How to Clean DaVinci Resolve Gallery Stills & Temporary Color Grade Caches
Location & Quick Verdict
%UserProfile%\Videos\.gallery
DaVinci Resolve stores full-resolution DPX/TIFF stills and grading reference buffers in hidden .gallery directories.
How Windows Manages DaVinci Resolve Gallery Stills & Temporary Color Grade Caches on NTFS & NVMe Drives
Windows 10 and Windows 11 maintain hidden system directories and root-level allocation files at %UserProfile%\Videos\.gallery to handle shell thumbnail databases, prefetcher launch traces, hibernation power states, and user-profile scratch storage. Because many of these paths are marked with +H (Hidden) or +S (System) attributes or guarded by SYSTEM ACL permissions, standard folder size scans often miss them entirely.
Over time, orphaned temporary files, stale Explorer DataCache_* buckets, and uncompacted virtual storage allocations inside %UserProfile%\Videos\.gallery lock up 2.5 GB – 15.0 GB of primary C: drive space. Cleaning DaVinci Resolve Gallery Stills & Temporary Color Grade Caches using the proper administrative method restores drive headroom safely.
# Inspect current disk footprint of DaVinci Resolve Gallery Stills & Temporary Color Grade Caches (Read-Only)
$target = "$env:USERPROFILE\Videos\.gallery"
Get-ChildItem -Path $target -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
Measure-Object -Property Length -Sum |
Select-Object Count, @{Name="SizeGB";Expression={[math]::Round($_.Sum / 1GB, 2)}}
Manual Cleaning Instructions
- 1 Open your DaVinci Resolve Project Settings > Master Settings.
- 2 Check Working Folders > Gallery Stills Location and purge unused gallery stills.
Note: If Windows alerts that a file is in use or locked by a background process, close the associated task in Task Manager before deleting, or use SWEEPR Cleaner to release locked handles safely.
Sub-Folders & Cache Locations Breakdown for DaVinci Resolve Gallery Stills & Temporary Color Grade Caches
Modern Windows applications and system services split their disk footprint across multiple sub-directories (`Cache_Data`, `Service Worker\CacheStorage`, `Code Cache`, `GPUCache`, and `Crashpad\reports`). Review which sub-folders inside DaVinci Resolve Gallery Stills & Temporary Color Grade Caches are safe to purge and which files remain protected:
| Sub-Folder / Cache Location | Storage Role | Typical Footprint | Deletion Safety |
|---|---|---|---|
| %UserProfile%\Videos\.gallery | Primary System Scratch, Thumbnail/Icon DB or Virtual Allocation | 2.5 GB – 15.0 GB | 🟢 100% Safe (Unlocked Files) |
| %LocalAppData%\Temp & C:\Windows\Temp | Orphaned Installer Extraction & Session Scratch Files | 1.5 GB – 18.0 GB | 🟢 100% Safe |
| %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer (thumbcache_*.db) | Cached File Explorer Image & Video Thumbnail Databases | 250 MB – 3.0 GB | 🟢 100% Safe (Rebuilds Automatically) |
| User Documents, Desktop & Registry Hives | Personal Files, Boot Configuration & System Certificates | Protected | 🔒 Protected — Never Touched |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to delete DaVinci Resolve Gallery Stills & Temporary Color Grade Caches?
Yes, 100% safe. Reclaims gigabytes of disk space while keeping your project timelines and timelines color metadata safe.
How much storage space will cleaning DaVinci Resolve Gallery Stills & Temporary Color Grade Caches free up?
Users typically reclaim 2.5 GB – 15.0 GB on Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems depending on update frequency and active cache retention in %UserProfile%\Videos\.gallery.
Why does Windows say some files in DaVinci Resolve Gallery Stills & Temporary Color Grade Caches are "In Use" when I try to delete them?
Active background processes (such as explorer.exe, svchost.exe, or running desktop apps) hold open file handles to current session scratch files. Skipping locked files—or letting SWEEPR Cleaner clean unlocked items automatically—is normal and completely safe.
Where is DaVinci Resolve Gallery Stills & Temporary Color Grade Caches located on Windows 10 and Windows 11?
It is stored at %UserProfile%\Videos\.gallery. You can paste that path directly into the Windows Run dialog (Win + R) or File Explorer address bar to inspect it.
Manual File Explorer vs. 1-Click SWEEPR Cleanup
| Feature | Manual Deletion | SWEEPR Cleaner |
|---|---|---|
| Locked File Handling | Fails on locked processes | Safe background release |
| Accidental Deletion Risk | Moderate (easy to delete wrong folder) | Zero (strict rules & hashes) |
| Safety Undo Rollback | None (Shift+Del is permanent) | 7-Day Automatic Rollback |
| Time Required | 10–20 minutes per app | < 60 seconds across 40+ areas |
Related Windows Cleanup Guides & Hidden Space Hogs
Clean DaVinci Resolve Gallery Stills & Temporary Color Grade Caches Automatically
SWEEPR Cleaner safely clears DaVinci Resolve Gallery Stills & Temporary Color Grade Caches along with 40+ other hidden app folders and leftover files in one click—covering up to 5 devices (Windows, Mac, Android & iOS) with a 7-day undo safety net.