How to clear the FiveM cache: which folders to delete (and which not)

A vehicle shows the wrong texture, a changed script still behaves like the old one, or FiveM crashes right after an update. Before you reinstall anything, clear the client cache. It takes a minute, it is safe, and it fixes a surprising number of client-side problems.

#What the cache is

When you join a server, FiveM downloads that server's streamed files (models, textures, maps) and scripts, and keeps copies on your PC so the next join is faster. Sometimes those copies go stale, get corrupted by a crash or a dropped connection, or no longer match what the server sends. Clearing the cache forces a clean download.

This is client-side only. Players do it on their own PC. Server owners cannot clear it for them, but you can tell players how.

#Step by step

1. Close FiveM completely, including the launcher in the tray. Check Task Manager for FiveM.exe or FiveM_GTAProcess.exe if unsure.
2. Press Win + R, paste this, and press Enter:

%localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\data

3. Delete these folders if they exist:

cache
server-cache
server-cache-priv

4. Start FiveM and reconnect. The first join is slower because everything downloads again.

If you want to be careful, delete the contents of the folders instead of the folders, or move them somewhere else first. FiveM recreates them either way.

Tip: inside cache, a game folder holds game-related files. Some people leave it in place to avoid downloading those again. Server-specific files are in server-cache and server-cache-priv, which is where most problems with stale streamed content live.

#What each folder is for

If you only want to fix a problem with one server, server-cache and server-cache-priv are the folders that matter most. If nothing changes, delete cache too.

#What not to delete

Leave these alone:

• Your GTA V installation folder. The cache is not the game.
• FiveM.app\mods and FiveM.app\plugins, if you use them. They are your own files.
• CitizenFX.ini in FiveM.app. It holds launcher settings.
• The whole FiveM folder. Deleting everything makes FiveM reinstall itself, which is rarely needed.

If you do not know what a file is, do not delete it. The three cache folders solve most cases.

#When clearing the cache helps

• Texture issues. Blurry, missing or stretched textures, black vehicles, or pink and checkerboard textures that other players do not see. Often the cached copy of a streamed file is damaged. For textures that are too big, see oversized assets and texture loss.
• Old versions of streamed files. The server changed a vehicle or map, but you still see the old one. The server sends the new files, but your cached copy is used. This is common after an update to a streamed resource.
• Crashes after an update. After a FiveM update or a game build change, old cached data can crash the client at connect or on load. Clearing the cache is the first thing to try.
• Stuck downloads. A download that never finishes or restarts again and again. If the loading screen itself never ends, see players stuck on the loading screen.
• Weird NUI problems. A UI shows old graphics or keeps old data. Close FiveM and clear the cache. If there is a nui-storage folder, it holds browser data for UIs, and it is safe to clear it as well when a UI misbehaves.

#When it does not help

Cache clearing does not fix anything on the server side. If every player gets the same error, the cause is in the server or the resource, not in anyone's cache. Common examples are script errors, a missing resource, or a bad manifest. Test with a second PC or a friend: if the problem happens for them too, stop clearing caches and read the server console.

It also does not fix a damaged GTA V install, a broken graphics driver, or an overlay conflict. For those, verify the game files in your launcher and update your GPU driver.

#For server owners: help your players

Players ask in Discord why their game looks wrong after an update. Add a short pinned message with the path and the three folder names. Also keep your streamed assets sane: huge files and a large number of them make cache problems more likely and the first join slower.

#Checklist