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Kodi is usually not storing your original media in its own profile, but its artwork cache, add-on data, databases, profiles, and temporary files can still consume substantial space. Find the largest folder, back up Kodi, and clean the least destructive item first.
If Kodi is taking up too much storage, do not start by deleting the entire Kodi folder. The space is most often consumed by cached artwork and thumbnails, but add-on data, profiles, databases, temporary files, downloads, recordings, or unrelated system data may be responsible instead.
The safest approach is to measure Kodi’s data first, back it up, and then remove only the least important material. Artwork cache can usually be rebuilt. Kodi databases, profiles, sources, playlists, and add-on settings should be treated as valuable data.
What is using Kodi’s storage?
Kodi keeps its own profile and userdata data separately from the folders containing your movies, television episodes, music, and pictures. That profile can grow over time even when your media collection has not changed.
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| Storage area | What it contains | How cautiously to treat it |
|---|---|---|
Thumbnails and the texture cache |
Locally cached posters, fan art, actor images, episode thumbnails, and other interface artwork | Usually the safest large item to clean; Kodi can download or regenerate it |
addon_data |
Settings and data created by individual add-ons | Inspect before deleting; removing it can reset or damage an add-on’s configuration |
| Databases | Video, music, texture, EPG, and other Kodi databases | Back up first; do not delete casually |
| Profiles | Separate users’ settings, libraries, add-on data, databases, and artwork | Unused profiles may be removable, but confirm they are no longer needed |
| Temporary files and logs | Subtitle files, extracted archives, update remnants, logs, and other short-lived data | Often disposable, although some add-ons leave data behind |
1. Confirm that Kodi is actually the problem
Before changing Kodi, use your device’s storage settings or a disk-usage tool to compare the size of Kodi’s data with other large categories:
- Downloaded films and episodes
- Recordings made by a PVR add-on
- Operating-system updates
- Browser downloads and application caches
- Recycle Bin or Trash contents
- Other applications and games
On a computer, inspect Kodi’s profile or data directory with the operating system’s file manager. On a television, streaming box, or Android device, the location and visibility of application data depend on the device and operating-system version. Kodi’s File Manager can help copy data between locations, but Android permissions may prevent direct access on some hosts.
Within Kodi, the useful distinction is between userdata and your media sources. The Kodi data folder contains configuration and databases; it does not normally contain the original movie and music files merely because Kodi has scanned them.
2. Back up Kodi before deleting anything
Kodi’s documentation describes changes to the Userdata area as advanced operations. Make a backup before manual cleanup, especially if you have several profiles, a carefully organised library, custom artwork, playlists, watched statuses, or add-ons that would be difficult to configure again.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsAt minimum, copy the complete Kodi data folder to another drive. If space is limited, preserve the userdata directory and any library-export files first. A backup is useful only if Kodi is closed before the copy and the destination is accessible later.
- Exit Kodi normally.
- Copy the Kodi data folder, or at least
userdata, to a separate disk or computer. - Keep the backup until Kodi has restarted successfully and your library, profiles, and add-ons still work.
Do not rely on uninstalling and reinstalling Kodi as a backup strategy. On Android, uninstalling Kodi can remove its userdata and settings, depending on the device and the uninstall process.
3. Clean unused artwork from Kodi’s settings
Artwork is the most common explanation for a surprisingly large Kodi profile. Kodi optimises artwork for local display and stores cached copies, generally under the profile’s userdata/Thumbnails directory. A separate texture database records the relationship between source artwork and cached files.
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Large libraries, multiple artwork types, years of use, and repeated scraping can all increase this cache. Newer Kodi releases document automatic removal of unused images and provide an option to remove unused images immediately. The exact label and location vary by release, but look under:
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Enable or run the option referring to cleaning or removing unused images, if it is available in your installation. Check the installed Kodi version rather than assuming that every release performs automatic artwork cleanup.
This is preferable to manually deleting files because Kodi can identify artwork no longer associated with the current library. It may not remove every file left by an add-on, and it will not necessarily solve a problem caused by databases, downloads, or recordings.
4. Review add-ons and their data
The userdata/addon_data area contains settings and other files created by add-ons. Contents vary substantially. An add-on might store preferences, login information, subtitle data, artwork, databases, cached results, or downloaded material there.
