How to clear graphics card cache files

Easy Gamer Utility can help you clear temporary graphics cache files created by NVIDIA, AMD, Intel and DirectX.

These temporary files are sometimes called shader cache files.

Clearing graphics card cache files may help when you are troubleshooting game stuttering, graphical problems, slow shader loading or problems that started after updating a graphics driver.

What are graphics card cache files?

See also: Is it safe to remove game cache files? Article

Your graphics card creates temporary files while games and other 3D programs are running.

These files help your computer remember graphics information that has already been prepared. This can make games load and display certain effects more quickly the next time they are needed.

The cache may contain temporary information used for:

• Game shaders
• Lighting effects
• Textures
• DirectX graphics
• OpenGL graphics
• Vulkan graphics
• Previously compiled graphics data

These files are not your graphics card driver.

They are also not your games, saved progress, screenshots or game settings.

Why clear graphics card cache files?

Graphics cache files can sometimes become old, damaged or no longer match your current graphics driver.

This may happen after:

• Updating a graphics driver
• Reinstalling a graphics driver
• Changing graphics settings
• Updating Windows
• Updating a game
• A game crashing while shaders are being created
• Changing your graphics card

Clearing the cache lets Windows and your graphics driver create fresh files.

It may be worth trying when you experience:

• Game stuttering
• Graphical glitches
• Missing or broken effects
• Games crashing during startup
• Shader compilation problems
• Problems after a graphics driver update
• A game taking an unusually long time to prepare shaders

Clearing the cache cannot guarantee that the problem will be fixed.

Which graphics cache files can Easy Gamer Utility clear?

See also: Why some cache files could not be removed Article

Easy Gamer Utility includes cleaning options for:

• NVIDIA cache files
• AMD cache files
• Intel cache files
• DirectX shader cache files

The options shown will depend on what Easy Gamer Utility finds on your computer.

You may see more than one option if your computer uses both integrated and dedicated graphics.

For example, a laptop may contain Intel graphics and an NVIDIA graphics card.

Before clearing graphics card cache files

Before starting:

1. Save any work you have open.
2. Close all games.
3. Close game launchers such as Steam, EA App and Epic Games Launcher.
4. Close graphics programs that may be using the graphics card.
5. Wait a few seconds for everything to finish closing.
6. Open Easy Gamer Utility.

Closing your games is important because Windows may prevent a cache file from being removed while a game is using it.

How to clear graphics card cache files

See also: How to find large game folders Article

To clear your graphics cache:

1. Open Easy Gamer Utility.
2. Click Clean at the top.
3. Select Graphics.
4. Find the graphics cache you want to clear.
5. Click Clean beside it.
6. Read the confirmation message.
7. Click OK to continue.
8. Wait for Easy Gamer Utility to finish.
9. Review the results shown in the information box.

You do not need to clean every option.

Clean the cache that matches your graphics hardware, along with the DirectX shader cache if needed.

How to clear NVIDIA cache files

Use this option if your computer has an NVIDIA graphics card.

1. Close all running games.
2. Open Easy Gamer Utility.
3. Go to Clean > Graphics.
4. Find the NVIDIA cache option.
5. Click Clean.
6. Click OK when asked to confirm.
7. Wait for the process to finish.

Easy Gamer Utility checks supported NVIDIA cache locations used for graphics data such as DirectX, OpenGL and NVIDIA cache files.

When the process is complete, the button may change to Finished.

How to clear AMD cache files

See also: How to clear the Microsoft Store cache Article

Use this option if your computer has an AMD Radeon graphics card or supported AMD integrated graphics.

1. Close your games and game launchers.
2. Open Easy Gamer Utility.
3. Click Clean.
4. Open the Graphics section.
5. Find the AMD cache option.
6. Click Clean.
7. Confirm that you want to continue.
8. Wait for the results.

Easy Gamer Utility checks supported AMD cache locations used for graphics systems such as DirectX, OpenGL and Vulkan.

The AMD graphics software can recreate these files when they are needed again.

How to clear Intel cache files

Use this option if your computer has Intel integrated graphics or an Intel graphics card.

1. Close all games.
2. Open Easy Gamer Utility.
3. Go to Clean > Graphics.
4. Find the Intel cache option.
5. Click Clean.
6. Read the warning.
7. Click OK.
8. Wait for the clean to finish.

Easy Gamer Utility removes supported files from the Intel shader cache location.

Your computer may have Intel graphics even if you normally use an NVIDIA or AMD graphics card.

This is common on laptops.

How to clear the DirectX shader cache

DirectX is used by many Windows games, regardless of whether your graphics card is made by NVIDIA, AMD or Intel.

To clear the DirectX shader cache:

1. Close all games.
2. Open Easy Gamer Utility.
3. Select Clean.
4. Open Graphics.
5. Find the DirectX shader cache option.
6. Click Clean.
7. Click OK on the confirmation message.
8. Wait for the process to finish.

You can clear the DirectX shader cache alongside your NVIDIA, AMD or Intel cache.

What do the button messages mean?

Easy Gamer Utility may display different text on each cleaning button.

Clean

Easy Gamer Utility found the supported cache location and the cleaning option is available.

Click the button when you are ready to remove the temporary files.

Folder Empty

The supported cache folder was found, but Easy Gamer Utility did not find anything available to remove.

You do not need to do anything.

Not Found

Easy Gamer Utility could not find the supported cache location.

