Where Does Geary Store Mail on Linux?
Where Geary keeps its SQLite mail database and accounts on Linux, and what rebuilding it costs.
Last updated
Geary caches mail locally in SQLite under ~/.local/share/geary, with config and cache in the usual XDG spots. Passwords live separately in GNOME Keyring, not in these folders.
That split explains most fixes. Login trouble points at Keyring; missing bodies point at the database. Rebuilding the database is the standard cure for phantom messages, at the cost of a long re-download.
Where Geary stores this, by platform
~/.local/share/geary
SQLite mail cache and accounts (one subfolder per address). Config in ~/.config/geary, temp cache in ~/.cache/geary. Passwords are in GNOME Keyring, not here.
Frequently asked questions
How do I fix a corrupt Geary database?
Quit Geary, delete the database files under ~/.local/share/geary, and relaunch. Geary re-downloads from IMAP, so server mail returns but local-only state like unsynced drafts may not. Passwords stay in GNOME Keyring.
Is local mail the only copy?
No. Geary caches IMAP locally in SQLite for search and offline reading; the server stays canonical. Deleting the local copy forces a full re-sync, which is slow on huge mailboxes but otherwise harmless.
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