How do I rebuild Genshin Impact shaders without deleting saves or settings?

After changing GPU drivers, Genshin Impact now freezes or closes while loading. A full reinstall feels excessive.

Which caches can be cleared safely, what should be left alone, and how long should the first launch be allowed to compile around launcher repair, borderless display, controller detection, and asset verification?

Use a narrow shader-cache recovery:

1. Exit Genshin Impact and the launcher completely.
2. Use Windows Settings → System → Storage → Temporary files → DirectX Shader Cache. Do not delete save folders or random folders inside the game directory.
3. Reboot after a GPU driver update.
4. Verify the game files in Steam, EA app, Battle.net, Epic, or the game launcher.
5. Start the game with overlays and overclocking tools disabled.
6. Leave the first launch alone while shaders rebuild. It can stutter more than normal at first.

For Genshin Impact, watch launcher repair, borderless display, controller detection, and asset verification. If the crash happens at the exact same percentage every time, verify files and test a clean GPU driver install before repeating cache clears.

Do not keep clearing the cache after every launch. A fresh cache can make the next run worse until compilation finishes. If Genshin Impact crashes only with an overlay or overclock active, the cache was probably not the root cause.