This may mean:

• You do not have that type of graphics card
• The graphics driver is not installed
• The cache has not been created yet
• The driver uses a different location
• The folder has already been removed

For example, seeing Not Found beside AMD is normal if your computer only has an NVIDIA graphics card.

Finished

Easy Gamer Utility has completed the cleaning attempt.

Close and reopen Easy Gamer Utility if you want it to check the cache folders again later.

What do the cleaning results mean?

Easy Gamer Utility displays information about the files it tried to remove.

File Deleted

The cache file was removed successfully.

Folder Deleted

A supported temporary cache folder was removed successfully.

File Could Not Be Removed

Windows prevented Easy Gamer Utility from deleting the file.

This can happen when:

• A game is still open
• A game launcher is still running
• Graphics software is using the file
• Windows has locked the file
• Security software is blocking access
• Administrator permission is required

Easy Gamer Utility normally continues trying to remove the other files.

What should I do if a cache file could not be removed?

Try the following:

1. Close all games.
2. Exit your game launchers completely.
3. Restart your computer.
4. Do not reopen any games.
5. Open Easy Gamer Utility.
6. Try cleaning the graphics cache again.

You can also run Easy Gamer Utility with administrator permission:

1. Click Run EGU as admin.
2. Click Yes when Windows asks for permission.
3. Return to Clean > Graphics.
4. Try the cleaning option again.

It is normally fine to leave a file alone if Windows still refuses to remove it.

Can I open the cache folder myself?

Easy Gamer Utility includes folder links for supported cache locations.

Click the folder link beside a graphics option to open its location in Windows File Explorer.

This can help you check whether the folder contains any files.

Do not manually delete unrelated files from a graphics folder unless you know what they are.

Using the Easy Gamer Utility Clean button is the simpler option.

Will clearing the graphics cache remove my graphics driver?

No.

Clearing NVIDIA, AMD or Intel cache files does not uninstall your graphics driver.

The graphics cache and graphics driver are different things.

The cache contains temporary graphics data. The driver is the main software that lets Windows communicate with your graphics card.

Easy Gamer Utility may also contain separate options for removing old NVIDIA or AMD driver installation files. Those are different tools and should not be confused with the graphics cache buttons.

Always read the confirmation message so you know which type of files you are removing.

Will clearing the cache remove my game settings?

No.

The graphics cleaning buttons are designed to remove supported temporary graphics cache files.

They do not normally remove:

• Installed games
• Saved game progress
• In-game graphics settings
• Screenshots
• Mods
• Graphics drivers

Game settings and save files are normally stored in separate folders.

Is it safe to clear graphics card cache files?

Graphics cache files are temporary and can normally be created again.

However, the first game you open after cleaning may:

• Take longer to load
• Spend time compiling shaders
• Stutter briefly while new shaders are created
• Display a shader preparation message

This should normally improve once the game has rebuilt the files it needs.

Do not clear the graphics cache every time you play a game.

It is mainly a troubleshooting and maintenance tool.

Will clearing the cache improve FPS?

Clearing graphics cache files does not normally give a permanent FPS increase.

It may help if damaged or outdated cache files are causing:

• Stuttering
• Crashes
• Shader problems
• Graphical glitches
• Problems after a driver update

If the cache is working normally, clearing it may make no noticeable difference.

Your gaming performance mainly depends on your graphics card, processor, memory, storage, drivers and game settings.

When should I clear the graphics cache?

Consider clearing the cache when:

• A game stutters after a graphics driver update
• A game has broken lighting or visual effects
• Shader compilation keeps failing
• A game crashes while loading graphics
• You have replaced your graphics card
• You have reinstalled your graphics driver
• A game update caused new graphical problems
• A troubleshooting guide asks you to clear it

You do not need to clear it as part of a daily routine.

How to clear GPU cache files automatically at Windows startup

Easy Gamer Utility Pro includes an option to clear supported GPU and DirectX cache files when Easy Gamer Utility starts with Windows.

To enable it:

1. Open Easy Gamer Utility Pro.
2. Click the Settings cog.
3. Tick Clear GPU cache files / DirectX cache files on Windows startup.
4. Make sure Start Easy Gamer Utility with Windows is also enabled.
5. Click Save Settings.

When Easy Gamer Utility starts with Windows, it checks which supported cache files are available and clears them.

A notification may show which caches were removed.

Use this setting only if you specifically want the cache cleared regularly.

Most users do not need to clear graphics cache files every time Windows starts.

The automatic cache option is greyed out

The automatic startup cleaning option may be unavailable when:

• Easy Gamer Utility Pro is not activated
• Easy Gamer Utility is not fully updated
• The setting is not included with your current version
• Easy Gamer Utility has not confirmed your Pro licence

Check that the title at the top says Easy Gamer Utility PRO.

What should I do after clearing the cache?

After the clean has finished:

1. Close the results box.
2. Restart your computer if you were troubleshooting a serious graphics problem.
3. Open your game launcher.
4. Start the affected game.
5. Allow any shader preparation to finish.
6. Test whether the original issue has improved.

Do not close a game while it is rebuilding or compiling shaders unless it has completely stopped responding.

Clearing graphics card cache files in simple terms

Close your games, open Easy Gamer Utility and go to Clean > Graphics.

Click Clean beside NVIDIA, AMD or Intel, depending on the graphics hardware in your computer.

You can also clear the DirectX shader cache.

Read the confirmation message, click OK and wait for Easy Gamer Utility to show the results.