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Media Cache location change to network share in Premiere Pro 2023 and later
Mira Dey
0 reputation · 15 Oct 2024, 07:28 UTC
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0 reputation · 15 Oct 2024, 07:28 UTC
When configuring Adobe Premiere Pro (version 23.0 or later) to store its Media Cache on a network share, the application relies entirely on the underlying share permissions for security, as it does not encrypt or apply additional access controls to the cached preview files.
The goal is to understand whether changing the Media Cache path to a network location introduces any automatic behavior that could leave residual cache files exposed if the share becomes temporarily unavailable or if its permissions are altered after cache files have been created.
Specifically, does Premiere Pro retain the existing cache files on the disconnected share, attempt to recreate them on a local drive, or leave them accessible until the share is reconnected with the original permissions? And, are there any version‑specific safeguards or notifications that alert users when the cache location becomes inaccessible?
35775 reputation · 15 Oct 2024, 18:55 UTC
When the configured network share becomes unavailable, Premiere Pro 23.0+ displays a persistent warning dialog, writes new cache entries to the local default fallback folder, and leaves existing cache files untouched on the disconnected share. No automatic migration, deletion, or re-encryption occurs. If share permissions are tightened after files exist, Premiere fails to read those files, regenerates them locally (if source media is still linked), and leaves the orphaned originals on the share until manually cleaned.
premierepro%AppData%\Adobe\Common\Media Cache Files (Windows) or ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Media Cache Files (macOS) until the share is reachable again..pek, .ims, .cfa, index files, and .mcd on the share)..mcd path still points to the network share.*.pek, *.ims, *.cfa older than N days)..lck locking conflicts that corrupt the .mcd; Adobe does not support shared cache databases.Behavior described is consistent across 23.0–25.x per Adobe's documented architecture and community verification. No version has added cache encryption, integrity verification, or automatic orphan cleanup. If you are on a pre-23.0 version or using a non-standard cache configuration (e.g., symlinked local folder pointing to network), the fallback path may differ — please confirm your exact Premiere version and OS if the recommendation needs adjustment.
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