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+.. _docs_technical_locations:
+
+**************
+File Locations
+**************
+
+.. _QStandardPaths: https://doc.qt.io/qt-6/qstandardpaths.html
+
+novelWriter will create a few files on your system outside of the application folder itself. These
+file locations are described in this chapter.
+
+
+.. _docs_technical_locations_conf:
+
+Configuration
+=============
+
+The general configuration of novelWriter, including everything that is in **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.
+
+
+.. _docs_technical_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 **Welcome** dialog. Custom themes should also be saved here. The
+system paths are provided by the Qt QStandardPaths_ class and its ``AppDataLocation`` value.
+
+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.
+
+The Application Data location also holds several folders:
+
+``cache``
+   This folder is used to save the preview data for the **Manuscript Build** tool.
+
+``icons``, ``syntax`` and ``themes``
+   These folders are empty by default, but this is where the user can store custom theme files.
+   See :ref:`docs_more_custom` for more details.