Safe to clear out/delete the contents of the temp directory inside the data folder?

Hi Codee,

Yes, the temp directory is intended for files that could be deleted at any time, so it should generally be safe to clear it out (except for the ".htaccess" and "index.html" files; these are important for security). It is possible that custom code could be using it for more "permanent" storage, but it would be irregular. As an extra precaution, you could skip deleting any recently created files which would reduce the chances of deleting something that's still in use.

Thanks,

Daniel,

thank you.  One clarification on what you wrote: If "I" did not create the usage, and I am not running any customized plugins (but only using standard plugins from IT site), then it's safe to delete? Or is there something the core CMSB code (recent version 3.57) might be using the temp directory for?

Hi Codee,

Without examining the site directly it's difficult to say that the files are 100% safe to delete, but I can say that I've never come across an issue caused by someone clearing their temp folder. The most common use for this folder is to temporarily store files as they're being uploaded or created, however, sometimes the "cleanup" process is interrupted or prevented for some reason, and the temporary file is not deleted automatically.

Can you tell me a few example filenames that are in your temp folder? If they end in ".tmp" then they are genuine temp files and can be deleted.

Thanks,