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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsConfigure Default cache file in Local Group Policy at Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Offline Files. Enable the policy and enter the percentage of local disk space Windows may use for automatically cached network-share files. If the policy remains Not Configured or Disabled, a guide updated March 27, 2025, reports that Windows uses 10 percent of disk capacity; entering 0 prevents allocation for temporary Offline Files data.
What the Default cache file policy controls
Default cache file is a Windows Offline Files policy. Offline Files stores selected content from network shares on a local computer so that the content can remain available when the computer cannot reach the file server. This policy sets the disk-space percentage available for files that Windows caches automatically. It does not represent a universal Windows cache limit.
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The policy concerns the local disk on the computer receiving the policy. A percentage therefore produces different absolute capacities on different machines: 10 percent of a 256 GB system drive is not the same amount as 10 percent of a 1 TB drive. The setting is best treated as a capacity ceiling expressed relative to each device’s disk size, not as a fixed number of gigabytes.
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The setting’s scope is automatic caching. Windows Offline Files can also involve files that users explicitly make available offline. Do not assume that changing this percentage is equivalent to removing every offline copy or disabling the entire Offline Files feature. It changes the allocation described by the policy for automatically cached data.
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Find the policy in Local Group Policy Editor
- Sign in with an account permitted to change local policy.
- Press
Win+R, typegpedit.msc, and press Enter. This opens Local Group Policy Editor on Windows editions that include that console. - In the left pane, open Computer Configuration.
- Open Administrative Templates, then Network, then Offline Files.
- In the right pane, open Default cache file.
- Select Enabled, enter the required disk-space percentage, select Apply, and then select OK.
The policy is under Computer Configuration, so it applies to the computer rather than to one user profile. If you are editing a domain policy instead of a local policy, use the corresponding Group Policy Management workflow and ensure that the policy is linked to the computers that should receive it.
Choose the percentage before enabling it
Choose a value from the machine’s storage capacity, the amount of network content expected to be available offline, and the amount of free space needed for Windows and applications. A large percentage can make more content available without a network connection, but it also reserves more of the local disk for cached data. A very small value can make offline availability less useful and increase dependence on the network.
| Policy choice | Meaning | Operational effect |
|---|---|---|
| Not Configured or Disabled | The cited Windows Club guide, updated March 27, 2025, reports an automatic default of 10 percent of disk size. | Windows uses its reported default allocation for automatic Offline Files caching. |
| Enabled with a custom percentage | The value specifies the percentage of disk space for automatically cached Offline Files data. | A larger value permits a larger automatic cache; a smaller value limits it. |
Enabled with 0 |
The same guide says zero disables the amount of disk space used for temporary offline files. | Temporary automatic offline-file caching is not allocated, so offline availability can be reduced. |
The 10 percent figure is a reported configuration default from that 2025 guide, not a guarantee that every Windows release, edition, or administrative-template revision behaves identically. If you are standardizing settings across an estate, verify the installed Windows build and ADMX templates and test the resulting behavior on a representative device.
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Configure the policy step by step
Set a custom allocation
- Open
gpedit.msc. - Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Offline Files.
- Double-click Default cache file.
- Select Enabled.
- Enter the desired percentage in the policy’s value field. Enter the value as a percentage, not as a number of gigabytes or megabytes.
- Select Apply, select OK, and close the editor.
- Allow normal Group Policy processing to apply the change, or refresh policy when appropriate for your administration process.
Record the selected percentage with the device or policy scope. That record helps explain later why two computers with different disk sizes have different cache capacities even though they receive the same policy.
Return to the reported default
To stop enforcing a custom value, reopen Default cache file and select Not Configured (or Disabled, depending on the administrative decision). The cited guide reports that either state results in Windows automatically using 10 percent of disk size. Because defaults can vary by Windows build, confirm the outcome on the target release rather than assuming that a policy-state change immediately produces a particular byte count.
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Use zero deliberately
Enter 0 only when the goal is to prevent the allocation for temporary Offline Files data. A zero value is not a general disk-cleanup command and should not be used as a substitute for deciding whether Offline Files itself is appropriate. Computers that must work with network-share content while disconnected may lose useful offline availability when no temporary cache space is assigned.
Registry representation for scripted deployment
The policy is represented in the registry under:
HKLMSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsNetCache
The associated value is DefCacheSize. The cited guide describes the value as a percentage expressed in hundredths. Under that representation, 1545 means 15.45 percent. This is an alternative representation of the same policy, not a second independent cache mechanism.
Important registry cautions
- Use the registry path and value name exactly as documented: the policy key is
NetCacheand the value isDefCacheSize. - Translate the desired percentage into the hundredths format described by the guide. For example, 15.45 percent becomes
1545. - Do not assume that a decimal percentage typed into a registry deployment tool has the same meaning as the policy editor’s field.
- Validate the result against the target Windows build and its installed ADMX templates before deploying broadly.
- Prefer a controlled Group Policy deployment when you need policy ownership, scope, and rollback to be visible to administrators.
Registry deployment is useful for automation or environments that already manage policy values centrally, but an incorrectly converted value can produce a cache allocation different from the one intended. Test both the written value and the resulting Offline Files behavior on a pilot computer.
