Cleaning Temporary Internet Files folder in Microsoft Windows The Temporary Internet Files folder on Microsoft Windows computer systems contains files - such as images, HTML pages, executable and script files - that Internet Explorer has downloaded from websites visited by the user. Sometimes the F-Secure product may detect viruses and adware inside the folder.
This article explains what you can do if malware is found in the Temporary Internet Files folder.
Location of the Temporary Internet Files folder
Windows 7
- C:\Users\<user_name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5
- C:\Users\<user_name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Low\Content.IE5
Windows 8, 8.1 and 10
- C:\Users\<user_name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache
Note: These files are hidden system files. To be able to access these files, you need to make changes to the folder options.
Deleting files from the Temporary Internet Files folder
If the Temporary Internet Files folder contains malware, we recommend that you delete all the files in the folder. Because the files are only cached copies, no actual data is lost.
To delete the files in Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10:
- Select Start > Control Panel > Internet Options. The Internet Properties dialog opens.
- On the General tab, under Browsing history, select the Delete... button. The Delete Browsing History dialog opens.
- Select the Temporary Internet files and website files checkbox and click Delete to delete all copies of web pages, images and media that have been saved for faster viewing.