Use Kodi’s normal add-on interface to uninstall add-ons you no longer use. That gives Kodi the best opportunity to remove associated components cleanly. Avoid deleting every folder in addon_data as a shortcut.
If you need to investigate manually:
- Close Kodi and back up the data folder.
- Sort the add-on-data folders by size where your operating system allows it.
- Identify the add-on associated with a large folder.
- Read that add-on’s own documentation or inspect its contents before removing anything.
- Keep data for add-ons that remain installed unless you deliberately want to reset them.
Deleting an add-on’s data may free space, but it can also remove settings, credentials, downloads, watched information, or other state. If you are unsure, rename the folder while Kodi is closed rather than permanently deleting it. Restart Kodi and test the add-on; restore the original folder if something important is missing.
5. Remove unnecessary profiles and temporary files
Each Kodi profile can maintain its own settings, databases, add-on data, and artwork. Multiple profiles can therefore multiply the apparent size of Kodi’s data. In Kodi’s profile-management screen, remove only profiles that you have confirmed are no longer used.
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Temporary files may include subtitle material, extracted archive contents, logs, and remnants from add-on updates. Kodi and many add-ons clean temporary files automatically, but leftover image-cache files and add-on data can remain. Do not treat every file in the profile directory as disposable: databases and configuration files may look small individually while being essential collectively.
6. Advanced option: repair the texture cache
If artwork is clearly the problem but Kodi’s built-in cleanup does not reclaim enough space, technically confident users can use Kodi’s Texture Cache Maintenance utility. Kodi documents this utility for tasks such as pruning obsolete cache entries, finding orphaned files, and performing targeted removals.
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7. Rebuild the artwork cache only as a last resort
A full artwork-cache reset can help when the texture database and cached files are badly out of sync, but it should not be the first cleanup step.
The general documented procedure is:
- Exit Kodi completely. Do not perform this while Kodi is running.
- Back up the Kodi data folder.
- Remove the applicable
Texturesxx.dbfile from the Kodi databases area and theThumbnailsdirectory. - Restart Kodi and allow artwork to be downloaded or regenerated.
The xx represents a database-version number, so do not assume a fixed filename across Kodi releases. This procedure removes artwork-cache records and local cached images; it does not delete your original video or music files and does not normally remove the library entries stored in the separate video and music databases.
The trade-off is immediate: posters, fan art, and other artwork may be missing until Kodi or its scrapers rebuild the cache. On a large library, that rebuild can use bandwidth and take time. If you delete the database or thumbnails while Kodi is open, Kodi may recreate files, retain locks, or leave the cache in an inconsistent state.
What not to delete
- Do not delete the entire Kodi data directory unless you intentionally want to reset Kodi and have a verified backup.
- Do not delete video or music databases casually. They contain library information such as watched status, artwork relationships, and scanned metadata.
- Do not remove all of
addon_data. Some add-ons depend on it for settings and important state. - Do not assume Android’s generic “Clear cache” button clears Kodi’s artwork cache. The operating system’s application cache and Kodi’s own image cache are separate categories.
- Do not delete cache files while Kodi is running.
Can Kodi’s data be moved to external storage?
Yes, selected Kodi paths can be relocated, but the answer depends on what you want to move and what the host device permits.
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Backing up Kodi
Copying Kodi’s data to USB or another destination is a backup. It does not make Kodi use that copy during normal operation.
Relocating the artwork cache
Kodi’s path-substitution feature can redirect selected paths. Kodi documents an example that redirects special://profile/Thumbnails/ to an external or network destination. This can reduce internal-storage pressure on a single Kodi installation, but it is an advanced configuration and requires the destination to be available when Kodi needs artwork.
For a computer or compatible media box, a portable external SSD can provide a faster, more durable destination for backups or selected Kodi data than relying on a small internal drive. Confirm the host’s USB support, available power, filesystem compatibility, mounting behaviour, and whether Kodi can access the destination consistently before moving anything.
Moving the entire Kodi data directory
Moving all of Kodi’s userdata is more platform-specific. Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, Fire TV, Google TV, and television firmware handle application storage differently. Android devices may restrict access to application directories, and some devices support external storage only for particular purposes.
