Selection of utilities

Spruce – graphical application cache cleaner

Spruce is a graphical cache-cleaning utility for Linux, built with GTK and libadwaita. It helps users identify storage occupied by application caches and discarded files, then choose which items to remove.

The interface combines a disk-usage overview with configurable cleaning options. Its general sweep presents discovered locations for selection, while dedicated controls provide direct cleanup of particular cache categories.

This is free and open source software.

Key Features

  • Scans the user’s cache directory and recognised per-application cache locations.
  • Displays discovered cleaning targets with their names, paths, and sizes.
  • Orders sweep results by size, placing larger items first to make substantial cleanup opportunities easier to identify.
  • Provides individual selection switches and a select-all control in the sweep dialogue.
  • Keeps the removal button disabled until at least one eligible item is selected.
  • Offers dedicated options for thumbnail, WebKitGTK, Fontconfig, and Mesa shader caches.
  • Includes an optional trash sweep that removes discarded files and their associated trash information.
  • Displays disk usage in a pie chart, with separate categories for cache and trash.
  • Allows users to choose whether cache and trash categories appear in the chart.
  • Saves cleaning preferences between sessions.
  • Performs general cache scanning in a background thread to keep the interface responsive.
  • Checks selected paths against permitted cleaning locations before removing them.
  • Refreshes storage information after cleaning and reports the resulting change in disk usage.

Website: github.com/shonubot/Spruce
Support:
Developer: Kavish Advani
License: GNU General Public License v3.0

Spruce in action

Spruce is written in Python. Learn Python with our recommended free books and free tutorials.


Related Software

System Cleaning Tools
CzkawkaFinds duplicate files, big files, empty files, similar images, and much more
BleachBitDelete unnecessary files from the system
SweeperHistory and temporary file cleaner for KDE 4
FlatsweepFlatpak leftover cleaner
MoonbitModern system cleaner built in Go with a TUI and CLI
uCareSystemAutomated maintenance utility
Linux CleanerMake routine Linux maintenance easier
CrunchyCleanerLightweight cache cleanup tool
BleachTerminal-based Linux maintenance utility
Ubuntu CleanerClean up your system
StacerSystem optimizer and monitoring tool
SpruceClean up application caches

Read our verdict in the software roundup.


Best Free and Open Source Software Explore our carefully curated directory of recommended free and open source software, covering every major software category.

The directory forms part of our extensive collection of articles for Linux enthusiasts. It includes hundreds of detailed reviews, together with free and open source alternatives to proprietary software from companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk.

LinuxLinks also covers interesting projects worth exploring, Linux-compatible hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more.

Know a useful free and open source Linux application that we haven’t covered? Tell us about it using our submission form.
Subscribe

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.

Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted