Where Is the Eclipse Workspace Folder?
Eclipse workspace folder and .metadata settings on Windows, macOS and Linux, plus choosing it at startup.
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Eclipse groups projects into a workspace folder, defaulting to eclipse-workspace in home. The .metadata folder inside holds IDE settings, launch configs and plugin state.
Settings are per workspace, not global. A fresh workspace means default preferences until reconfigured or copied.
Where Eclipse stores this, by platform
%USERPROFILE%\eclipse-workspace
Default workspace root. Projects plus .metadata live here. Override at startup or via File > Switch Workspace. Copy with Eclipse closed.
~/eclipse-workspace
Same default name under home. Same .metadata logic.
~/eclipse-workspace
Same default. Import projects into fresh workspaces when migrating across Eclipse versions.
Frequently asked questions
How do I move Eclipse projects to a new machine?
Copy the workspace folder, or import projects into a fresh one. Old .metadata sometimes carries incompatible plugin state, so a clean workspace with imported projects is the safer migration.
How do I change the Eclipse workspace?
Start Eclipse with -data and the new path, or switch via File > Switch Workspace. The .metadata folder follows the workspace, keeping settings per workspace rather than global.
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