How to plan a Suite cache for media projects

Give active projects a responsive local workspace

Suite combines a shared cloud library with a local working cache, so each workstation can focus on the media its applications need. Plan that cache around the active project and usable SSD space to support repeated access and smooth transitions between tasks. The library can be much larger than the local working set; reserve enough capacity for the work you want close at hand.

Suite recommends an internal or external SSD. Its cache guide recommends APFS on Mac, NTFS on Windows, and Ext3/4 or later on Linux, and advises against exFAT. These are cache-drive recommendations; they do not describe the object format stored by S3 Native in your cloud bucket.

Separate the library from the working set

List the project or media needed for the next work session. Include associated assets that the application will open, rather than sizing the cache around one visible source file alone. Then compare that working set with usable SSD space and the other work the host must support.

Suite’s documented default cache allocation is 250 GB. The cache guide recommends allocating at least the size of the active project or media when space allows. Treat that as a starting recommendation, not a guarantee of performance or a reason to consume storage required by the operating system and other applications.

Set the location and allocation deliberately

In Suite, open Cache Settings. Use Change Location to select the intended SSD location. Use Adjust Size to set the allocation in gigabytes and apply the change. Confirm the displayed path and size afterward, especially when several removable drives have similar names.

The official guide advises that the cache drive should not be named Suite. If an external SSD is part of the workflow, make reconnecting it a visible part of the workstation checklist. The guide describes a five-minute reconnection window after relaunch before Suite falls back to a default local cache location.

Avoid formatting or reallocating an existing drive casually. Those are changes to the user’s working environment and may affect other data. Have the responsible owner approve the intended disk and any destructive preparation.

Pre-cache selected work when it helps

Suite’s pre-cache workflow lets you choose files or folders in advance. Open Cache Settings, check the location and allocation, then use Add to Cache to select the relevant paths. The selected paths appear in the pre-cache list. Suite documents that pre-cached folders update as their contents change.

Choose a useful working set and verify it before the session. Selecting the entire drive is a different commitment from selecting one project: it can require substantially more local space and transfer work. The appropriate choice depends on your actual workload.

Pre-caching does not make Suite an offline filesystem. Suite’s knowledge base states that an internet connection is required, even when file data has been cached.

Test the setup and revisit it

Open a representative project, perform the operations that matter, and record whether the cache is supporting the work. Compare the first access and repeated access separately. If the project grows or the host changes, revisit the allocation and location instead of assuming the old configuration still fits.

Do not make cache clearing a daily performance ritual. It removes data that might be useful on the next read. Resolve a specific problem with the relevant guidance and preserve ongoing work.

Official setup references

• Setting your cache location and size

• Pre-caching files and folders

• Can I use Suite offline?

• Suite performance basics

Sources checked September 28, 2026. This article explains published guidance; it does not report a measured performance result.