Browser.cache.disk.parent directory

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The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. The correct title is browser.cache.disk.parent_directory.

This article describes the preference browser.cache.disk.parent_directory. To add, delete, or modify this preference, you will need to edit your configuration — do not edit this article.

Background

Mozilla Suite and Firefox store the disk cache in the "Cache" directory located in the profile folder or, in SeaMonkey and Firefox 1.5 and above, in the "profile temp directory" [1]. The Cache directory location can be viewed in about:cache.

The Cache location can be changed by adding the "browser.cache.disk.parent_directory" preference and entering a folder path. (In the past, this was specified in the "browser.cache.disk.directory" preference and before that, "browser.newcache.directory" and "browser.cache.directory" behaved similarly.) Once this preference is specified, a new directory named “Cache” will be created at the path you set, upon browser restart.

Note: In Windows, if the "browser.cache.disk.parent_directory" value is being set in the prefs.js or user.js file instead of about:config, the path separator must be two backslashes (e.g., "C:\\Path\\To\\Parent").

Possible values and their effects

Any path with full write permissions by the current user is considered valid. As mentioned above, the actual disk cache contents will be stored in a directory beneath this path.

Caveats

  • The disk cache must be turned on for this preference to have an effect.
  • The disk cache’s capacity must be set to a positive integer for any files to be written to the specified directory.

UI

Mozilla Suite and SeaMonkey

A “Choose Folder” button is available under “Edit → Preferences → Advanced → Cache”.

Recommended settings

A fast, local hard disk is the best choice for storing your disk cache files. If you’re concerned about privacy, you may want to look into creating a RAM disk and using that as the location for your cache.

First checked in

2001-09-19 by Gordon Sheridan

Has an effect in

  • Mozilla Suite (all versions since 0.9.5)
  • SeaMonkey (all versions)
  • Mozilla Phoenix (all versions)
  • Mozilla Firebird (all versions)
  • Mozilla Firefox (all versions)
  • Camino (all versions)

Related bugs

Related preferences

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