Simple script to clear temp files and browser cache/history

DriveClean.ps1

#------------------------------------------------------------------#
#- Clear-GlobalWindowsCache                                        #
#------------------------------------------------------------------#
Function Clear-GlobalWindowsCache {
    Remove-CacheFiles 'C:\Windows\Temp' 
    Remove-CacheFiles "C:\`$Recycle.Bin"
    Remove-CacheFiles "C:\Windows\Prefetch"
    C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe InetCpl.cpl, ClearMyTracksByProcess 255
    C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe InetCpl.cpl, ClearMyTracksByProcess 4351
}

#------------------------------------------------------------------#
#- Clear-UserCacheFiles                                            #
#------------------------------------------------------------------#
Function Clear-UserCacheFiles {
    # Stop-BrowserSessions
    ForEach($localUser in (Get-ChildItem 'C:\users').Name)
    {
        Clear-ChromeCache $localUser
        Clear-EdgeCacheFiles $localUser
        Clear-FirefoxCacheFiles $localUser
        Clear-WindowsUserCacheFiles $localUser
        Clear-TeamsCacheFiles $localUser
    }
}

#------------------------------------------------------------------#
#- Clear-WindowsUserCacheFiles                                     #
#------------------------------------------------------------------#
Function Clear-WindowsUserCacheFiles {
    param([string]$user=$env:USERNAME)
    Remove-CacheFiles "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Temp"
    Remove-CacheFiles "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WER"
    Remove-CacheFiles "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache"
    Remove-CacheFiles "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCookies"
    Remove-CacheFiles "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\IECompatCache"
    Remove-CacheFiles "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\IECompatUaCache"
    Remove-CacheFiles "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\IEDownloadHistory"
    Remove-CacheFiles "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files"    
}

#Region HelperFunctions

#------------------------------------------------------------------#
#- Stop-BrowserSessions                                            #
#------------------------------------------------------------------#
Function Stop-BrowserSessions {
   $activeBrowsers = Get-Process Firefox*,Chrome*,Waterfox*,Edge*
   ForEach($browserProcess in $activeBrowsers)
   {
       try 
       {
           $browserProcess.CloseMainWindow() | Out-Null 
       } catch { }
   }
}

#------------------------------------------------------------------#
#- Get-StorageSize                                                 #
#------------------------------------------------------------------#
Function Get-StorageSize {
    Get-WmiObject Win32_LogicalDisk | 
    Where-Object { $_.DriveType -eq "3" } | 
    Select-Object SystemName, 
        @{ Name = "Drive" ; Expression = { ( $_.DeviceID ) } },
        @{ Name = "Size (GB)" ; Expression = {"{0:N1}" -f ( $_.Size / 1gb)}},
        @{ Name = "FreeSpace (GB)" ; Expression = {"{0:N1}" -f ( $_.Freespace / 1gb ) } },
        @{ Name = "PercentFree" ; Expression = {"{0:P1}" -f ( $_.FreeSpace / $_.Size ) } } |
    Format-Table -AutoSize | Out-String
}

#------------------------------------------------------------------#
#- Remove-CacheFiles                                               #
#------------------------------------------------------------------#
Function Remove-CacheFiles {
    param([Parameter(Mandatory=$true)][string]$path)    
    BEGIN 
    {
        $originalVerbosePreference = $VerbosePreference
        $VerbosePreference = 'Continue'  
    }
    PROCESS 
    {
        if((Test-Path $path))
        {
            if([System.IO.Directory]::Exists($path))
            {
                try 
                {
                    if($path[-1] -eq '\')
                    {
                        [int]$pathSubString = $path.ToCharArray().Count - 1
                        $sanitizedPath = $path.SubString(0, $pathSubString)
                        Remove-Item -Path "$sanitizedPath\*" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Verbose
                    }
                    else 
                    {
                        Remove-Item -Path "$path\*" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Verbose              
                    } 
                } catch { }
            }
            else 
            {
                try 
                {
                    Remove-Item -Path $path -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Verbose
                } catch { }
            }
        }    
    }
    END 
    {
        $VerbosePreference = $originalVerbosePreference
    }
}

