What is .gradle folder used for?

Question

I have a simple question: what is "C:\Users\\%USERNAME%\\.gradle" folder used for? I need to know whether it's safe to remove the folder without any unwanted consequences, I'd also like to know what information is stored in this folder.

Answer 1

You may have Gradle installed because of Android Studio

Answer 2

From Gradle Docs:

The Gradle user home directory ($USER_HOME/.gradle by default) is used to store global configuration properties and initialization scripts as well as caches and log files

If you don't use Gradle for development, then there is probably something else on your system that does. I wouldn't recommend deleting it, but feel free to check it out yourself. Here's what it should look like: directory structure.

If you are unsure of whether you are using Gradle inadvertently, which I think is more likely than something else using it completely by itself, I suggest checking out the tools you are using to develop (If you are developing Java, this is a common tool).