Editing fills a drive faster than anything, and most of it is derived
Footage, proxies, cache and exports across the common Windows editors, and where each belongs.
For every gigabyte of footage, an editing workflow produces two or three more in proxies, render caches and exports. None of that is irreplaceable, which is what makes the problem solvable.
The five categories
| What | Replaceable | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|
| Source footage | No | Large drive, plus a backup |
| Proxies | Yes | Fast drive while editing |
| Render and media cache | Yes | Fastest drive, cleared after |
| Project files | No, they are the edit | System drive, backed up |
| Exports | Yes, re-export | Wherever delivered from |
Set the cache location once, per application
Every editor defaults its cache to the system drive, and every editor lets you change it. That single change per application is the most effective thing on this page:
- Premiere and After Effects. Preferences, Media Cache, covered in Adobe on Windows.
- DaVinci Resolve. Preferences, Media Storage, covered in Resolve on Windows.
- Vegas, Avid and the rest. Each has an equivalent under preferences.
- Windows itself. Move the Videos folder if recordings land there.
The drive arrangement
- System SSD for Windows, the applications and project files.
- A fast scratch drive for cache and proxies, cleared between projects.
- A large drive for source footage and finished exports.
- A backup of footage and project files, because those two are the only irreplaceable parts.
When the disk fills mid edit
It is usually cache rather than footage, and clearing render cache inside the application is safe and immediate. The urgent version, when an export fails partway, is in what to do when the disk is full.
Archiving a finished project
Strip the derived data and a 200 GB project folder archives to 30 GB with nothing lost that cannot be regenerated. Keep the project file, the source media and the final master; remove proxies, caches and intermediate exports.
Common questions
What uses the most space in video editing?
Derived data rather than footage: proxies, render caches and exports routinely total three to ten times the source media, and all of it is regenerated by the editor.
Where should video cache go on Windows?
On a fast drive that is not the system drive, set explicitly in each editor's preferences. Every editor defaults to C and every editor lets you change it.
How many drives does a Windows editing PC need?
Three works well: a system SSD for Windows and projects, a fast scratch drive for cache and proxies, and a large drive for footage and exports, with a backup of the first and last.
How much does archiving a video project save?
Typically 70 to 90 percent, because most of the folder is proxies, caches and intermediate exports. What remains is the project file, source media and final master.