Where Does FreeCAD Store Config?
FreeCAD user and system configs plus macros on every OS, and why versions must not share one.
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FreeCAD keeps preferences in user.cfg with system settings in system.cfg: %APPDATA%\FreeCAD on Windows, ~/.config/FreeCAD on Linux, ~/Library/Preferences/FreeCAD on Mac. Macros and Addon Manager workbenches live in Macro/ and Mod/ under the data home per OS.
Never share one user.cfg between 0.21 and 1.x: it corrupts settings across versions. Copy and rename per version (user-0.21.cfg) and launch with -u and -s flags pointing at each. Resolve custom macro dirs with App.getUserMacroDir, and pre 0.19 Linux installs used ~/.FreeCAD for everything.
Where FreeCAD stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\FreeCAD\user.cfg
Preferences and workbench params (written on close or via Save to disk). system.cfg beside it (override with -s). Macros in %APPDATA%\FreeCAD\Macro, addon workbenches in Mod/.
~/.config/FreeCAD/user.cfg
Same role plus FreeCAD.conf for Qt settings. Data in ~/.local/share/FreeCAD (Mod/, Macro/), cache in ~/.cache/FreeCAD. Pre 0.19 used ~/.FreeCAD. Portable via FREECAD_USER_HOME, -u, -s.
~/Library/Preferences/FreeCAD/user.cfg
Same config role. Newer builds put Mod/ and Macro/ under ~/Library/Application Support/FreeCAD; 0.20 and earlier kept them in Preferences. Check both when migrating.
Frequently asked questions
Can FreeCAD 0.21 and 1.x share settings?
No. One user.cfg across those versions causes conflicts. Keep versioned copies and launch each with explicit -u and -s flags so they never touch each other's files.
Where do FreeCAD macros and addons live?
Macro/ and Mod/ under the per OS data home (Roaming FreeCAD on Windows, ~/.local/share/FreeCAD on Linux, Application Support on newer Mac). The macro dir is configurable in Preferences, Python.
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