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SharePoint 2010 – Clearing the Configuration Cache

There were many common issues that could occur in WSS v3 and MOSS that would require you to clear the configuration cache on your servers. While less common, these issues can still turn up occasionally on SharePoint Server 2010 (And Foundation). While the resolution for these issues might be the same, the steps are a bit different. The main thing to note is that the Configuration Cache is located in a different directory on Windows Server 2008 then it was in Windows Server 2003. The new path for the Configuration Cache under Windows Server 2008 is: %SystemDrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\SharePoint\Config\<GUID> The overall steps remain largely the same:

  1. Stop the Timer service. To do this, follow these steps:

    1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Services.
    2. Right-click SharePoint 2010 Timer, and then click Stop.
    3. Close the Services console.
  2. On the computer that is running Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and on which the Central Administration site is hosted, click Start, click Run, type explorer, and then press ENTER.

  3. In Windows Explorer, locate and then double-click the following folder:

  4. %SystemDrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\SharePoint\Config\GUID

  5. Notes

    1. The %SystemDrive% system variable specifies the letter of the drive on which Windows is installed. By default, Windows is installed on drive C.
    2. The GUID placeholder specifies the GUID folder. There may be more than one of these.
    3. The ProgramData folder may be hidden. To view the hidden folder, follow these steps:
      1. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
      2. Click the View tab.
      3. In the Advanced settings list, click Show hidden files and folders under Hidden files and folders, and then click OK.
      4. You can also simply type this directly in the path if you do not want to show hidden files and folders.
  6. Back up the Cache.ini file. (Make a copy of it. DO NOT DELETE THIS FILE, Only the XML files in the next step)

  7. Delete all the XML configuration files in the GUID folder (DO NOTE DELETE THE FOLDER). Do this so that you can verify that the GUID folders content is replaced by new XML configuration files when the cache is rebuilt.
    Note When you empty the configuration cache in the GUID folder, make sure that you do NOT delete the GUID folder and the Cache.ini file that is located in the GUID folder.

  8. Double-click the Cache.ini file.

  9. On the Edit menu, click Select All.

  10. On the Edit menu, click Delete.

  11. Type 1, and then click Save on the File menu. (Basically when you are done, the only text in the config.ini file should be the number 1)

  12. On the File menu, click Exit.

  13. Start the Timer service. To do this, follow these steps:

    1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Services.
    2. Right-click SharePoint 2010 Timer, and then click Start.
    3. Close the Services console.
  14. Note The file system cache is re-created after you perform this procedure. Make sure that you perform this procedure on all servers in the server farm.

  15. Make sure that the Cache.ini file in the GUID folder now contains its previous value. For example, make sure that the value of the Cache.ini file is not 1.

  16. Check in the GUID folder to make sure that the xml files are repopulating. This may take a bit of time.

For the original steps for clearing out the configuration cache in SharePoint 2007, there are many articles that cover the steps, one of them is the following: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/939308

Comments

  • Anonymous
    May 21, 2013
    I applied above and succeeded. outstanding stuff. Thanks

  • Anonymous
    August 28, 2013
    This worked to fix a Nintex workflow issue I was having, but now the issue is back 2 weeks later. Is there anyway to clear this on its own weekly?

  • Anonymous
    October 04, 2013
    This would be hard to fix weekly without a pretty good script in place. The issue is that you have to be careful not to delete the config.ini file as well as updating it's contents.

  • Anonymous
    October 31, 2013
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    November 09, 2013
    Thanks, nice info.It worked for me.

  • Anonymous
    November 14, 2013
    what if there is no GUID folder? that is my problem. do you know how to reconstruct it? thanks.

  • Anonymous
    December 04, 2013
    Fixed my problem with conflicting update issues when running the SharePoint Products and Configuration Wizard in SP2010 SP2 deployment. Thanks!

  • Anonymous
    December 10, 2013
    HELP!!!!!!! what if i do not have GUID folder!!!

  • Anonymous
    December 30, 2013
    Hi Jean-Paul, Try this site: blogs.k10world.com/.../sharepoint-timer-jobs-stuck-cacheini-missing-guid-folder Hopes this clears it a little

  • Anonymous
    January 29, 2014
    What happens if you have two GUID folders?  One GUID folder which contains the Cache.inf file and the xml files then another GUID folder that has files in the following format: longGUID.persistedfile.  Should I delete all the files in both folders except the Cache.inf file?    

  • Anonymous
    February 03, 2014
    Technically, what is the Configuration Cache? Output/Object/Blob/IIS? I had this issue in my ULS logs after configuring my Object cache accounts. Cleared this cache and it fixed my issue.

  • Anonymous
    February 19, 2014
    @AmpC: Don't delete any files other than XML files (as per the instructions above). I also have two GUID folders, only delete the XML files in the folder which contains XML files.

  • Anonymous
    March 20, 2014
    With regards to 'Stop the Timer service' in step 1, would I need to do this on all the SharePoint servers in a farm? I have a farm with 1 App server and 3 Web-Front-End servers.

  • Anonymous
    March 28, 2014
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    April 16, 2014
    FYI, this is good for SP 2013 enterprise also. Just saved the day Cheers, John.

  • Anonymous
    April 24, 2014
    I was having problems changing settings in central admin on sp2010. This has fixed my problem and saved me from a lot of stress! Thanks very much.

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2014
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    June 25, 2014
    Hi, What if I have 12 folder with GUID and in every folders there is casche.ini file? Should I reapeat steps in every folders? Is it normal that in C:Program DataMicrosoftSharePointConfig there are 12 folders? Thanks for post it save me. Regards,

  • Anonymous
    July 01, 2014
    Be aware, that your CPU will be stressed out to 100% after restarting the Timer Service. This state lasts for me about 5min. @Andrzej I have 4 folders. I just choosed the one with the newest edit-date. But for now I can not say if it works like it should.

  • Anonymous
    July 22, 2014
    Yes, its good notes for Cache , we need to applied for timer jobs stucked in %0 Stage , i have to used your suggestion and after that its worked for  me . Thanks...

  • Anonymous
    October 12, 2014
    Hi James, We're running 5 WFE's and 2 APP servers and 2 WFE.  Recently i have done migration from sharepoint 2010 to sharepoint 2013. Kindly let me know the same job need to do all 4 servers. Thanks!

  • Anonymous
    February 10, 2015
    Here you go with clean scrip whice does this job , very neatly. spcachecleaner.codeplex.com

  • Anonymous
    April 22, 2015
    The comment has been removed