• Windows
  • Browsers

Four browsers, one storage layout, and the ones you stopped using

Every Chromium browser keeps the same six folders in the same shape. Learn it once, then find the profiles nobody opens any more.

5 min read

Brave, Vivaldi, Opera, Edge and Chrome are the same browser wearing different clothes. Their storage is identical in structure, which means one set of commands covers all of them and one habit covers the cleanup.

Where each one lives

$roots = @(
  "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data",
  "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Vivaldi\User Data",
  "$env:APPDATA\Opera Software",
  "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\Edge\User Data",
  "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Google\Chrome\User Data"
)
foreach ($r in $roots) {
  if (Test-Path $r) {
    $s = (Get-ChildItem $r -Recurse -Force -File -EA SilentlyContinue | Measure-Object Length -Sum).Sum
    '{0,8:N0} MB  {1}' -f ($s/1MB), $r
  }
}

The six folders inside every one

FolderWhat it isSafe to clear
CacheDownloaded page resourcesYes
Code CacheCompiled scriptsYes
GPUCacheCompiled shadersYes
Service WorkerOffline app dataYes, apps resync
IndexedDB and Local StorageSite state and sessionsSigns you out
ExtensionsInstalled extensionsRemove in the browser

Site storage is the large one, not the cache

The cache is bounded and the browser trims it. Site storage is not: a browser used for a few web apps holds gigabytes of it while its cache stays modest. That is the finding worth carrying between platforms, and it is the same on Chrome for Windows.

Browsers you no longer use

  1. List the folders above and note which browsers you actually open.
  2. For any you do not, export bookmarks and check for saved passwords first.
  3. Uninstall through Settings, Apps.
  4. Then remove the leftover User Data folder, because the uninstaller does not.

That last step is the one that matters. An uninstalled browser leaves its entire profile behind, which is the general pattern for uninstalling on Windows.

Common questions

Do all Chromium browsers store data the same way?

Yes. Brave, Vivaldi, Opera, Edge and Chrome share the same folder layout, so the same commands and the same advice work for all of them.

Where does Brave store its profile on Windows?

Under %LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data, with the standard Chromium folders inside, one set per profile.

Does uninstalling a browser remove its profile?

No. The User Data folder stays behind with the full profile, including history, extensions and saved passwords. Removing it by hand is what actually frees the space.

Which browser folder is usually largest?

Site storage under Service Worker and IndexedDB, rather than the cache. Site storage has no fixed limit, so a browser used for web apps grows well beyond its cache size.

Read next