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Override Auto Cache Management

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Not really a problem, as such.. but something that is a little annoying.

The Override Auto Cache Management option doesn't seem to work properly, unless what is happening SHOULD be happening?

Basically, by default it is set to 75Mb.. I'll set it to around 350-400Mb. However, at random intervals, Firefox will default the settings back to 75Mb, out of the blue. No warning or anything.

Why does is keep defaulting back to 75Mb? I have also changed the option using About:Config with the 'browser.cache.disk.capacity' option. but it still defaults back to 75Mb.

Is there anything I could be doing wrong? Another setting that needs to be changed? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

Not really a problem, as such.. but something that is a little annoying. The Override Auto Cache Management option doesn't seem to work properly, unless what is happening SHOULD be happening? Basically, by default it is set to 75Mb.. I'll set it to around 350-400Mb. However, at random intervals, Firefox will default the settings back to 75Mb, out of the blue. No warning or anything. Why does is keep defaulting back to 75Mb? I have also changed the option using About:Config with the 'browser.cache.disk.capacity' option. but it still defaults back to 75Mb. Is there anything I could be doing wrong? Another setting that needs to be changed? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

All Replies (1)

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The cache size usually ends up around 350 MB, unless you have very little free disk space. I suggest you start over:

  1. Type about:config into the address bar and press Enter.
  2. Press the big button to bypass the warning.
  3. In the search box, type browser.cache.
  4. In the search results, right-click each entry with the status "user set" and choose Reset.
  5. Type about:cache into the address bar and press Enter. Under the "Disk cache device" category, note the value of the Cache Directory. Open that folder in Windows Explorer.
  6. Exit Firefox (click the Firefox button in the top left corner, then choose Exit).
  7. Delete the cache folder you opened earlier.
  8. Restart Firefox.

At that point, your cache size should be set to something more sensible. Note that under Options - Advanced - Network, the number box shows the maximum cache size, while the text above it shows how much is currently stored.
If you still need to override the automatic size, then normally all you need to do is check "Override automatic cache management", specify a custom size below, then click the OK button.
Doing so would save the first preference as browser.cache.disk.smart_size.enabled with a value of false, and the second as browser.cache.disk.capacity with a value in kibibytes. To avoid unintended effects, it's best to avoid modifying about:config preferences (at least in this case).


If your preferences are lost after restarting Firefox, see the following article: