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Containers — Cleanup and Rebuild Procedures

Use these steps when a user's container is very large or shows strange errors. Containers are considered "full" around 4.7 GB; larger sizes often cause odd behavior. Rebuilding or cleaning the container can resolve many issues.

Overview

  • What is a container?
    A container stores a user's personalization and profile data so the user's settings follow them across different VDI servers.
  • Impact: Clearing or rebuilding containers can remove user personalization (favorites, taskbar pins, Quick Access, etc.). Always coordinate with the user and record their settings before destructive actions.

Prerequisites / Safety

  1. Notify the user and get consent before making changes.
  2. Record personalization details:
  3. Browser favorites
  4. Taskbar and Quick Access pins
  5. Any local files the user needs
  6. Recommend the user back up critical items if possible.
  7. Prefer trying non-destructive cleanups first (temp/cache removal).

Identify Large Containers

  • Check container sizes (tools available on support systems).
  • Focus on containers > ~4.7 GB.
  1. Clear Temp folder
  2. Path: \\<session>\C$\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Temp
  3. Delete files/folders; skip items "in use".
  4. Clear Outlook/IE cache files
  5. Path: \\<session>\C$\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.Outlook\<folder>\
  6. Remove large .wbt or old cache files (keep recent month if unsure).
  7. Remove large cached browser data
  8. Check \Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\ and similar for huge files (use discretion).
  9. Inspect other large files with WinDirStat (see Tools below) and remove safely.

Application-specific Procedures

Citrix (XD) Containers

  1. Close all Citrix published apps for the user.
  2. Clear Temp / INetCache as above.
  3. If issues persist, consider rebuilding container (see Rebuild below).

Office / Outlook

  1. Check OST size:
  2. Path: \\<session>\C$\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
  3. If OST is very large and errors are OST-specific:
  4. Have user close Outlook.
  5. Delete the OST file (Outlook will re-sync on next start).
  6. Note: If you clear container without removing mail or attachments, container will refill quickly — advise user to remove large emails/attachments.
  7. After removing OST, reopen Outlook and confirm mail re-sync.

XA (Xpress Advantage / Teller Apps)

  1. Close all Citrix/XA apps.
  2. Perform Temp/Cache cleanup.
  3. If still problematic, rebuild container.

Rebuild Container (destructive — use only when needed)

  1. With the user present, record personalization (favorites, pins, etc.).
  2. Have user sign out of their session.
  3. Rename the user profile folder on the session host:
  4. Example: rename C:\Users\<user> to C:\Users\<user>_old
  5. When the user signs back in, a new container/profile will be created.
  6. Restore personalization manually for the user.
  7. Delete or archive the _old folder once confirmed working.

Automation / Regular Maintenance

  • Consider automating periodic cleanup of Content.Outlook or Temp files for all users if acceptable.
  • Monitor containers for growth and set alerts where possible.

Tools & References

OST / Mail Sync Notes

  • OST contains recent mail cache (commonly ~3 months). For users with very large mailboxes, consider adding them to one of these AD groups:
  • CTX-Outlook-Sync1Month
  • CTX-Outlook-Online (recommended for heavy mail users)

Examples of Problem Files to Check

  • Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\ProvenanceData\<...>\vti-*.quant.ort — safe to clear in tested cases.
  • Local\IMMeReceipts\Chromium\Cache\Cache_Data — can grow large.
  • Old files in INetCache\Content.Outlook\... and large .wbt files.