Where Does Excalidraw Store Scenes and Files?
Where Excalidraw keeps scenes in browser storage versus local files, and how to back them up. See the folder table below.
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Excalidraw is browser first. Scenes you never exported live in IndexedDB and localStorage under the excalidraw.com origin. Files you saved go wherever downloads land. Plus accounts sync a subset to cloud workspaces.
That split catches migrators. New browsers show empty recent lists even with the same login, when scenes were never saved as files. For keeps, export .excalidraw plus PNG per board. Desktop wrappers like Excalidraw+ store the same way with an app cache folder beside the web data. Check the in app storage readout when sizes look wrong on different releases.
Where Excalidraw stores this, by platform
%localappdata%\Excalidraw (cache, scenes as .excalidraw files)
Scenes live in browser IndexedDB per origin unless exported. Save .excalidraw files to Documents for moves. Plus cloud syncs only select workspace scenes.
~/Documents (exports, browser scenes in IndexedDB)
Same browser storage model on Mac with files in Downloads or Documents. Export scenes before switching machines. Clearing site data wipes unsaved boards.
Frequently asked questions
How do I move Excalidraw scenes to a new computer?
Export each scene to .excalidraw files plus PNG backups, then copy them to the new machine over USB or cloud. Browser scenes live in IndexedDB per origin, which does not transfer. Open the files on the new PC to restore. Link sharing is not archiving.
Are Excalidraw scenes in the cloud?
No. Excalidraw web stores scenes in browser local storage under the site origin. Local files you saved yourself live wherever you put them, often Downloads. The Plus workspace syncs select scenes to cloud when signed in. Treat exports as the backup, not the browser cache.
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