Inquiry regarding leftover metadata and images for deleted media files

[agodng 1]

Hi Emby Support Team,

I am writing to ask for clarification on how Emby handles leftover metadata and image files after media content is deleted. I recently became an Emby Premiere user, and I am trying to optimize my server setup.

When I delete a movie or an audio album from my server and trigger a library scan, the item correctly disappears from my library dashboard. However, I noticed that the metadata and artwork previously downloaded from TheMovieDB and MusicBrainz remain stored inside the server folders.

I read that the system cache automatically clears after 30 days. However, I would like to know what happens to these specific orphaned files that no longer match any active media on the server. Do they accumulate indefinitely, or is there an automatic cleanup process that matches them against the current database?

My goal is to keep my server storage as clean and optimized as possible.
Thank you for assistance.

Best regards,

Agostino