game-storage untouched to avoid wasting time redownloading 20GB of base GTA files.
• ✅ Server owners should clear server cache after updating maps or vehicles to ensure players download new versions immediately.
• ✅ Use the 1-Click .bat script for effortless cache cleaning without digging through Windows AppData folders.
• ✅ Close FiveM completely before deleting files to prevent Windows "File in use" permission errors.

Frequently Asked Questions

A: No! Your characters, money, vehicles, and items are stored safely in the server's remote database (MySQL/MariaDB). Clearing your local cache only deletes temporary visual models and scripts.

A: No. Your key bindings and graphics settings are stored in CitizenFX.ini and GTA V's settings file (settings.xml), which are not touched during a cache clear.

A: Because you cleared the temporary storage, your client must re-stream the server's custom cars, maps, and clothes for the first time. Subsequent connections will load instantly.

A: Depending on how many servers you have visited, clearing cache typically reclaims anywhere from 5GB to 40GB+ of free SSD/HDD storage.

A: Rarely. If clearing cache does not fix your crash, verify your base GTA V game files via Steam, Epic Games, or Rockstar Games Launcher first before reinstalling FiveM.