.. _a_locations:

**************
File Locations
**************

.. _QStandardPaths: https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qstandardpaths.html

novelWriter will create a few files on your system outside of the application folder itself. These
file locations are described in this document.


.. _a_locations_conf:

Configuration
=============

The general configuration of novelWriter, including everything that is in :guilabel:`Preferences`,
is saved in one central configuration file. The location of this file depends on your operating
system. The system paths are provided by the Qt QStandardPaths_ class and its ConfigLocation value.

The standard paths are:

* Linux: ``~/.config/novelwriter/novelwriter.conf``
* macOS: ``~/Library/Preferences/novelwriter/novelwriter.conf``
* Windows: ``C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\novelwriter\novelwriter.conf``
   
Here, ``~`` corresponds to the user's home directory on Linux and macOS, and ``<USER>`` is the
user's username on Windows.

.. note::
   These are the standard operating system defined locations. If your system has been set up in a
   different way, these locations may also be different.


.. _a_locations_data:

Application Data
================

novelWriter also stores a bit of data that is generated by the user's actions. This includes the
list of recent projects form the :guilabel:`Open Project` dialog. Custom themes are also saved
here. The system paths are provided by the Qt QStandardPaths_ class and its AppDataLocation value
on Qt 5.4 or greater, or DataLocation for earlier versions.

The standard paths are:

* Linux: ``~/.local/share/novelwriter/``
* macOS: ``~/Library/Application Support/novelwriter/``
* Windows: ``C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Roaming\novelwriter\``
   
Here, ``~`` corresponds to the user's home directory on Linux and macOS, and ``<USER>`` is the
user's username on Windows.

.. note::
   These are the standard operating system defined locations. If your system has been set up in a
   different way, these locations may also be different.
