Where should application scratch and cache files live with Suite?

Let shared media and local working data do their jobs

Suite makes shared source files available through a familiar drive while applications create their own scratch files, media caches and outputs. Plan those locations deliberately to support responsive work and useful handoffs. Separate the Suite client cache, one-workstation temporary data, shared generated media and retained deliverables using the application’s current guidance.

Start with the application's current configuration and Suite's relevant optimization guide. The useful question is who needs each generated file, how it is recreated and what happens if its location changes.

Classify the files the application creates

Use three practical categories: local working data for one workstation, shared generated media that another operator needs, and deliverables that must be retained. Record the path, creating application, expected size and owner for each category.

Do not classify a file as disposable solely because its folder is named cache or temp. Confirm the application's behavior and the team's retention needs before cleanup. A render that another editor relies on may be part of a handoff even if the originating operator could regenerate it.

Use application-specific placement rules

Suite's Premiere guide recommends a local SSD for Media Cache Files. It treats Scratch Disks separately and discusses shared scratch locations when render files need to be shared. Follow the relevant workflow rather than moving both categories together by habit.

Suite's Resolve guide places cache files and gallery stills on a local SSD. It also distinguishes Render Cache from Render in Place, which creates an actual media file that can be shared. That difference affects both capacity and handoff planning.

Those examples are application-specific. Confirm settings for your version and task; do not turn one application's recommendation into a universal rule for all creative tools.

Give each location a capacity and handoff owner

Record what can grow during a busy session, what must be available at the next workstation and who can approve moving or removing it. Budget for output alongside source-media access. A workstation can run short of local space even when the source library is remote.

For a shared generated file, use the same completion and recipient checks as other deliverables. For local working data, document whether another workstation regenerates it and how that preparation affects the schedule. Do not count regeneration as zero-cost simply because the source media is accessible.

Verify with a small project lifecycle

Open a sample, perform the relevant edit or render, close it and reopen it from the intended next environment. Inspect where new files appeared and whether the application depended on a path that only exists on the first workstation.

Update the location map with those observations before expanding the workflow. Record the results for your application and cache layout. A clear map keeps Suite's file access, application workspace and shared deliverables understandable as separate responsibilities.