Jellyfin has three separate image-related controls that are often called an “image cache”: the server’s general cache directory, chapter images generated for video libraries, and the scheduled Clear Cache Folder maintenance task. Configure each one independently. Moving the server cache does not move chapter images, and running the cleanup task should not be treated as proof that chapter images were removed.
This guide shows how to choose a cache location, configure chapter-image extraction, schedule or run maintenance safely, and include image metadata in backups. Dashboard labels can differ between Jellyfin releases, so use the documentation for the version installed on your server when a label or task name is not an exact match.
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Understand the three different image controls
Before changing anything, identify which problem you are solving. Jellyfin uses different storage and configuration paths for these functions.
1. The server cache directory
The server cache directory is a general-purpose location used by Jellyfin for cache data. It is not a dedicated “library image” folder, and changing it does not automatically relocate video metadata or chapter images. Jellyfin resolves this directory in a documented order:
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- The command-line
--cachediroption, when the server is started with it. - The
JELLYFIN_CACHE_DIRenvironment variable, when the option is not supplied. - The platform’s default location.
On non-Windows systems, the documented defaults follow XDG directory conventions. On Windows, the cache is under the application’s data directory. The exact result depends on the operating system, installation method, service account, and environment in which Jellyfin starts.
2. Chapter images
Chapter images are video metadata images. Jellyfin stores them in its metadata directory rather than treating them as ordinary files in the server cache directory. They are enabled per library, and Jellyfin can extract them while scanning a library or through a separate Extract Chapter Images task.
3. Clear Cache Folder
Clear Cache Folder is a built-in maintenance task. It is distinct from tasks that clear logs or transcodes. The task page confirms that it exists and can be scheduled or run manually, but it does not define a universal deletion scope for every Jellyfin release. Do not assume that running it deletes chapter images.
Choose and change the server cache location
Move the server cache when the current filesystem is too small, temporary, slow, or unsuitable for your backup policy. Keep the cache on storage that is writable by the account running Jellyfin, and do not confuse a cache move with a metadata move.
Compare the available methods
| Method | How Jellyfin uses it | When it is practical | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
--cachedir |
Highest-precedence setting at process startup. | A service definition, launch script, or manually managed installation where you control the command line. | The option must be applied to the actual Jellyfin server process; adding it to an unrelated shell command has no effect. |
JELLYFIN_CACHE_DIR |
Used when a command-line cache path is not supplied. | Containers, service environments, orchestration systems, and installations managed through environment settings. | A command-line --cachedir value overrides the environment variable. |
| Platform default | Used when neither explicit setting is present. | A normal installation that does not need a custom location. | The path follows the installed platform and its data-directory conventions. |
Safe procedure for a path change
- Identify the installation context. Determine whether Jellyfin runs as a native service, a desktop process, a container, or an orchestrated workload. The place where you set a command-line argument or environment variable depends on that context.
- Record the current location. Check the server’s startup configuration and administrative information before changing anything. If the path came from a service unit, container definition, or environment file, edit that source rather than a temporary interactive shell.
- Prepare the destination. Create the destination directory on persistent storage and grant the Jellyfin process read, write, and traversal access. A path that exists but is not writable will produce confusing startup or runtime errors.
- Stop Jellyfin cleanly. Stopping the service prevents files from being written while the configuration changes. Follow the stop mechanism for your installation type.
- Set one explicit value. Use
--cachedirin the server’s launch command, or setJELLYFIN_CACHE_DIRin the service or container environment. Do not set conflicting values and expect Jellyfin to merge them; the command-line value wins. - Start Jellyfin and verify. Confirm that the process starts under the expected account and that the destination receives cache activity. Also check logs and the effective service definition so you know the value was applied to the running process.
- Keep the old directory temporarily. Do not immediately delete the previous cache. Keep it until normal playback, library browsing, scans, and scheduled tasks work from the new location. A cache can usually be rebuilt, but deleting it before verification removes an easy rollback path.
- Remove stale data deliberately. After verification, clean the old location according to your operating system’s permissions and retention policy. Never delete the metadata directory when your intention was only to relocate the cache.
Example environment setting
For a container deployment, Jellyfin’s documented examples use an environment value such as JELLYFIN_CACHE_DIR=/var/cache/jellyfin together with a persistent volume mapped to that in-container directory. The path is an example, not a required universal location. The host-side volume, ownership, and backup treatment are deployment decisions. Ensure the mapping survives container recreation; otherwise the cache will be rebuilt after every replacement.
