Cargo Clean Cache: How to Clear Cargo Registry & Git Cache (Safely)

If you searched “cargo clean cache”: cargo clean only removes your project’s target/ directory. It does not clear Cargo’s global download + git caches (which can grow to 50GB+).

This guide covers the safest ways to clear Cargo’s registry cache, git cache, and downloaded crates—plus what not to delete.

TL;DR: Fastest Safe Cargo Cache Cleanup

Option 1: Use cargo-cache (Recommended)

# Install once
cargo install cargo-cache

# Smart cleanup (safe defaults)
cargo cache --autoclean

Option 2: Manual Cleanup (Safe Folders)

# Downloads + extracted sources
rm -rf ~/.cargo/registry/cache ~/.cargo/registry/src

# Git dependency checkouts (not the bare DB)
rm -rf ~/.cargo/git/checkouts

Important:

• Never delete ~/.cargo/bin (your installed tools)
• Don’t delete caches while cargo build / cargo run is running

Where Is Cargo Cache Located?

On macOS/Linux, Cargo stores its global cache in ~/.cargo/:

~/.cargo/
├── registry/
│   ├── index/          # Crate registry metadata (crates.io index)
│   ├── cache/          # Downloaded .crate files
│   └── src/            # Extracted crate source code
├── git/
│   ├── db/             # Cloned git repositories
│   └── checkouts/      # Checked out commits/branches
└── bin/                # Installed binaries (cargo install)

On Windows, Cargo’s default location is typically:

C:\Users\<you>\.cargo\

If you set CARGO_HOME, Cargo uses that path instead.

How to Check Cargo Cache Size

Before cleaning, see how much space Cargo is using:

du -sh ~/.cargo/registry ~/.cargo/git

For a detailed breakdown:

du -sh ~/.cargo/registry/index
du -sh ~/.cargo/registry/cache
du -sh ~/.cargo/registry/src
du -sh ~/.cargo/git

Typical Cargo Cache Sizes

Cache Location	After 6 Months	After 1+ Year
registry/index	200-500MB	500MB-1GB
registry/cache	1-5GB	5-15GB
registry/src	2-8GB	10-30GB
git/db + checkouts	500MB-2GB	2-10GB
Total	4-15GB	20-50GB+

How to Clean Cargo Cache Manually

Clear Cargo Registry Source Cache

The registry/src folder contains extracted source code. Safe to delete:

rm -rf ~/.cargo/registry/src

Cargo re-extracts sources from .crate files when needed.

Clear Cargo Registry Download Cache

Remove downloaded .crate archives:

rm -rf ~/.cargo/registry/cache

Cargo re-downloads crates on your next build.

Clear Cargo Git Cache

For git dependencies:

rm -rf ~/.cargo/git/checkouts

Clean All Cargo Cache (Nuclear Option)

Remove everything except installed binaries:

rm -rf ~/.cargo/registry
rm -rf ~/.cargo/git

This is safe but requires re-downloading all dependencies.

Using cargo-cache Tool (Recommended)

The cargo-cache tool provides smarter, selective cleanup:

cargo install cargo-cache

If you already have it installed, you can update it with:

cargo install cargo-cache --locked

Check Cargo Cache Size with cargo-cache

cargo cache

Output:

Cargo cache '~/.cargo':

Total:                               12.34 GB
  45 installed binaries:            234.56 MB
  Registry: crates.io               11.89 GB
    Registry index:                 456.78 MB
    4523 crate archives:              3.45 GB
    4523 crate source directories:    7.98 GB
  Git db:                           123.45 MB
    12 bare git repos
  Git checkouts:                     89.01 MB
    34 git repo checkouts

Cargo Cache Autoclean

The easiest way to clean Cargo cache:

cargo cache --autoclean

This removes:

• Old crate source directories
• Orphaned git checkouts
• Duplicate crate versions

Cargo Cache Aggressive Cleanup

For deeper cleaning:

cargo cache --autoclean-expensive

Remove Specific Cargo Cache Items

# Remove all source directories
cargo cache -r src

# Remove old crate versions (keep latest)
cargo cache --remove-dir all-ref-cache

# Remove git checkouts
cargo cache -r git-checkouts

What's Safe to Delete in Cargo Cache?

