To regain some storage space on your PC, you may be tempted to delete these strange files with the extension .cab, which are often very large. It’s possible, but be careful: they are not all good to throw away!
While rummaging through the storage space of your PC to do some cleaning, you have probably come across one or more files with the .cab extension. Their icon in the form of a metal filing cabinet with an open drawer revealing several files already gives a clue as to their nature. Cab files – for Windows Cabinet – are actually compressed files. Archives, like Zip or Rar files, for example, which can contain one or more folders. Moreover, these files can be decompressed directly with a double-click in Windows or using a utility such as 7-Zip or WinRAR.
Cab files generally come from software installations, system elements (Windows) or even drivers. They contain data used during installation. And they often end up in the Windows temporary items folder (Temp) where they can accumulate and take up a lot of space (sometimes several gigabytes). A Cab file can accommodate up to 65535 folders which can themselves contain up to 65536 files… each! It is also possible to come across Cab files somewhere other than the Windows Temp folder. Many can also be found in C:WindowsSystem32. It is possible to safely delete some Cab files. But not all ! Here’s how.
Which Cab files should be left in place?
Cab files contain data sometimes still used by Windows or some software. Not all are good to throw away.
► The Cab files present in the folder c:WindowsSystem32 must remain in place. They contain items that Windows continues to access. For example, they can be used by the system to repair a corrupt file. So be careful not to delete them at the risk of disrupting the operation of the system or even blocking it.
► The Cab files present in the folder Microsoft Office must also remain in place. They were generated during the installation of Microsoft’s office suite and continue to be used. Don’t delete them.
► Cab files present in application folders are also useful for them. Do not delete them at the risk of rendering the program unusable.
Which Cab Files Can You Delete Safely?
However, many Cab files can end up in the trash. If you want to regain some space on your hard drive or SSD, you can part with it without fear.
► The Cab files present in the folder C:WindowsTemp may contain lots of Cab files resulting from the installation of applications or programs. If no installation or update is in progress, you can safely delete these files by simply placing them in the Windows Trash.