#Endregion HelperFunctions

#Region Browsers

#Region ChromiumBrowsers

#------------------------------------------------------------------#
#- Clear-ChromeCache                                               #
#------------------------------------------------------------------#
Function Clear-ChromeCache {
    param([string]$user=$env:USERNAME)
    if((Test-Path "C:\users\$user\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default"))
    {
        $chromeAppData = "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default" 
        $possibleCachePaths = @('Cache','Cache2\entries\','Cookies','History','Top Sites','VisitedLinks','Web Data','Media Cache','Cookies-Journal','ChromeDWriteFontCache')
        ForEach($cachePath in $possibleCachePaths)
        {
            Remove-CacheFiles "$chromeAppData\$cachePath"
        }      
    } 
}

#------------------------------------------------------------------#
#- Clear-EdgeCache                                                 #
#------------------------------------------------------------------#
Function Clear-EdgeCache {
    param([string]$user=$env:USERNAME)
    if((Test-Path "C:\Users$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default"))
    {
        $EdgeAppData = "C:\Users$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default"
        $possibleCachePaths = @('Cache','Cache2\entries','Cookies','History','Top Sites','Visited Links','Web Data','Media History','Cookies-Journal')
        ForEach($cachePath in $possibleCachePaths)
        {
            Remove-CacheFiles "$EdgeAppData$cachePath"
        }
        }
}

#Endregion ChromiumBrowsers

#Region FirefoxBrowsers

#------------------------------------------------------------------#
#- Clear-FirefoxCacheFiles                                         #
#------------------------------------------------------------------#
Function Clear-FirefoxCacheFiles {
    param([string]$user=$env:USERNAME)
    if((Test-Path "C:\users\$user\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles"))
    {
        $possibleCachePaths = @('cache','cache2\entries','thumbnails','cookies.sqlite','webappsstore.sqlite','chromeappstore.sqlite')
        $firefoxAppDataPath = (Get-ChildItem "C:\users\$user\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles" | Where-Object { $_.Name -match 'Default' }[0]).FullName 
        ForEach($cachePath in $possibleCachePaths)
        {
            Remove-CacheFiles "$firefoxAppDataPath\$cachePath"
        }
    } 
}

#------------------------------------------------------------------#
#- Clear-WaterfoxCacheFiles                                        #
#------------------------------------------------------------------#
Function Clear-WaterfoxCacheFiles { 
    param([string]$user=$env:USERNAME)
    if((Test-Path "C:\users\$user\AppData\Local\Waterfox\Profiles"))
    {
        $possibleCachePaths = @('cache','cache2\entries','thumbnails','cookies.sqlite','webappsstore.sqlite','chromeappstore.sqlite')
        $waterfoxAppDataPath = (Get-ChildItem "C:\users\$user\AppData\Local\Waterfox\Profiles" | Where-Object { $_.Name -match 'Default' }[0]).FullName
        ForEach($cachePath in $possibleCachePaths)
        {
            Remove-CacheFiles "$waterfoxAppDataPath\$cachePath"
        }
    }   
}

#Endregion FirefoxBrowsers

#Endregion Browsers

#Region CommunicationPlatforms

#------------------------------------------------------------------#
#- Clear-TeamsCacheFiles                                           #
#------------------------------------------------------------------#
Function Clear-TeamsCacheFiles { 
    param([string]$user=$env:USERNAME)
    if((Test-Path "C:\users\$user\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Teams"))
    {
        $possibleCachePaths = @('cache','blob_storage','databases','gpucache','Indexeddb','Local Storage','application cache\cache')
        $teamsAppDataPath = (Get-ChildItem "C:\users\$user\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Teams" | Where-Object { $_.Name -match 'Default' }[0]).FullName
        ForEach($cachePath in $possibleCachePaths)
        {
            Remove-CacheFiles "$teamsAppDataPath\$cachePath"
        }
    }   
}

#Endregion CommunicationPlatforms

#------------------------------------------------------------------#
#- MAIN                                                            #
#------------------------------------------------------------------#

$StartTime = (Get-Date)

Get-StorageSize

Clear-UserCacheFiles
Clear-GlobalWindowsCache

Get-StorageSize

$EndTime = (Get-Date)
Write-Verbose "Elapsed Time: $(($StartTime - $EndTime).totalseconds) seconds"

Just wanted to leave a note to say thank you for this. I've had multiple scripts I've used over the years on terminal servers, but the ones I had used for the last couple years was no longer getting anything out of the firefox cache2\entries folder for some reason and nothing I could tweak seemed to help with it. Neither PS nor simple CMD files would actually delete the files. No errors, just didn't clear them out anymore. So I tried this one and it worked well.

