BigTableGroupCache - Another Adobe Garbage Dump?

[Redcrown]

I've discovered another Adobe garbage dump. On Win11, in my User/AppData/Local/Adobe/CameraRaw folder there is now a subfolder called BigTableGroupCache. Mine had 1 gigabyte in over 700 files named "Table*.*", plus seven small "Index" files. Those Index files had creation dates in October 2024, which is when Camera Raw version 17 was released.

Google says "Bigtable is a distributed, scalable NoSQL database service offered by Google Cloud", but says little about Adobe's use of BigTable.

So I closed all things Adobe and deleted everything in BigTableGroupCache. Then I launched Bridge and Photoshop, and browsed and processed a few raw files with no problem. The BigTableGroupCache was repopulated with files for the raw images I processed. Next, with Bridge and Photoshop still loaded, I deleted everything in BigTableGroupCache again. Then opened and reprocessed the same raw files, again with no problem. BigTableGroupCache was repopulated.

So, apparently the Adobe BigTableGroupCache folder serves no purpose. It just keeps logging files which don't get used again. Note this is all separate from the old Camera Raw cache, which is still there and can be cleared from within Camera Raw. There is no option with Adobe Bridge, Photoshop, or Camera Raw to clear BigTableGroupCache.

 

[BobKnDP]

Interesting.

The folder is present in my system. Creation date 6/21/2025. Size is about 1MB.

I'll keep an eye on it, but it's unexciting at the moment.

 

[Redcrown]

Thanks, definitely interesting that you have so little. Are you using current version of ACR? If so, and you process a few new raw files, does anything new show up in the BigTable folder?

 

[Redcrown]

OK, learned a little more... Turns out the BigTableGroupCache folder only gets populated by raw images with Denoise AI applied.

So, similar (and probably redundant) with the *.acr sidecar files that show up when you do Denoise AI. Those *.acr can be deleted too with no problem. But both simply get recreated whenever you re-open the raws in ACR.

I had done a lot of high ISO and thus Denoise AI work in the past few months, so that's why my BigTableGroupCache folder was so full.

 

[Zeee]

I’m using iMac and couldn’t find that folder. I don’t use ACR either. I only used it a few times to test out the new no DNG Denoise AI when it was first released. I did see XMP sidecars beside the RAW files after.

However as a maintenance routine I delete all cached folders now and then. Since doing that I have not use ACR.

Perhaps this is a bug? Maybe post this at her Adobe Community forums.

 

[BobKnDP]

Thanks, definitely interesting that you have so little. Are you using current version of ACR? If so, and you process a few new raw files, does anything new show up in the BigTable folder?

Current ACR, yes.

Processed a lot of RAWs since the folder appeared, no.

 

[RikkFlohr]

Your cross-post of the same text has been answered by Adobe Engineering at this link: https://community.adobe.com/t5/came...bigtablegroupcache-folder/m-p/15450014#M29374

 

[gscotten]

Your cross-post of the same text has been answered by Adobe Engineering at this link: https://community.adobe.com/t5/came...bigtablegroupcache-folder/m-p/15450014#M29374

Rikk, nice to have you on board!

 

[MagicCaptainMario]

Thanks, definitely interesting that you have so little. Are you using current version of ACR? If so, and you process a few new raw files, does anything new show up in the BigTable folder?

Hmmm, the folder seems to have appears in April as the oldest file in it is from April 21. I have Index_00 to _07 files and Table_00 to _07 files inside the folder totaling a bit over 515MB. Index_00, _05, and 06 were updated (touched/modified) today. Several Table_01 & _06 files were updated today. Last update was on August 2nd, but I have been using ACR daily as I've been out shooting a bit recently.

I haven't tried deleting it, with my luck some edit I did 4 months ago will disappear...but I thought I'd at least pass on some details of what I see.

 

[Zeee]

Your cross-post of the same text has been answered by Adobe Engineering at this link: https://community.adobe.com/t5/came...bigtablegroupcache-folder/m-p/15450014#M29374

Rikk, nice to have you on board!

I’m still wondering about which format, etc. Redcrown is on Windows and I’m on a Mac. I could not find that folder but I don’t use ACR. I don’t use Google either.

 

[Zeee]

Your cross-post of the same text has been answered by Adobe Engineering at this link: https://community.adobe.com/t5/came...bigtablegroupcache-folder/m-p/15450014#M29374

Rikk, nice to have you on board!

I’m still wondering about which format, etc. Redcrown is on Windows and I’m on a Mac. I could not find that folder but I don’t use ACR. I don’t use Google either.

Just to add. Library previews and edits are stored in the Lightroom folder.

Develop previews are cashed in Mac OS - User Library - Cashes - Adobe Camera RAW 2. You can edit the size of the Develop previews cache in Preferences - Performance. Pretty sure this the same for Windows in Preferences. On a Mac you can purge it in Preferences (Windows too I except) or delete that folder in the User Library. It will start to rebuild the next time you start viewing files in the Develop module.

Redcrown found this other cache which does not exist on my OS. So where do the edits that are stored in the BigTableChache go on a Mac? I'm not asking you directly. This is just an extension of the reply from Rikk.

 

[Redcrown]

This BigTableGroupCache topic is ongoing in the Adobe Forum link RikkFlohr posted. While Eric "Madman" Chan did post a comment there, I think the topic is not yet fully "answered". Others interested in this should follow that Adobe Forum thread.

And note: If you don't use ACR you won't see any BigTableGroupCache. And even if you do use ACR, you won't see anything there unless you do some of the "AI" functions, like Denoise.

 

[Zeee]

This BigTableGroupCache topic is ongoing in the Adobe Forum link RikkFlohr posted. While Eric "Madman" Chan did post a comment there, I think the topic is not yet fully "answered". Others interested in this should follow that Adobe Forum thread.

And note: If you don't use ACR you won't see any BigTableGroupCache. And even if you do use ACR, you won't see anything there unless you do some of the "AI" functions, like Denoise.

Thanks. That was what I figured. I don’t use ACR. When I was testing Denoise out did get sidecars. I will follow the link.