Clear the Microsoft Teams Cache to Fix Glitches (New and Classic Teams Paths)

Teams is misbehaving in a way no specific error explains — chats won’t load, buttons are missing or greyed out, presence is stuck, or it keeps showing “reconnecting.” Clearing the local cache is Microsoft’s standard first step for these glitches.

Why: Teams stores a local copy of your chats, settings, and app data to load faster. When that cache gets out of sync or corrupted, the app shows stale or broken data even though your account in the cloud is fine. Clearing it forces a clean rebuild on next launch. The cache location changed between classic Teams and new Teams, so the right path depends on which version you have.

Fix 1: Clear the cache for new Teams (the default app today)

New Teams is the standard app on current Windows. There are two ways — try the reset first, it’s cleaner.

Method A — Reset the app (no file digging):

1. Type settings in the Windows search box and open the Settings app.
2. Go to Apps → Installed apps and search for Microsoft Teams.
3. On the Microsoft Teams entry, select … (More options) → Advanced options.
4. In the Reset section, select Reset.
5. Restart Teams. (Resetting deletes local personalization but not your account data.)

Method B — Delete the cache files:

1. Right-click the Teams icon on the taskbar and select Quit.
2. Press Windows key + R, paste this path, and press Enter: %userprofile%\appdata\local\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Microsoft\MSTeams
3. Delete everything inside that folder.
4. Restart Teams.

Fix 2: Clear the cache for classic Teams

If you still run classic Teams (work or school), the path is different:

1. Right-click the Teams icon on the taskbar and select Quit.
2. Press Windows key + R, paste %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams, and press Enter.
3. Delete all files and folders inside the directory.
4. Restart Teams.

Fix 3: Clear the cache on a Mac

For new Teams on macOS:

1. Quit Teams (right-click the dock icon → Quit, or press Command + Q).
2. Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities) and run each line, pressing Return after each: rm -rf ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.com.microsoft.teams rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.teams2
3. Restart Teams.

For classic Teams on macOS, the command is: rm -r ~/Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Teams

FAQ

Will I lose my chats, files, or teams? No. Everything lives in the cloud. The cache is just a local copy that Teams rebuilds on next launch.

Why is Teams slow right after I clear the cache? That’s expected — the cache files have to be rebuilt, so the first launch (and first loads of each chat) takes longer than usual.

Which version do I have? New Teams stores its cache under the MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe package folder; classic Teams uses %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams. If you’re not sure, check both paths — typically only one exists.

Should I clear the cache for every problem? It’s a safe, common first step for unexplained glitches and “reconnecting” loops. For sign-in, audio, or notification issues, also work through the device-specific settings — the cache isn’t always the cause.

Sources: Microsoft Learn — Clear the Teams client cache