Do not assume that a USB drive can become adopted or internal storage on every Android TV, Fire TV, or smart-TV model. Model, firmware, filesystem, permissions, power, and adopted-storage support must be checked separately.
Do not share one Thumbnails folder between Kodi devices
Relocating one client’s artwork cache is different from sharing one cache folder among multiple Kodi clients. Kodi warns against sharing a single Thumbnails folder because clients may use different artwork resolutions, formats, and database relationships. Give each Kodi installation its own cache location.
Advanced households with a network library may also consider a NAS or home-storage solution for backups and media storage. Keep each client’s Kodi artwork cache logically separate, and do not treat a NAS as a universal replacement for local Kodi userdata.
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USB drive or SSD?
A USB flash drive can be useful for a one-time Kodi backup, library export, or file transfer. It is not automatically suitable for continuous cache writes or for hosting Kodi’s complete data directory. Sustained performance, durability, power draw, filesystem support, and device compatibility vary widely.
An external SSD is generally the more sensible category when a compatible computer or media device must repeatedly read and write selected Kodi data. It still does not fix a misbehaving add-on or change Kodi’s cache rules, and it is not proof that a television or streaming box supports moving application data.
If the whole Windows drive is full
Windows users should first measure Kodi’s own userdata, then inspect the rest of the system drive. If Kodi is only a small part of the problem, a general Windows disk-space cleanup tool such as Outbyte PC Repair may help identify unused temporary or cached files. Its stated support includes Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7.
This is not a Kodi cache manager. Do not use a general cleanup tool as permission to automatically delete Kodi databases, profiles, or add-on data. Review proposed removals and handle Kodi’s own folders using the backup-first process above.
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- Kodi’s data is not large: find the real cause in downloads, recordings, media, applications, or system files.
Thumbnailsis large: run Kodi’s unused-image cleanup; use targeted texture-cache maintenance if necessary.- Artwork is broken or the cache is clearly corrupted: back up, close Kodi, and rebuild the artwork cache as a last resort.
addon_datais large: identify the responsible add-on and remove it through Kodi or reset only its data after backing up.- Several profiles exist: remove confirmed-unused profiles from Kodi’s profile manager.
- The entire device remains low on space: move selected data or backups to compatible external storage, or expand storage after verifying the host’s limitations.
Final safety checklist
- Measure the Kodi folder before deleting anything.
- Close Kodi before manual file operations.
- Back up
userdataand important exports. - Prefer Kodi’s own unused-artwork cleanup.
- Inspect large add-on folders individually.
- Use a full thumbnail reset only when targeted cleanup is insufficient.
- Never share one artwork-cache folder between Kodi clients.
- Verify external-storage support for the exact device and operating-system version.
- Keep original media files and Kodi’s library databases conceptually separate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing Kodi’s thumbnails delete my movies or library?
Usually, no. Kodi’s artwork cache is separate from your original movies, shows, and music. Deleting the Thumbnails folder and the applicable Textures database removes cached artwork and its records, so Kodi must download or regenerate posters and fan art, but it does not normally delete the media files or the separate video and music library databases. Always back up first and close Kodi before doing it.
Does clearing Kodi’s Android app cache remove its artwork cache?
Not necessarily. Android’s generic application-cache control and Kodi’s own artwork cache are separate. The Android option may not remove Kodi’s Thumbnails data. Use Kodi’s artwork-cleanup option where available, or inspect Kodi’s own data using a platform-appropriate method.
Can I move Kodi’s thumbnails to a USB drive or NAS?
Yes, Kodi supports path substitution for selected paths, including an example for redirecting special://profile/Thumbnails/. However, this is advanced, and the exact device must support the external or network destination reliably. Do not share one Thumbnails folder between multiple Kodi clients.
Is an external SSD a good fix for Kodi storage problems?
It can be useful for backups or selected Kodi data if the host supports it, but compatibility is not universal. Check USB power, filesystem, mounting behaviour, permissions, and whether the specific Android TV, Fire TV, or television firmware supports the intended storage mode.
The Bottom Line
The right fix is not simply “clear Kodi’s cache.” Identify the largest folder, back up Kodi, remove unused artwork or add-on data with the least destructive method, and only then consider relocating selected data to compatible external storage. Artwork can usually be rebuilt; databases, profiles, sources, and add-on settings deserve protection.
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