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How to Refresh Paints in Iracing

Find fast, practical steps for how to refresh paints in iRacing. Fix outdated skins, force a redownload, and get your updated car paint showing in minutes.

If you’re dealing with how to refresh paints in iracing, the quick fix is usually to upload a new paint version or force a local paint cache refresh and restart the sim. You’re in the right place — below are plain, tested steps to get updated skins showing quickly.

Quick Answer — how to refresh paints in iracing

If your new or updated paint won’t show, upload the paint to iRacing.com with an incremented version, then exit iRacing and force a local redownload by clearing the local paint cache (Documents\iRacing\paint) or simply restart the sim and rejoin the session.

What’s really going on

iRacing keeps paint files both on its servers and in a local cache on your PC. When you or someone else uploads a paint, iRacing uses the paint “version” to decide whether to download an update. If the version didn’t change or your local cache still has the old files, the sim keeps showing the old skin. Clearing the local cache or uploading a new version forces iRacing to fetch the updated files.

Step-by-step fix

Save a backup: copy your Documents\iRacing\paint folder to a backup location if you have custom local paints you want to keep.
Upload or increment version: on iRacing.com go to My Content → Paints and upload the updated paint, increasing the version number. That tells the server there’s a new file.
Exit iRacing fully: close the sim so it can clear file locks and download fresh files on next start.
Clear local cache (optional but reliable): delete the contents of Documents\iRacing\paint — not the whole iRacing folder. iRacing will re-download paints when it restarts.
Restart iRacing and rejoin the session: the sim will pull the latest paint versions from the server. Check in practice or the pits to confirm the new paint shows.
Quick in-session workaround: leave the session and re-enter, or change to a different car/series then back — this sometimes forces a skin update without a full restart.

Extra tips / checklist

Always increment the paint “version” when you upload; same filename + same version = no update.
Back up any custom local paint files before deleting the paint folder.
If someone else’s paint is wrong, ask them to upload the new version — you only get what the server has.
If thumbnails on the website don’t update, clear your browser cache or upload from a different browser.
Low-res or glitched paints often resolve after a restart and cache clear.

FAQs

Q: Why can’t others see my updated paint?
A: They need the new version too. Upload the paint with a higher version on iRacing.com; others may need to restart or let their client redownload.

Q: Will deleting Documents\iRacing\paint break my sim?
A: No. It forces iRacing to re-download paints. Back up first if you have local-only files.

Q: How fast do paint changes propagate?
A: Immediately once uploaded, but users must restart or let the client redownload. In practice, give it a few minutes and a client restart.

Q: My paint still looks wrong in a race — what now?
A: Leave the session and rejoin, or clear the paint cache and restart iRacing before your next event.

Short wrap-up

The fastest reliable method: upload a new version of your paint, exit iRacing, clear your local paint cache if needed, then restart. That will force the sim to fetch and display the updated skin. If problems persist, back up your files and contact iRacing support with screenshots.