> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/astral-sh/uv/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# uv cache clean

> Clear the cache, removing all entries or those linked to specific packages

# uv cache clean

Clear the cache, removing all entries or those linked to specific packages.

## Usage

```bash theme={null}
uv cache clean [OPTIONS] [PACKAGE]...
```

## Description

Remove entries from the uv cache. Can remove all cache entries or only those related to specific packages.

The cache stores:

* Downloaded wheels and source distributions
* Wheels built from source distributions
* Git repository clones
* Extracted source distributions

By default, `uv cache clean` will block until no process is reading the cache. Use `--force` to bypass this check.

## Arguments

### `[PACKAGE]...`

The packages to remove from the cache.

If no packages are specified, all cache entries are removed.

```bash theme={null}
# Remove all cache entries
uv cache clean

# Remove cache for specific package
uv cache clean requests

# Remove cache for multiple packages
uv cache clean numpy pandas matplotlib
```

## Options

### `--force`

Force removal of the cache, ignoring in-use checks.

By default, `uv cache clean` will block until no process is reading the cache. When `--force` is used, `uv cache clean` will proceed without taking a lock.

```bash theme={null}
uv cache clean --force
```

WARNING: Using `--force` while other uv processes are running may lead to cache corruption or unexpected behavior.

## Examples

### Remove all cache entries

```bash theme={null}
uv cache clean
```

This will remove all cached packages, wheels, and source distributions.

Expected output:

```
Cleared cache entries
Removed 2.5 GiB from cache
```

### Remove cache for a specific package

```bash theme={null}
uv cache clean numpy
```

Removes all cached versions and builds of numpy.

Expected output:

```
Removed numpy from cache
Removed 125 MiB from cache
```

### Remove cache for multiple packages

```bash theme={null}
uv cache clean requests urllib3 certifi
```

Removes cache entries for multiple packages at once.

### Force clean without waiting

```bash theme={null}
uv cache clean --force
```

Immediately clears the cache without waiting for locks.

Use with caution if other uv processes might be running.

### Clean specific package with force

```bash theme={null}
uv cache clean pandas --force
```

## Use cases

### Free up disk space

The cache can grow large over time. Clean it to reclaim space:

```bash theme={null}
# Check cache size first
uv cache size

# Clean all cache
uv cache clean
```

### Remove corrupted cache entries

If you encounter cache-related errors:

```bash theme={null}
# Clean specific problematic package
uv cache clean problematic-package

# Or clean entire cache
uv cache clean
```

### Reset after configuration changes

After changing Python versions or build settings:

```bash theme={null}
uv cache clean
```

### Clean before migration

Before moving or backing up your cache:

```bash theme={null}
# Clean everything
uv cache clean

# Then move cache directory if needed
mv ~/.cache/uv ~/.cache/uv.backup
```

### CI/CD cache maintenance

In continuous integration, selectively clean cache:

```bash theme={null}
# Clean specific packages that update frequently
uv cache clean mypackage

# Or use prune for more granular control
uv cache prune
```

## Behavior details

### What gets removed

When cleaning a package:

* All downloaded wheels for that package
* All source distributions for that package
* All locally built wheels for that package
* Git clones if the package is from a Git repository

When cleaning all packages:

* The entire cache directory is cleared
* Fresh downloads will be required for all packages

### Locking behavior

By default, `uv cache clean` waits for all other uv processes to finish:

```bash theme={null}
# This will wait if another uv command is running
uv cache clean
```

With `--force`, the lock is bypassed:

```bash theme={null}
# This proceeds immediately
uv cache clean --force
```

### Performance impact

After cleaning the cache:

* First installation of packages will be slower (must download)
* Subsequent installations will rebuild the cache
* Building from source will be slower (no cached wheels)

## Cache location

The cache is typically located at:

* Unix/macOS: `~/.cache/uv` or `$XDG_CACHE_HOME/uv`
* Windows: `%LOCALAPPDATA%\uv\cache`

To see your cache location:

```bash theme={null}
uv cache dir
```

## Comparison with other cache commands

### `uv cache clean` vs `uv cache prune`

* `uv cache clean`: Removes all entries or specific packages
* `uv cache prune`: Removes unreachable entries (more granular)

```bash theme={null}
# Remove everything for a package
uv cache clean numpy

# Remove only unreachable entries
uv cache prune
```

### `uv cache clean` vs `rm -rf`

Don't manually delete cache directories:

```bash theme={null}
# Wrong: Can cause corruption
rm -rf ~/.cache/uv

# Right: Use uv's command
uv cache clean
```

## Related commands

* [`uv cache prune`](/cli/cache-prune) - Remove unreachable cache entries
* [`uv cache dir`](/cli/cache-dir) - Show the cache directory
* [`uv cache size`](/cli/cache-size) - Show the cache size

## Notes

* Cleaning the cache is safe but will slow down subsequent installations
* The cache automatically manages its size and contents
* Use `uv cache prune` for more selective cleaning
* `--force` should be used carefully to avoid cache corruption
* After cleaning, uv will rebuild the cache as packages are installed
* The cache is global and shared across all projects