Location	Safe to Delete?	What Happens
registry/src	✅ Yes	Re-extracted from cache
registry/cache	✅ Yes	Re-downloaded on build
registry/index	⚠️ Careful	Slow next cargo update
git/checkouts	✅ Yes	Re-checked out on build
git/db	⚠️ Careful	Full re-clone needed
bin/	❌ Keep	Your installed tools

Best approach: Use cargo cache --autoclean for smart decisions.

Cargo Clean vs Cargo Cache Clean

Many developers confuse these:

Command	What It Cleans	Scope
cargo clean	target/ directory	Current project only
cargo cache --autoclean	~/.cargo/ caches	Global, all projects

For full Rust cleanup, you need both:

cargo clean                    # Current project's target/
cargo cache --autoclean       # Global registry + git cache

How to Clean Rust Target Directories

Don't forget per-project build artifacts. Each target/ folder can be 2-10GB:

# Clean current project
cargo clean

# Find all target directories
find ~/projects -name "target" -type d 2>/dev/null | head -20

# See sizes
find ~/projects -name "target" -type d -exec du -sh {} \; 2>/dev/null | sort -hr | head -20

For a complete guide on target directories, see our Rust target directory guide.

Automate Rust Cleanup with Cluttered

Cluttered handles complete Rust cleanup automatically:

• Scans all Rust projects: Finds every target/ directory on your system
• Shows Cargo cache size: Visualizes registry and git cache usage
• Identifies dormant projects: Knows which projects are inactive
• Safe deletion: Moves to Trash instead of permanent deletion
• Scheduled cleanup: Pro feature for automatic maintenance

Unlike manual cleanup, Cluttered understands project context and won't clean active projects.

Rust Cleanup Best Practices

1. Monthly Cargo Cache Maintenance

cargo cache --autoclean

2. Use sccache for Shared Compilation

cargo install sccache
export RUSTC_WRAPPER=sccache

Reduces duplicate compiled artifacts across projects.

3. Pin Dependency Versions

In Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
serde = "=1.0.193"  # Exact version reduces cache churn

4. Clean Before Backups

cargo clean                    # Current project
cargo cache --autoclean       # Global caches

5. Move Cargo Cache to Larger Drive

export CARGO_HOME=/path/to/larger/drive/.cargo

How Much Disk Space Can You Recover?

Developer Profile	Cargo Cache	target/ Dirs	Total Recovery
Hobbyist	2-5GB	10-20GB	12-25GB
Professional	5-15GB	30-60GB	35-75GB
Heavy Rust User	15-30GB	80-150GB	95-180GB

Most Rust developers recover 20-50GB from complete cleanup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does cargo clean cache affect Cargo.lock?

No. Cargo.lock is in your project directory, not the cache. Cache cleanup never affects it.

Will I need to re-download all dependencies?

Only when you build each project. Dependencies download on-demand, not all at once.

Is it safe to delete Cargo cache while cargo is running?

No. Wait for any cargo build or cargo run commands to finish first.

How do I clean rustup cache?

Rustup has separate cache in ~/.rustup/:

# Check rustup size
du -sh ~/.rustup

# Remove old toolchains
rustup toolchain list
rustup toolchain uninstall 1.74.0

What's the difference between cargo clean and cargo cache?

cargo clean removes your project's compiled output (target/). cargo cache is a third-party tool that manages Cargo's global download cache (~/.cargo/).

Is there a built-in “cargo clean all” command?

Not really. cargo clean is per-project. To clear global caches, use cargo cache --autoclean (recommended) or delete folders under ~/.cargo/ as shown above.

Conclusion

Cleaning Cargo cache requires more than just cargo clean. The global registry and git caches in ~/.cargo/ can grow to 50GB or more, requiring cargo-cache or manual cleanup.

For complete Rust cleanup including both caches and target directories, use cargo cache --autoclean monthly or automate with Cluttered.

Download Cluttered to automate Rust cleanup alongside 11 other development ecosystems.