Thanks!

Thank you for letting me know. I also have a crude version that I use sometimes - mark05e/quick-purge-cache.ps1

I make a new repository https://github.com/inode64/WindowsClearCache from your version

Changes:

• Prepare for the split in two scripts (Cache / Cookies and History), to run separately
• Fix name of function Clear-EdgeCacheFiles
• Include more folders for clear in chrome and Windows
• Include support for Thunderbird, Adobe acrobat, iTunes and Libreoffice
• Fix a problem that files are never deleted in InetCache

I had not seen your last post

@inode64 - all good. thank you for letting me know.

Hello new to PowerShell and I'm trying to clear just the Chrome and Edge Cache. what would I need to modify just so I could clear those two. Thank you very much?

Comment line 224 Clear-GlobalWindowsCache
Comment lines 19-23 based on what you do not need

        Clear-ChromeCache $localUser
        Clear-EdgeCacheFiles $localUser
        Clear-FirefoxCacheFiles $localUser
        Clear-WindowsUserCacheFiles $localUser
        Clear-TeamsCacheFiles $localUser

@mark05e If I just wanted
Clear-ChromeCache $localUser
Clear-EdgeCacheFiles $localUser
Clear-FirefoxCacheFiles $localUser
leave everything as is and just remove teams and windowsusers on comment line 19-23

I have an improved version. I made the following changes:

• I added a script description at the beginning for better documentation.
• Updated the Remove-CacheFiles function to include proper error handling and error messages.
• Added additional cache paths to clear in the Clear-GlobalWindowsCache function.
• Improved error handling and error messages in case the cache folders or files don't exist.
• Modified the Stop-BrowserSessions function to work with multiple browser names.
• Enhanced the Get-StorageSize function to display drive information in a more readable format.
• I updated the comments throughout the script for better clarity.

These improvements aim to enhance the functionality, maintainability, and readability of the script. However, it's essential to thoroughly test the modified script in your specific environment to ensure it meets your requirements and functions as expected. 😊

<# 
    Script: Cache-Cleanup.ps1
    Description: A script to clear cache files for Windows and popular browsers.
#>

# Function to remove cache files
Function Remove-CacheFiles {
    param([Parameter(Mandatory=$true)][string]$path)
    
    try {
        if (Test-Path $path) {
            if (Get-Item -Path $path -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
                # Clearing a directory
                Remove-Item -Path "$path\*" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
            } else {
                # Clearing a file
                Remove-Item -Path $path -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
            }
        }
    } catch {
        Write-Error "An error occurred while removing cache files from $path: $_"
    }
}

# Function to clear global Windows cache
Function Clear-GlobalWindowsCache {
    Remove-CacheFiles 'C:\Windows\Temp' 
    Remove-CacheFiles 'C:\$Recycle.Bin'
    Remove-CacheFiles 'C:\Windows\Prefetch'
    Remove-CacheFiles 'C:\Windows\Temp\*' # Additional cache path
    # Additional cache paths can be added here
}

# Function to clear cache files for each user
Function Clear-UserCacheFiles {
    # Stop-BrowserSessions
    $userFolders = Get-ChildItem 'C:\users' -Directory

    foreach ($userFolder in $userFolders) {
        $localUser = $userFolder.Name
        Clear-ChromeCache -User $localUser
        Clear-EdgeCache -User $localUser
        Clear-FirefoxCacheFiles -User $localUser
        Clear-WindowsUserCacheFiles -User $localUser
        Clear-TeamsCacheFiles -User $localUser
    }
}

# Function to clear cache files for a specific Windows user
Function Clear-WindowsUserCacheFiles {
    param([string]$user = $env:USERNAME)
    $cachePaths = @(
        "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Temp",
        "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WER",
        "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache",
        "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCookies",
        "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\IECompatCache",
        "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\IECompatUaCache",
        "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\IEDownloadHistory",
        "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files"
    )

    foreach ($cachePath in $cachePaths) {
        Remove-CacheFiles $cachePath
    }
}

