Does Zoom's Clear button in Settings clear the whole Zoom cache?

No. Settings › General › Zoom Apps › Clear removes only local data and cookies stored by Zoom Apps (Marketplace apps). It needs Zoom 5.6.7 or later. For the full app cache, Zoom says to delete the data folder in Application Support/zoom.us.

When does Zoom recommend clearing its cache?

When you have trouble starting Zoom on desktop or web, joining a meeting, or signing in to your Zoom account.

Is clearing the cache the same as uninstalling Zoom with CleanZoom?

No. Zoom's uninstall article warns that removing Zoom completely also deletes cryptographic keys, which can make end-to-end encrypted Zoom Mail and Zoom Phone voicemails unreadable without a backup key. Deleting cache folders is a lighter step.

Mac cache folders

How to clear the Zoom cache on a Mac

By Vishva Variya · Updated November 2, 2026 · 3 min read

Short answer

Quit Zoom, open ~/Library/Application Support/zoom.us and move its data folder to the Trash, as Zoom’s support article describes. The Clear button in Settings › General only clears data from Zoom Apps (Marketplace apps). Zoom suggests clearing when it won’t start, join meetings or sign in.

Where is the Zoom cache on a Mac?

~/Library/Application Support/zoom.us/data
~/Library/Caches/us.zoom.xos

Safe to clear. Temporary files stored by Zoom. Safe to delete and Zoom will recreate them automatically.

How do I clear Zoom Apps data in Settings?

1Sign in to the Zoom desktop app
2Click your profile picture, then click Settings
3Click the General tab
4Under Zoom Apps, next to 'Clear local Zoom App data and cookies', click Clear
5In the 'Clear stored data & cookies' pop-up, click Clear

How do I delete the Zoom cache by hand?

1Quit Zoom (zoom.us › Quit Zoom, or Cmd-Q)
2In Finder, click Go in the menu bar and choose Go to Folder
3Enter ~/Library/Application Support/zoom.us and open the folder
4Right-click the data folder and choose Move to Trash
5Reopen Zoom

What happens when you clear it?

Zoom recommends clearing cache and cookies if you have trouble starting Zoom, joining a meeting, or signing in. The in-app Clear button removes only data and cookies that Zoom Apps (Marketplace apps inside Zoom) store locally. Zoom says this frees space and resolves similar issues. Zoom's article lists no consequences for deleting the data folder. In Zoom's Windows file guide, the equivalent data folder holds the local encrypted databases (zoomus.enc.db) as well as caches, so expect to sign in again and to lose locally stored settings or history.

Clearing it with Peekaboo

Peekaboo’s App Caches page lists “Zoom” with its size and the note above, alongside every other cache it finds. It won’t offer a folder the app is still running from, and the cleanup goes to the Trash, so ⌥⌘Z puts it back.

1Open App Caches.⇧⌘E
2Find Zoom, check its size, and move it to the Trash.

Questions

Does Zoom's Clear button in Settings clear the whole Zoom cache?: No. Settings › General › Zoom Apps › Clear removes only local data and cookies stored by Zoom Apps (Marketplace apps). It needs Zoom 5.6.7 or later. For the full app cache, Zoom says to delete the data folder in Application Support/zoom.us.
When does Zoom recommend clearing its cache?: When you have trouble starting Zoom on desktop or web, joining a meeting, or signing in to your Zoom account.
Is clearing the cache the same as uninstalling Zoom with CleanZoom?: No. Zoom's uninstall article warns that removing Zoom completely also deletes cryptographic keys, which can make end-to-end encrypted Zoom Mail and Zoom Phone voicemails unreadable without a backup key. Deleting cache folders is a lighter step.