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What a cache move does not change
Changing --cachedir or JELLYFIN_CACHE_DIR changes the general cache location selected at startup. It does not rewrite the paths of chapter images already stored in Jellyfin’s metadata directory, nor does it change each library’s chapter-image setting. If your goal is to move metadata images, treat that as a separate metadata migration and use the procedures appropriate to your Jellyfin release and installation.
Configure chapter images for each library
Chapter images are configured at library level. A library can have chapter-image extraction enabled while another library leaves it disabled, which is useful when only selected video collections need visual chapter navigation.
Find the library setting
In the Dashboard, open the library-management area, select the video library, and look for its Chapter Images settings. The exact navigation text can vary by Jellyfin release and client theme, so use the label shown by your installed version rather than relying on a screenshot from another release.
Enable chapter-image extraction only for libraries where the feature is useful. The setting controls whether Jellyfin creates chapter images for videos in that library; it does not relocate the server cache and does not select a cleanup policy.
Choose an extraction schedule
| Approach | How it runs | Benefit | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| During a library scan | Images are extracted as Jellyfin processes files in the scan. | New or changed media can receive chapter images without a separate operator action. | Scan duration can increase substantially, especially for large libraries. |
| Separate Extract Chapter Images task | Scanning and image extraction are separated; the task is run or scheduled from the task interface. | Lets you keep routine scans shorter and run extraction during a controlled maintenance window. | Images are not produced until the task runs, so newly added media may temporarily lack them. |
The Jellyfin Project describes chapter extraction as computationally intensive and warns that it can slow library scans significantly, especially on large libraries. If scan time matters, disable scan-time extraction and use the separate task during a period when CPU and disk activity are acceptable.
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Set image resolution conservatively
The chapter-image resolution control determines the resolution of extracted images. Jellyfin notes that a high resolution is unnecessary for a small preview window. There is no universal numeric recommendation in the available documentation, because the right value depends on display size, storage capacity, playback devices, and how chapter images are presented in your clients.
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Start with a resolution appropriate for the preview size your users actually see. Increase it only when previews look soft on the largest display you support. Higher resolution means more data to store and more work during extraction; it does not improve the underlying video quality.
Apply a predictable library workflow
- Open the target library’s edit screen and locate Chapter Images.
- Enable extraction for that library if chapter navigation with images is required.
- Decide whether extraction should occur during scans or through the separate task. Choose the separate task when scan duration is a concern.
- Select a practical resolution rather than the highest available value by default.
- Save the library settings.
- If scan-time extraction is disabled, open the scheduled-task interface and run Extract Chapter Images manually for an initial batch, or schedule it for a maintenance window.
- Check a few representative videos in the client you use. Confirm that chapters have images before expanding the setting to every library.
Run and schedule maintenance tasks
Use the task interface
Jellyfin exposes maintenance jobs in its scheduled-task interface. Open the Dashboard’s task area, find the relevant task, and use its run control for an immediate execution or its schedule controls for recurring execution. The available controls and wording can change between releases, so confirm the task name shown by your server.
Keep these jobs conceptually separate:
- Extract Chapter Images creates chapter metadata images for libraries configured to use them.
- Clear Cache Folder performs the built-in cache-folder maintenance operation.
- Clear Logs and transcode-related cleanup address other classes of files and are not substitutes for either of the image-related tasks.
Schedule around your workload
Schedule chapter extraction when the server has spare CPU and disk capacity, particularly if the library is large. A separate extraction task avoids making every routine scan pay the full extraction cost. Schedule cache maintenance according to the storage pressure you observe, not merely because a calendar interval looks tidy.
Run a task manually after changing a library setting when you need an immediate result. Watch the task history and server logs for completion or errors, then inspect a sample of media. A task that starts successfully is not the same as a task that produced every expected image.
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What Clear Cache Folder can and cannot tell you
Clear Cache Folder is the correct built-in task to investigate when general cache data is consuming space, but the official task description does not establish a precise, release-independent list of files it removes. Because of that limit, do not promise that it deletes chapter images, thumbnails, artwork, or any other specific pattern unless the documentation for your installed release explicitly says so.
Run it cautiously
- Review the task name and description in your server’s Dashboard.
- Check that no important scan, extraction, backup, or restore operation is running.
- Run the task manually once if you are testing its effect.
- Record the available storage before and after, and inspect the relevant directories using your normal operating-system tools.
- Review task history and logs for errors.
- Only then create a recurring schedule, and choose an interval that does not interfere with scans or playback.
If storage does not change, that does not prove the task failed. The task may have had little removable cache data, or the space may be occupied by metadata, media, logs, transcodes, or chapter images outside its scope. Investigate the actual directory sizes instead of repeatedly running the same task.