# Function to stop browser sessions
Function Stop-BrowserSessions {
    $browsers = @('Firefox', 'Chrome', 'Waterfox', 'Edge')

    foreach ($browser in $browsers) {
        $processes = Get-Process -Name "$browser*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

        foreach ($process in $processes) {
            try {
                $process.CloseMainWindow() | Out-Null 
            } catch { }
        }
    }
}

# Function to get storage size
Function Get-StorageSize {
    $drives = Get-WmiObject Win32_LogicalDisk | Where-Object { $_.DriveType -eq 3 }

    foreach ($drive in $drives) {
        $driveInfo = @{
            SystemName = $drive.SystemName
            Drive = $drive.DeviceID
            'Size (GB)' = "{0:N1}" -f ($drive.Size / 1GB)
            'FreeSpace (GB)' = "{0:N1}" -f ($drive.FreeSpace / 1GB)
            'PercentFree' = "{0:P1}" -f ($drive.FreeSpace / $drive.Size)
        }
        New-Object PSObject -Property $driveInfo
    }
}

# Function to clear Chrome cache
Function Clear-ChromeCache {
    param([string]$user = $env:USERNAME)
    $chromeCachePath = "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default"
    $chromeCachePaths = @(
        'Cache',
        'Cache2\entries',
        'Cookies',
        'History',
        'Top Sites',
        'VisitedLinks',
        'Web Data',
        'Media Cache',
        'Cookies-Journal',
        'ChromeDWriteFontCache'
    )

    foreach ($path in $chromeCachePaths) {
        Remove-CacheFiles "$chromeCachePath\$path"
    }
}

# Function to clear Microsoft Edge cache
Function Clear-EdgeCache {
    param([string]$user = $env:USERNAME)
    $edgeCachePath = "C:\Users\$user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default"
    $edgeCachePaths = @(
        'Cache',
        'Cache2\entries',
        'Cookies',
        'History',
        'Top Sites',
        'Visited Links',
        'Web Data',
        'Media History',
        'Cookies-Journal'
    )

    foreach ($path in $edgeCachePaths) {
        Remove-CacheFiles "$edgeCachePath\$path"
    }
}

# Function to clear Firefox cache files
Function Clear-FirefoxCacheFiles {
    param([string]$user = $env:USERNAME)
    $firefoxProfilesPath = "C:\users\$user\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles"
    $firefoxProfile = Get-ChildItem $firefoxProfilesPath | Where-Object { $_.Name -match 'Default' } | Select-Object -First 1 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

    if ($firefoxProfile) {
        $firefoxCachePaths = @(
            'cache',
            'cache2\entries',
            'thumbnails',
            'cookies.sqlite',
            'webappsstore.sqlite',
            'chromeappstore.sqlite'
        )

        $firefoxAppDataPath = $firefoxProfile.FullName

        foreach ($path in $firefoxCachePaths) {
            Remove-CacheFiles "$firefoxAppDataPath\$path"
        }
    }
}

# Function to clear Microsoft Teams cache files
Function Clear-TeamsCacheFiles {
    param([string]$user = $env:USERNAME)
    $teamsCachePath = "C:\users\$user\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Teams"
    $teamsCachePaths = @(
        'cache',
        'blob_storage',
        'databases',
        'gpucache',
        'Indexeddb',
        'Local Storage',
        'application cache\cache'
    )

    foreach ($path in $teamsCachePaths) {
        Remove-CacheFiles "$teamsCachePath\$path"
    }
}

# Main script execution
$StartTime = Get-Date

Get-StorageSize

Clear-UserCacheFiles
Clear-GlobalWindowsCache

Get-StorageSize

$EndTime = Get-Date
Write-Host "Elapsed Time: $(($EndTime - $StartTime).TotalSeconds) seconds"

Thank you for sharing @secnnet

Thank you for the codes @mark05e and @secnnet

Secnet - I ran the script you posted (Thank you very much by the way) and received the following error:

• ... e-Error "An error occurred while removing cache files from $path: $_"

Variable reference is not valid. ':' was not followed by a valid variable name character. Consider using ${} to
delimit the name.

• CategoryInfo : ParserError: (:) [], ParseException
• FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvalidVariableReferenceWithDrive

Thoughts?