How to Locate Temporary Internet Files

This wikiHow teaches you how to view a list of your browser's temporary internet files (stored cache data), which are pieces of data that help quickly load frequently visited sites. You cannot view temporary internet files on a mobile item...
Method 1 of 6:

Finding Cache Files on Mac

  1. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 1How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 1
    Open your Mac's Finder. Click the blue smiling face icon on the bottom-left to open your Finder.
    1. Make sure the menu bar on the top-left says "Finder."
  2. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 2How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 2
    Hold down the Alt or Option key on your keyboard. This will allow you to reveal the Library folder on the Go menu.
  3. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 3How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 3
    Click the Go tab on the menu bar. While holding down the alt (option) key, click the Go at the top of your screen. It will open a drop-down menu.
  4. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 4How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 4
    Click Library on the menu. This will open your user library folder.
    1. The Library option only shows up when you press down the alt (option) key.
  5. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 5How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 5
    Double-click the Caches folder. You can find all the internet cache stored on your computer here.
  6. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 6How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 6
    Find and double-click the "com.apple.safari" folder. You can find different types of Safari browsing cache in this folder.
    1. If you're using another web browser, look for your browser's software company here. For example, look for "Google" if you're using Chrome, and "Mozilla" for Firefox.
  7. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 7How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 7
    Double-click the "fsCachedData" folder. You can find your Safari browsing cache data files here.
Method 2 of 6:

Finding Cache Files on Windows

  1. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 8How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 8
    Open your Start menu. Click the Start menu icon on the lower-left corner, or press the Win key on your keyboard.
    1. Alternatively, you can open the search or Cortana from your menu bar.
  2. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 9How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 9
    Type Show hidden files and folders into the menu search. Your file and folder settings will show up at the top of the search results.
  3. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 10How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 10
    Click the Show hidden files and folders option in the search results. This will open your Folder Options window.
  4. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 11How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 11
    Select "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" in the Advanced Settings box. When this option is selected, you can view and browse all hidden and system folders on your computer.
  5. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 12How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 12
    Click the Apply button. You can now view and open hidden folders.
  6. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 13How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 13
    Open the This PC or My Computer app. This app looks like a desktop computer icon. You can find it on your Start menu or on your desktop.
  7. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 14How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 14
    Double-click your main drive. This is the hard drive where your Windows system is set up.
    1. This drive is usually named Local Disk and/or the C: drive.
  8. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 15How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 15
    Double-click the "Users" folder. You can find a list of all the users saved on your computer here.
  9. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 16How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 16
    Double-click your user folder. Your user folder is named by your user name. You can find your user files here.
  10. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 17How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 17
    Double-click the "App Data" folder. This is a hidden folder so it looks like a transparent folder icon in your user folder.
  11. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 18How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 18
    Double-click the "Local" folder.
  12. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 19How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 19
    Find and double-click the "Microsoft" folder in Local. You can find your Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge cache in this folder.
    1. If you're using a different web browser, look for your browser's software company here. For example, look for "Google" if you're using Chrome, and "Mozilla" for Firefox.
  13. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 20How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 20
    Find and double-click the "Windows" folder in Microsoft.
  14. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 21How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 21
    Find and double-click the "Caches" folder. You can view all your Internet Explorer or Edge browsing cache in this folder.
Method 3 of 6:

Firefox

  1. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 22How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 22
    Open Firefox. Firefox's icon resembles a red-and-orange fox wrapped around a blue globe.
  2. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 23How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 23
    Click the address bar. The address bar is at the top of the Firefox window.
  3. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 24How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 24
    Type about:cache into the address bar. This command opens and displays the temporary internet files.
  4. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 25How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 25
    Press the Enter key. Doing this will open the "Network Cache Storage Settings" page.
  5. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 26How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 26
    Click the "List Cache Entries" link. It's below the "disk" heading near the middle of the page. Doing so will open a separate tab with all of your Firefox's temporary internet files listed.
Method 4 of 6:

Microsoft Edge

  1. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 27How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 27
    Understand how Microsoft Edge stores temporary files. Microsoft Edge stores temporary files in several different folders, all of which are usually inaccessible without knowing the exact file path of the specific file that you want to view. Fortunately, you can download a free app called "IECacheView" to pull up these files.
  2. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 28How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 28
    Download IECacheView. Go to https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/ie_cache_viewer.html in your computer's Internet browser, scroll down to the "Feedback" heading near the bottom of the page, and click the Download IECacheView link below this heading. The IECacheView ZIP folder will download onto your computer.
    1. Depending on your browser's settings, you may have to specify a download location or confirm the download before the download will commence.
  3. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 29How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 29
    Extract the IECacheView folder. Go to the location to which you downloaded IECacheView's ZIP folder, then do the following:
    1. Double-click the "IECacheView" folder.
    2. Click the Extract tab at the top of the folder.
    3. Click Extract all at the top of the folder.
    4. Click Extract at the bottom of the pop-up window.
    5. Wait for the extracted folder to open.
  4. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 30How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 30
    Open IECacheView. In the extracted folder, double-click the blue-and-pink "IECacheView" icon. After a moment, the IECacheView window will open.
  5. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 31How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 31
    Scroll right and click the Full Path heading. It's on the far-right side of the window in the upper-right corner.
  6. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 32How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 32
    Review your stored Microsoft Edge temporary files. Any file with "microsoft.microsoftedge_8wekyb3d8bbwe" in the middle of its Full Path address is a Microsoft Edge temporary file.
    1. You can go to a specific temporary file's location by right-clicking the temporary file and then clicking Open Cache Sub-Folder in the resulting drop-down menu.
Method 5 of 6:

Internet Explorer

  1. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 33How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 33
    Open Internet Explorer. Double-click the Internet Explorer app icon, which resembles a blue "e" with a yellow circle around it.
  2. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 34How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 34
    Open Settings
    How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 35How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 35
    . Click the gear-shaped option in the top-right corner of the Internet Explorer window. Doing so prompts a drop-down menu.
  3. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 36How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 36
    Click Internet options. You'll find it toward the bottom of the drop-down menu.
  4. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 37How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 37
    Click Settings. It's toward the bottom of the "Internet Options" window in the "Browsing history" section.
  5. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 38How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 38
    Click View files. This option is near the bottom of the window.
  6. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 39How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 39
    Review your temporary files. Any files in this folder are cached from sites you've visited in Internet Explorer.
Method 6 of 6:

On Safari

  1. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 40How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 40
    Understand how Safari stores its temporary Internet files. Similarly to Microsoft Edge, Safari stores temporary files in a variety of different folders. In order to view all of the temporary Internet files in one location, you can use a free app called "SafariCacheExplorer".
  2. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 41How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 41
    Download SafariCacheExplorer. Go to http://www.beecubu.com/desktop-apps/SafariCacheExplorer/ in your computer's Internet browser, then click Download in the upper-right side of the page.
  3. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 42How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 42
    Install SafariCacheExplorer. Double-click the SafariCacheExplorer DMG file, verify the software if needed, and then click and drag the SafariCacheExplorer icon onto the Applications folder icon.
  4. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 43How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 43
    Open SafariCacheExplorer. Open the Launchpad and then click the SafariCacheExplorer icon there, or open Spotlight
    How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 44How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 44
    , type in safaricacheexplorer, and double-click SafariCacheExplorer in the list of results.
  5. How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 45How to Locate Temporary Internet Files Picture 45
    Click Display all cached files. This tab is in the upper-left side of the window. Doing so will ensure that SafariCacheExplorer is displaying all temporary Internet files for your Safari browser.
4.3 ★ | 4 Vote