Do not use it as a chapter-image deletion switch
Chapter images live with video metadata. The available task documentation does not say that Clear Cache Folder removes them, so treat chapter-image retention as a library and metadata-management decision. If you need to remove or regenerate chapter images, first consult the documentation matching your Jellyfin version and make a backup of metadata that matters to you.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Include metadata images in your backup plan
Jellyfin’s built-in backup can include metadata and, depending on the options selected, metadata images. Decide whether chapter images are part of the state you need to restore rather than assuming they will always be included.
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| Recovery goal | Backup choice | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Rebuild the server configuration and retain the visual metadata users see | Enable the backup options that include metadata and metadata images. | Chapter images and other metadata images can be restored with the library’s descriptive data. |
| Recreate metadata from the media files and accept regeneration time | You may choose not to include metadata images, subject to your organization’s policy. | This reduces backup contents but requires rescans or extraction after recovery. |
| Short-term rollback before changing image settings | Create a backup that includes the metadata images you cannot easily regenerate. | It provides a recovery point before changing extraction or storage behavior. |
Review the backup selection screen for your installed release and verify what was actually written. A backup policy should state whether metadata images are required, how often backups run, where they are stored, and how restoration is tested. Do not count a cache copy as a backup of chapter images; the cache directory and metadata directory are separate concepts.
Troubleshoot common configuration problems
The new cache path is ignored
- Check whether the service command includes
--cachedir; it overridesJELLYFIN_CACHE_DIR. - Confirm that the environment variable is present in the service or container environment, not only in your interactive shell.
- Restart the actual Jellyfin process after changing startup configuration.
- Verify the running service definition and inspect logs for the effective data and cache locations.
- Check that the destination exists and is writable by the Jellyfin account.
Jellyfin starts but cannot write cache data
Inspect ownership, permissions, read-only mounts, filesystem capacity, and security policies for the destination. In a container, verify both the in-container path named by JELLYFIN_CACHE_DIR and the volume mounted there. A correct variable with an incorrect mount or permissions still leaves Jellyfin unable to write.
Library scans became much slower
Review whether chapter-image extraction is enabled during scans. The Jellyfin Project specifically warns that extraction can slow scans significantly, with the impact most noticeable on large libraries. Disable scan-time extraction and run Extract Chapter Images separately during a maintenance window if users need scans to finish sooner.
Videos have chapters but no chapter pictures
- Confirm that Chapter Images is enabled for the specific library containing the videos.
- Check whether extraction is configured for a separate task that has not run yet.
- Run the extraction task manually and inspect its task history.
- Verify that the metadata directory is writable and has available space.
- Test more than one video; a file can contain chapter markers without providing frames that extract cleanly.
Clear Cache Folder did not reclaim the space you expected
Measure the cache, metadata, logs, and transcode locations separately. The task’s existence does not define a universal deletion scope, and chapter images are stored with metadata. Use the documentation for your installed release before deleting anything manually, and never remove a metadata directory merely to reduce general cache usage.
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Check whether metadata images were selected in the built-in backup. If they were excluded, the restore may require a library scan or chapter-image extraction to recreate them. That process can consume significant time on a large library, so record this trade-off in your recovery plan.
Recommended operating checklist
- Document the effective cache path and how it is set: command line, environment variable, or platform default.
- Keep the cache path and metadata path distinct in your storage map and backup documentation.
- Enable chapter images only for libraries where users benefit from them.
- Use a moderate preview-appropriate resolution; there is no universal numeric value mandated by Jellyfin.
- Prefer the separate extraction task when scan duration or server load is a concern.
- Run Clear Cache Folder as general cache maintenance, not as an assumed chapter-image deletion mechanism.
- Schedule extraction and cleanup when they will not compete with backups, scans, or peak playback.
- Include metadata images in backups when they are part of the restore requirement.
- After every change, verify task history, permissions, storage usage, and a sample of library items.
- For exact labels and deletion behavior, consult documentation that matches the Jellyfin release actually installed.
A practical decision sequence
When deciding what to change, start with the symptom. If the filesystem holding general cache data is the problem, set an explicit cache path using the precedence rules and verify the process can write there. If users want visual chapter navigation, edit the relevant library’s Chapter Images settings and choose scan-time or scheduled extraction. If you need routine cache maintenance, use Clear Cache Folder while keeping its deletion scope qualified. If recovery is the concern, configure backups to include metadata images when recreating them would be costly or disruptive.
Following that sequence prevents the most common category error: moving or clearing the server cache when the files consuming space, or the images users care about, are actually stored with library metadata.
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