10 Steps To Reset the Temporary Internet Files Location to Default?

Windows operating system has a lot of complex programs and programming built into it. These programmings decide how an action or program should respond and how its processing and results will be executed. For example, when you download a file, it gets downloaded to a pre-defined location in your system, unless you wish to change it manually. While Windows offers the option to make changes as per your requirements, sometimes some of the changes occur due to different reasons such as technical faults, virus and malware intrusion, applications downloaded from an unreliable source, etc.

One such error that users generally face in their Windows system is the change in the location of internet files. If you ever face this issue on your computer, you can overcome this problem by following the information provided in this guide below. The below mentioned information will help you overcome the problem by helping you learn to reset the temporary internet files location to default.

Guide to Reset the Temporary Internet Files Location to Default

The issue with the change in the location of Temporary Internet Files is generally denoted by a Yellow caution icon on the system. If you are seeing a Yellow caution icon on your Windows computer, you will need to run the Troubleshooting process to identify the problem. If the troubleshooting process results in the message that reads “Temporary Internet files location has changed”, you can reset the location of the temporary internet files to default by following the steps provided below.

1. A web browser such as Internet Explorer saves a part of data in the pre-defined temporary files folder to enhance the browsing experience. BY default, the address of this location is –

“C:\Users\user\name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache”

2. In the above-mentioned location, you will find the cached internet pages, downloaded images, videos, audios, and other multimedia saved by Internet Explorer. These cached internet pages allow you to load web pages at lightning-fast speeds.

Well, what’s a bit concerning about Internet Explorer’s temporary files location is that if the location of the temporary file is ever changed, then even if you uninstall the Internet Explorer browser, it won’t help you undo the change.

3. In such a case, the best way to reset the temporary internet files location to default is to consider editing some two registry keys and restart your computer. You will just need to remember that the default location would be –

“C:\Users\user\name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache”

4. To begin with, you will first need to press Windows Key + R key on your keyboard. Doing so will open the Run dialog box on your computer screen.
5. Once the Run dialog box opens on your screen, you will need to enter “Regedit” in the provided field and press the OK As you will press the “OK” button, it will open the Windows registry editing window on your computer screen.
6. Once you are on the registry editing window, you will need to edit the relevant registry keys. For this, you will need to go to the following location –

HKEY_USERS.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows|CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

7. Once you are on the location, you will need to double-click on the highlighted Cache key and enter the address of the original default location –

• %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local|Microsoft\Windows|INetCache

8. Then, you will need to click on the OK button to move with the editing. Here, you will need to modify the last key. For this, you will need to open the following key:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

9. After that, you will again need to go to the Cache key and check whether it was moved automatically to the right location or not. You will need to repeat the previous steps if it wasn’t moved automatically. So, you will need to double click the cache and enter the default location which is – %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local|Microsoft\Windows|INetCache. Then, you will need to confirm your action by pressing the OK
10. After pressing the OK button, you will restart your computer and log in. Once your computer restarts, you will need to open the Internet Explorer browser on your computer to check whether or not the temporary internet files location has been configured to back to the default location.

Steps to Check whether the Default Location Was Restarted

Once you have followed the above-mentioned instructions, you would want to make sure that the default location of your Temporary internet file was restored. For this, you will need to follow the step-by-step instructions provided below.

1. On your computer, you will need to open the Internet Explorer web browser.
2. Once you have opened the Internet Explorer web browser on your computer, you will need to click on the Tools This will open the drop-down menu on your screen.
3. From the drop-down menu that appears on your screen, you will need to click on the Internet Options. You will be directed to the Internet Options section on your computer.
4. In the Internet Options section, you will need to click on the General tab. This will take you to the General section of your Internet Explorer browser.
5. In the General section, you will need to click on the Settings Doing so will take you to the settings section of your Internet Explorer web browser.
6. In the Settings section window, you will need to check the Current location field and see whether the field is showing the following location or not:

C:\User\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache

NOTE: If the current location section of the Website Data Settings window doesn’t show the above-mentioned location in the field, you will need to check the steps you followed earlier and see if you missed or incorrectly followed any of the given instructions.

So, these are the step-by-step instructions you will need to follow to reset the default location of temporary internet files in your Internet Explorer web browser of your Windows computer. In most of the cases, you will be easily able to fix the issue in your Internet Explorer web browser.