Firefox cache to another drive. Configuring the Google Chrome cache using group policies. Antananarivo Stock Photos and Images

Firefox continues to gain popularity - every year it is slowly but surely winning over Internet Explorer territory in the browser market. However, nothing is perfect, and even Firefox has its flaws.

One of the most annoying is the slowdown over time. After Firefox installations it just “flies”, but with active use, after 2-3 months it will look like a hulking hippopotamus. Try, for example, after booting the computer and launching the browser, type in address bar any character and you will see Firefox freeze for a few moments. This happens because the browser must look through a huge list of visited sites and find the character you entered on them.

The Firefox log is stored in a database located on your hard drive in your profile directory. Over time, it grows to enormous sizes and fragments, and a slow hard drive also does not help speed up its work - all this leads to the fact that your favorite browser begins to slow down unpleasantly and freeze at the most inopportune moments.

You can optimize the database, memory consumption, or log, but the effect will be short-lived and, over time, you will have to repeat these operations more and more often. In this article we will look at a more radical way to increase performance: transferring Firefox profile data and cache to a ramdisk ( virtual device, created in random access memory computer). Firefox will work faster due to the fact that reading and writing data to memory is several times faster than the same operations with a hard drive.

To create a ramdisk we will use the Dataram RAMDisk program - it is free and supports everything Windows versions. So that you don't get confused, I will describe the whole process step by step:

Well, virtual disk created - now all that remains is to transfer your profile and cache to it and make Firefox work with the ramdisk.

Now you can use your favorite browser again. Saving and loading your profile is automated, you don't need to take any additional steps - just enjoy supersonic Firefox.

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To manage the cache in Chrome, only a few options are officially available, and they are arguments for launching from command line(the easiest way to implement, but not the most convenient way to use):

  • --disk-cache-dir=<путь к папке>: cache location
  • --disk-cache-size=<размер в байтах>: cache size
  • --user-data-dir=<путь к папке>: folder of all user data (profiles, cache, ...)

Actually, all you need to do is run Google Chrome with the correct parameters. All of the following applies equally to Chromium.

Windows

In Windiws 7, Chrome by default stores the cache somewhere in the area C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Cache . (For other OS see)

To change the cache location permanently, the following steps are required:

Step 1. Change the shortcut

RMB by shortcut ⇒ "Properties"⇒ tab "Label"

  1. Create a folder somewhere for the future cache.
    For example, at "D:\temp\Google_Chrome"
  2. In field "An object", separated by a space, add the full path to this folder as a parameter:
    --disk-cache-dir="D:\temp\Google_Chrome"

Now the address "D:\temp\Google_Chrome" will be stored Google Chrome browser cache. After restarting Chrome, folders will appear in it Cache, Media Cache etc.

To limit the cache size, for example, to 300MB, add another parameter separated by a space:

Disk-cache-size=314572800
(300 * 1024 * 1024 = 314572800 bytes)

If you want to get rid of the cache completely, set its size to 1 :)

But: If Chrome is the default browser, then when launched from third-party applications, it will still launch with default settings. Therefore, let's move on to step two.

Step 2. Edit the registry


The final command to run in the registry will look something like "C:\Users\Martin\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --disk-cache-dir="D:\temp\Google_Chrome" --disk-cache-size=314572800 -- "%1" (for Win7).

Step 3. Alternative 1

Alternatively, you can not edit shortcuts/registries, but simply place a symbolic link to the desired location instead old folder cache.

Step 3. Alternative 2

Also, instead of editing launch parameters, you can use Politicians:

  1. Open the Registry Editor.
  2. Go to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Chromium and add Dword DiskCacheSize (RMB on Chromium ⇒ new ⇒ Dword (32-bit value)).
    Set the cache size in bytes.
  3. To set the cache folder, create String named DiskCacheDir and set the value to be the full path to the required folder.

Linux

Everything is similar to the situation with Windows shortcuts. It is worth correcting the alias for launching Chrome so that it is called with the necessary parameters.