Apply and verify the change
Changing the policy does not by itself prove that the cache has reached the intended size or that a particular network share is being cached. Verification should check the policy state, the target computer, and the practical result.
- Confirm that the policy was edited under Computer Configuration, not a similarly named user-policy location.
- Confirm that the computer is in the scope of the local or domain policy you changed.
- Refresh or wait for normal computer Group Policy processing according to your organization’s change procedure.
- Review the resulting policy state on the target Windows build and confirm that the configured percentage or registry value is present.
- Test with representative network-share content if offline access is the reason for the change. Disconnect the network only in a controlled test and check whether the expected files remain available.
- Observe free disk space after realistic use. A percentage limit can still consume a substantial absolute amount on a large drive.
Do not infer success solely from seeing the policy marked Enabled. The purpose of the setting is an allocation for automatically cached Offline Files data, so a practical test should include the type and volume of content users actually need offline.
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Understand the boundaries: three different caches
Several Windows technologies use the word “cache,” but their controls are separate. Changing Default cache file does not configure BranchCache or a web browser’s disk cache.
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| Technology | What it caches | Control identified in the documentation | Does Default cache file control it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Offline Files | Content from network shares for offline access, including automatically cached data within the policy’s scope. | Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Offline Files > Default cache file; registry area HKLMSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsNetCache. |
Yes, for the automatic Offline Files allocation described by the policy. |
| BranchCache | Content distributed through Microsoft’s BranchCache system. | Microsoft documents separate netsh branchcache commands for its content cache, size, and directory. |
No. BranchCache has separate controls. |
| Microsoft Edge disk cache | Browser cache data. | The DiskCacheSize policy under Administrative Templates/Microsoft Edge and SOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftEdge. |
No. Browser caching has a separate policy and registry area. |
This distinction matters when troubleshooting disk usage. If a browser cache or BranchCache directory is consuming space, changing the Offline Files percentage will not be the appropriate fix. Identify which component owns the files before changing a limit.
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Small system drives
On a device with limited storage, a high percentage can leave too little room for the operating system, updates, applications, temporary files, and user data. Consider the absolute capacity implied by the percentage and monitor free space during normal work rather than judging the setting from the percentage alone.
Large system drives
On a large drive, even a modest percentage can represent a large cache. The reported 10 percent default therefore does not have a uniform effect across an organization. A common policy value can provide very different offline capacity on different hardware models.
Frequently disconnected users
Users who regularly work away from the network may benefit from enough automatic cache capacity for the network-share files they need. Test with representative shares and file sizes; do not increase the percentage solely because a larger number sounds safer.
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If a computer normally has reliable access to its network shares and has tight local-storage constraints, a smaller allocation may be more appropriate. A value of zero should be reserved for a deliberate decision to remove the temporary allocation described by the guide, because it can reduce offline availability.
Common mistakes and their fixes
Editing the wrong policy node
Symptom: You cannot find the setting or your change has no effect. Fix: Start at Computer Configuration, then open Administrative Templates > Network > Offline Files. The setting is named Default cache file.
Entering a storage amount instead of a percentage
Symptom: The intended capacity was expressed in gigabytes, but the policy expects a percentage. Fix: Convert the capacity decision into a percentage of the target disk and remember that the resulting absolute size varies by machine.
Assuming Disabled means no cache
Symptom: An administrator disables the policy expecting zero cached data. Fix: The cited guide reports that Not Configured or Disabled uses 10 percent by default. If the goal is to disable the amount allocated for temporary offline files, the guide identifies an enabled policy value of 0 instead.
Using the wrong registry scale
Symptom: A scripted deployment writes a number that does not match the intended percentage. Fix: Use the hundredths representation described for DefCacheSize; 1545 represents 15.45 percent. Validate on the target build before broad deployment.
Treating this as a BranchCache or browser setting
Symptom: Disk usage remains after changing Default cache file. Fix: Determine whether the files belong to Offline Files, BranchCache, or Edge’s disk cache. Each system has its own policy and storage controls.
Deployment checklist
- Identify the computers that use Windows Offline Files and need automatic network-share caching.
- Confirm the Windows edition, release, and installed ADMX templates used for policy management.
- Calculate the practical disk capacity represented by the proposed percentage on each relevant hardware class.
- Choose Not Configured or Disabled for the reported 10 percent behavior, a tested custom percentage, or enabled
0when temporary allocation must be prevented. - Apply the setting through the Offline Files policy node or deploy the equivalent
NetCacheDefCacheSizevalue with the documented hundredths conversion. - Pilot the setting, refresh computer policy, and test representative files while disconnected from the network.
- Monitor free space and offline availability after normal use.
- Document the value, scope, Windows build, template version, and rollback state.
What to remember
Default cache file is a Windows Offline Files capacity policy, not a generic cache switch. Its location is Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Offline Files. The cited March 27, 2025 guide reports 10 percent when the policy is Not Configured or Disabled, while an enabled value of 0 disables the amount allocated for temporary offline files. The registry equivalent is HKLMSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsNetCache with DefCacheSize expressed in hundredths of a percent, such as 1545 for 15.45 percent. Verify behavior on the Windows release and ADMX templates you actually manage, and keep Offline Files separate from BranchCache and browser-cache policies.
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