Where Does Blender Store Config and Add-Ons?
Blender keeps one config folder per version number, holding preferences, presets, and every installed add-on. Paths for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Last updated
Blender keeps one config folder per version number, so 4.2 and 5.0 each get their own copy of your preferences, add-ons, and presets. That separation is deliberate. Upgrading starts you fresh instead of loading add-ons written for an older Python.
The folder may not exist right after you install. Blender writes it the first time it saves something, usually when you press Save Preferences in the Preferences window or install an add-on. Inside, config holds userpref.blend, scripts\addons holds add-ons you installed as files, and the extensions folder covers anything added through the Extensions tab since 4.2.
Where Blender stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\Blender Foundation\Blender\<version>
Example: %APPDATA%\Blender Foundation\Blender\4.2, with userpref.blend in the config subfolder. Add-ons installed as files go to scripts\addons, and downloads from the Extensions platform go to extensions. Each version number gets its own folder, so settings do not carry over when you upgrade.
~/Library/Application Support/Blender/<version>
Same internal layout as Windows: config for preferences, scripts/addons for add-ons, presets for saved presets. The folder appears only once Blender writes to it, so an installed but never-used version may show nothing.
~/.config/blender/<version>
Standard XDG config location, one subfolder per Blender version. If you run an unpacked portable build with a Portable folder next to the Blender executable, config and scripts are kept next to the program instead of here.
Frequently asked questions
where are blender add-ons installed
In the version folder: scripts/addons for add-ons installed from a file, and extensions for anything added through the Extensions tab since 4.2. Edit > Preferences > Add-ons shows what is enabled, and each Blender version has its own copies, so an add-on does not follow you across an upgrade.
how do i copy blender settings to another computer
Copy the whole version folder, for example Blender Foundation\Blender\4.2. It holds your preferences, add-ons, and presets in one tree. Copying only userpref.blend is not enough, because the add-on files themselves live in other subfolders of that same directory.
why is my blender config folder missing
Blender creates it on first write, so a fresh install or a version you have never opened may have nothing on disk. Open Edit > Preferences, change something, and press Save Preferences. The version folder appears with userpref.blend inside it.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.