An interesting usecase is storing a cache in RAM (tmpfs):
$ google-chrome --disk-cache-dir=/tmp/cache

Take a look at the arch linux page about Chromium to find out more interesting things :)

We learned how to create it using free program SoftPerfect RAM Disk. And today we’ll talk about how to use a RAM disk to speed up your computer, in particular, working with .

How to use RAM disk?

In fact, there are many ways to use this virtual disk. I will highlight just a few of the most popular:

  • Transfer of operating system TEMP folders;
  • Transferring program or game caches;
  • Installing portable versions of programs entirely on a RAM disk.

I do not pretend that all actions taken are correct. This is not the only correct solution in this matter. This is just my experience gained from researching this issue from different angles.

Well, let's get started!

Transferring the Google Chrome browser cache to a RAM disk

Before proceeding with the steps described above, let's understand a little theory.

Browser cache– this is a folder with files. It stores data that the browser saves from the Internet in order to speed up the subsequent loading of a previously opened site. In other words - much faster than the speed of the Internet. Then, when you visit our site again, it is no longer loaded from the Internet, but from the browser cache.

The explanation is completely simplified, but it reflects the essence. The browser has its own algorithms for working with the cache, which we will not delve into. All we need to understand is that to speed up the work with the browser cache, we can place it on a RAM disk.

In order to transfer the Google Chrome cache, we will use the most effective method– using symbolic links.

Symbolic link (symbolic link)– a file that contains a pointer to navigate to a specific file or folder. A kind of shortcut that itself does not contain any data, but is a pointer. You can find out more about symbolic links in .

The browser cache and user profile files of the Google Chrome browser are located at:

c:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\

This means that to speed up work, we need to transfer this folder to a RAM disk. We will do this step by step. The Google Chrome browser must be closed. Taking this into account, I have prepared these instructions in , which you can open in parallel on your computer or phone. But before work, read the entire article carefully, install the desired program and create a RAM disk.

  1. We createRAM disk, to which we will transfer the browser cache. It would be good to make it at least 1 GB and be sure to NTFS format. Considering that browser user profiles will be stored there, you need to link it to an image file to save this data after turning off the computer. You can read how to do this in this series of articles.
  2. on the RAM disk a folder named Chrome.
  3. Open the folder c:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\ in Explorer or Total Commander. Don't forget to turn on the display first hidden files on Windows.
  4. Cut and paste the contents of this folder anywhere, for example on drive D. This is temporary.
  5. We check that the folder c:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\ was empty.
  6. Go to the previously created RAM disk and create a folder Chrome .
  7. Next, we will use a program for creating and editing symbolic links - Junction Link Magic. Download it from the official website and install it. In the main window, click on the button Create to create a new symbolic link. You will have to wait a bit for the creation window to open, this is normal.

    The creation window consists of two panels. The left side displays the source of the file or folder, the right side displays the location to which we want to make a symbolic link.

    Window for creating links

    Note! To create a symbolic link you need to fulfill 2 requirements:
    1. The disk must be in NTFS format. This can be set when creating a RAM disk.
    2. The source folder and the folder to which the link will lead must be empty.

    Open the folder in the left window c:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\

    In the right window (yourRAM disk):\Chrome\
    After this, press the button Create. We agree with the warning.

  8. Copying the contents of the folder Chrome, which we saved in a temporary folder on drive D in the folder Chrome on a RAM disk.

    Moving the folder back

  9. Let's launch Google browser Chrome and enjoy its work.

Results

I've been using this method for about a month now and I can say that it really gives a good increase in work speed. Another bonus is that it saves SSD life. After all, a bunch of small files that make up the browser cache no longer terrorize the SSD every 2 seconds, thereby reducing its resource.

The cache size in my case does not exceed 700 MB, despite the fact that I have 4 users created in the browser. I clean it regularly using the program.

