Where Is the CMake Cache File?
CMake per-build CMakeCache.txt and the user package registry, covering where configure choices persist.
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CMake records configure choices in CMakeCache.txt at the root of each build directory. Installed package locations register separately in a user package registry.
Cache is per build dir, not global. Wiping it re-runs detection from scratch without touching sources, which fixes most stale-toolchain pain.
Where CMake stores this, by platform
[build directory]\CMakeCache.txt
Per-build configure cache. Delete plus CMakeFiles to force clean re-detection. Never commit it; it embeds absolute local paths.
[build directory]/CMakeCache.txt
Same role. User package registry lives in ~/.cmake/packages for find_package config-mode hints.
Frequently asked questions
How do I fix a broken CMake configure?
Delete CMakeCache.txt (and CMakeFiles) in the build dir, then reconfigure. Stale cache entries are the top cause of find-package weirdness after toolchain changes.
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