Offline Cache Management
QBZ provides an in-app manager for the offline track cache. Use it to see what's downloaded, free up space, and re-download specific items.
Note — QBZ is a media player, not a stream-rip tool. Cached tracks are stored as encrypted CMAF bundles, the same way official Qobuz clients (mobile and desktop) handle their offline cache. The cache is a temporary playback aid bound to your active subscription — it isn't a way to extract FLAC files for redistribution. If your subscription becomes invalid, the app removes cached content after 30 days, again matching the policy of the official clients.
Settings > Offline > Manage offline cache → Open manager.
The view has three parts:
- A stats bar at the top: total track count and size against your limit, a usage bar (it turns red at 100%), an inline limit field, an Open folder button, and a Clear all button.
- A toolbar: a sort dropdown, a Failed only filter, the multi-select actions, and a select-all / clear toggle.
- A two-pane body: a left artist rail and a right scrolling list of album-header rows and track rows.
The left rail lists All artists first, then every artist with at least one cached track, each with its track count. Selecting one filters the right pane to that artist; All artists shows everything.
The manager enforces a configurable cache size limit to prevent runaway disk use. The current usage and limit are shown in the stats bar, with a usage bar that fills as the cache grows and turns red once you hit the cap.
- Editing: type a new value into the GB number field in the stats bar and press Enter or click the check button. There is no separate modal.
- Default: 5 GB on first launch.
- Minimum: 1 GB. (Hi-res FLACs at 24-bit/192 kHz routinely run 60–100 MB each, so very small caps fill up fast.)
- Maximum: open-ended. Set whatever your disk can comfortably afford.
- Persistence: the value is saved per user in the offline-settings DB and survives app restarts.
- Enforcement: when the cache is at or over the limit, new downloads are rejected up front with an informative message until you free space or raise the cap.
The right pane is a flat list of album-header rows (cover, title, subtitle, total) and the track rows beneath each. Both kinds carry inline icon buttons on the right, plus a status glyph:
- Re-download (circular-arrows icon) — on an album row, re-fetches every already-cached track of that album; on a track row, just that track. Tracks already downloading are skipped so work in flight isn't cancelled. This never pulls tracks you didn't mark offline; it only refreshes what's already cached.
- Remove (trash icon) — deletes the cached album or track and frees its bytes.
- Status glyph — a cloud-download / spinning loader / green check / amber warning triangle reflecting the row's state (idle, downloading, ready, failed).
There are no per-row overflow (⋯) menus — the actions are the two visible icons.
Each track row has a checkbox. Tick one or more and a "N selected" readout appears in the toolbar with bulk Re-download and Remove buttons. The right-most toolbar button toggles between Select all and Clear (the selection).
The sort dropdown reorders the list:
- Sort: A-Z — alphabetical.
- Sort: Recent — most recently cached first.
- Sort: Largest / Sort: Smallest — by size, useful when you're cleaning out space.
The artist rail itself is always alphabetical.
If "Make available offline" partially fails for a playlist or album, the failed tracks show the amber warning triangle as their status glyph. Flip the Failed only toggle in the toolbar to collapse the list to just those rows, then re-download them individually or as a bulk selection.
Two buttons live in the stats bar:
- Open folder — opens the on-disk cache folder in your file manager. The contents are encrypted CMAF segment bundles, not movable audio files.
- Clear all — deletes every cached track in one go, after confirmation. Use it to start fresh or reclaim disk space without picking through the list. (This is distinct from Settings > Offline > Clear cache, which purges the transient playback cache and keeps your downloaded albums.)
Cached content uses the same encryption as the official Qobuz clients and is decrypted only inside QBZ at playback time. There is no "export to FLAC" affordance. QBZ exists to fill the gap of a missing native Qobuz client on Linux, not to extract content — it is not a stream-ripper, and the cache is bound to your active Qobuz subscription on this device.
If you want offline files you can move between devices, Settings > Appearance > Show Purchases enables the Purchases module. From there you can download albums and tracks you have already purchased on Qobuz, DRM-free.
QBZ does not process payments, allow purchases through the app, or bypass regional content restrictions. Buy on Qobuz's official channels (web or store) first, then come back here to download what you own.
The manager also does not queue new downloads. To mark new content as offline, use Make available offline from any album, playlist, or track view in the main app.
- Offline Playback — parent page: the Settings panel, the status row, and the quick controls (Cache folder, Clear cache).
- Offline Mode — the connectivity-loss path and the L1/L2 playback cache that's distinct from this manual offline cache.
- Audio Configuration — bit-perfect, DAC passthrough, and the audio backends that decide how cached audio reaches your hardware.