If you are interested, I will write material about what other ways to use a RAM disk in home practice.

If you liked this article, don't forget to like, share with your friends and exercise in the morning!

If you have SSD drive and you want to save space on it, there are many different ways to do this. One option is to move the browser cache to HDD. This is due to the fact that any browser constantly records and deletes temporary files during operation, which can significantly affect the free space on the disk. Also, you can look at the article on how to disable the built-in .

So for different browsers in order.

Google Chrome and all browsers based on the Chromium engine

The method is suitable for browsers CoolNovo, RockMelt, Rambler Nichrome, Yandex.Browser, [email protected], as well as for Opera above version 15.

In order to change the cache storage path, you need to slightly edit the shortcut from which you launch your Chrome.
To do this, right-click on the shortcut and click “Properties”. In the “Object” cell you need to add the following:

Disk-cache-dir="path"

After .exe and after a space!

In return<путь>write the desired address, it should look something like this:

By default, the cache is stored in the following folder:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Cache\

It must be removed manually. This method will only work when launched from the shortcut in which you added this parameter.

Mozilla Firefox

In order to change cache locations in Firefox, you need to go to hidden settings browser. To do this, enter the following into the Firefox address bar:

About:config

press Enter; If the window displays, then we agree to “void the warranty.”

Right-click on the “setting name” and select New > String from the drop-down menu

1) Enter a parameter to change the path of the main cache folder:

Browser.cache.disk.parent_directory

and enter the value desired folder, for example: D:\cache\Firefox\

2) Enter a parameter to change the path of the Firefox offline cache:

Browser.cache.offline.parent_directory

And we specify the same path as in the first parameter.

Firefox will create a Cache folder in this folder and store cached files in it. The folder with the old cache must be deleted manually. In Windows 7, by default it is located:

C:\Users\<имя_пользователя>\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\*****.default\

Opera

Following the example of Firefox, we need to go into the deep settings of the browser. To do this, also type in the address bar:

In the list that opens we look for:

And there we choose:

The default is the path to the cache.

Such situations arise when system disk Either the partition does not have enough space, or the cache needs to be placed on a faster disk. Can. And it’s easy. How to implement it is described in the article.

The fact is that in the standard interface through which browsers are configured there are no such options for changing the cache directory. And in Mozilla Firefox and Opera has settings editors in which you can set the necessary values.

How to change the cache storage folder in Firefox.

Type in the address bar of the browser about:config . We see a lot of incomprehensible lines. This is your browser configuration. By the way, if you open the configurator for the first time, you will receive warnings that thoughtlessly changing any important settings can lead to browser failure. But don’t be alarmed, answer all questions in the affirmative. We are not going to thoughtlessly change something that does not need to be touched :) At the top of the configurator there is a search bar for settings (filter). We enter the following into it:

Most likely the configurator will not find anything and will show a blank page. This means that you do not have such settings. Therefore, you need to create this parameter. Click right click mouse in blank page, select “create” (new)> “string parameter” (string). A window will open in which you need to enter the name of the option. There we enter what we were trying to find - browser.cache.disk.parent_directory.

Then a new window will open in which you need to set the parameter value. This will be our path to the desired new cache location. Eg. Only the path must be entered not in the traditional format, but through a double backslash (\\). That is, if we want our cache to be located in D:\files\cache_FF, then you need to enter D:\\files\\cache_FF .

In Linux, by the way, the path is specified in the usual format, for example /home/user/cache_ff. (The double slash in Windows is due to the fact that the backslash character must be escaped according to Unix standards, but this is not important to us as users). We restart the browser, go to the designated location, and observe that Firefox has already created a folder for its cache and put the files there. If we suddenly want to change the location of the cache again, then we no longer need to create a new parameter, we simply find the one that we have already created, and in context menu use the “modify” item.

How to change cache storage location in Opera

The principle is similar, the difference is in the details. In addition, there is a difference that in Opera it is possible to set a separate place for storing typed addresses - opcache.