Clear cache Microsoft Teams on Linux

clear_cache_MS_Teams.sh

#!/bin/bash

# This script cleans all cache for Microsoft Teams on Linux
# Tested on Ubuntu-like, Debian by @necrifede, Arch Linux by @lucas-dclrcq and Manjaro with flatpak by @danie1k. Feel free to test/use in other distributions.
# Tested Teams via snap package.
# Tested Teams via flatpak package.
#
# How to use in terminal:
# ./clear_cache_MS_Teams.sh ( deb-stable | deb-insider | snap | flatpak )
# or
# bash clear_cache_MS_Teams.sh ( deb-stable | deb-insider | snap | flatpak )

# Variable process name is defined on case statement.

case $1 in
  deb-stable)
    export TEAMS_PROCESS_NAME=teams
    cd "$HOME"/.config/Microsoft/Microsoft\ Teams || exit 1
  ;;
  deb-insider)
    export TEAMS_PROCESS_NAME=teams-insiders
    cd "$HOME"/.config/Microsoft/Microsoft\ Teams\ -\ Insiders || exit 1
  ;;
  snap)
    export TEAMS_PROCESS_NAME=teams
    cd "$HOME"/snap/teams/current/.config/Microsoft/Microsoft\ Teams || exit 1
  ;;
  flatpak)
    export TEAMS_PROCESS=teams
    cd "$HOME"/.var/app/com.microsoft.Teams/config/Microsoft/Microsoft\ Teams || exit 1
  ;;
  *)
    echo "Use $0 ( deb-stable | deb-insider | snap | flatpak ) as parameter."
    exit 1
  ;;
esac

# Test if Microsoft Teams is running
if [ "$(pgrep ${TEAMS_PROCESS_NAME} | wc -l)" -gt 1 ]
then
  rm -rf Application\ Cache/Cache/*
  rm -rf blob_storage/*
  rm -rf Cache/* # Main cache
  rm -rf Code\ Cache/js/*
  rm -rf databases/*
  rm -rf GPUCache/*
  rm -rf IndexedDB/*
  rm -rf Local\ Storage/*
  #rm -rf backgrounds/* # Background function presents on Teams for Windows only.
  find ./ -maxdepth 1 -type f -name "*log*" -exec rm {} \;
  sleep 5
  killall ${TEAMS_PROCESS_NAME}
  # After this, MS Teams will open again.
else
  echo "Microsoft Teams is not running."
  exit
fi

Thank you!

@mrcomoraes A comment on what's stored in the various cache directories may be useful, e.g.

rm -rf Local\ Storage/* # Password screen cached here

works well, just a short readme.md would be nice to have to get started

Awesome script. Works like a charm!

Works on Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon as well! Thank you very much!

@artemkozlenkov I added some comments explaining how to use. I hope helped.

@mrcomoraes - check out my fork, I've added support for the Insiders build of MS Teams via DEB install. There's a snap for that too, but I don't use it and haven't accounted for it in my revisions.

Why do we need to run teams before using this script? Cache clearing should work even if teams isn't running. BTW awesome work 👍

@armujahid
In past, when I run clear cache script with MS Teams closed, it's removed auth and names of the chats, staying only IDs instead names.
So I read some MS Teams on Windows forums and they run clear cache scripts for Windows with Teams running.

Good fork, @jtmackoy . I have made some improvements for change process name variable during case statement.

Thank you!! Very useful

Perfect, thank you! 👍
It improved the search performance. Waiting to see if it also fixes the unexpected crashes during calls and screen shares.

How do i make this script work, can someone guide me the process to do it

@Nevindus you can read the comments in script starting on line 8.

Thanks, I was trying to signout from my inactive work account. Even after reinstalling teams i landed up in same old signin page. This script helped me to clear cache and switch to new account in Linux.

Thanks for your useful shell script! It's very helpful for me to reset my teams settings!

Thanks, the script is easy and fantastic

Thanks for the script. I was having issues after upgrading to Ubuntu 21.04 (from 20.04).
Just adding some notes for others -- in case they see the issues similar to mine.
The app would load but never showing any chat messages.
I ran this script multiple times and saw the files were deleted, however, it never would show the messages.
finally, I ran the script and cleared everything and uninstalled and re-installed Teams and it finally worked.

Thank you for the script. Saved my day 👍

It works perfectly, thanks a lot!

Working like a charm in Arch Linux using "debian-stable".Thanks !

Thak you @lucas-dclrcq . I will update script comments.

Best script of the world ! especially to remove bad/bugging conversation draft.

Saved me here too. I was not able to change users. Thanks for sharing.

this works like a charm on ubuntu 20.04. Thanks !!

This is the best thing I've found on Github all day, thank you very much! Script works perfectly, Teams 1.4.00.26453, Ubuntu 20.04.4 LTS

Works like a charm! But in my case directory is very different:

$HOME/.var/app/com.microsoft.Teams/config/Microsoft/Microsoft\ Teams

OS: Manjaro, Teams installed through flatpak.

@danie1k I have not tested on flatpak Teams package. I will update script with flatpak support.

Hmm... weird, when i fun it in bash i get the following error....

fremling@Sill:~$ ./clear_cache_MS_Teams.sh deb-stable
./clear_cache_MS_Teams.sh: line 31: syntax error near unexpected token )' ./clear_cache_MS_Teams.sh: line 31: *)'

@fremling I have fix a block code that causes errors.

Please, update script and run again.

@mrcomoraes
Any reasons why the process needs to be running?
I am thinking that maybe someone wants to clear the cache without Teams running.

@gabrielmocanu
In last test, when Teams aren't running and start clean cache, some data of authentication is cleared too.

Currently I'm not tested. Feel free to validate.

My snap installation has following location - $HOME/snap/teams-for-linux/current/.config/teams-for-linux/

My Ubuntu 23 snap installation Cache has following location $HOME/snap/teams-for-linux/current/.config/teams-for-linux/Partitions/teams-4-linux/ and the process to be killed is named teams-for-linux

@MarekGajdosik and @maksimdzmitryew this "Teams for Linux" snap is a unofficial project that using Electron for deliver MS Teams. I beleive Microsoft removed Teams snap packages. I guess do a upgrade in snap option to support unofficial version.

Here is my first time on GitHub.
However, here is my contribution to this topic.
I have Ubuntu as my SO, and my teams-for-Linux is a fork on the Snap.

I changed lines 24, 25, and 26 to:

snap)
export TEAMS_PROCESS_NAME=teams-for-linux
cd /snap/teams-for-linux || exit 1

Why?
run ps to find your teams-for-linux process and you will see that:

$ ps -ef |grep teams-for-linux
me 324126 323853 0 12:32 ? 00:00:00 /snap/teams-for-linux/523/teams-for-linux --type=utility --utility-sub

So my teams-for-linux is on directory /snap/teams-for-linux
and the TEAMS_PROCESS_NAME is teams-for-linux and not just teams

Cheers!