Where Is the GIMP Profile Folder Located?
Where GIMP 2.10 keeps brushes, plugins, scripts and settings on Windows, macOS and Linux, and how to reset a broken profile.
Last updated
GIMP keeps all of your personal data in a profile folder versioned by release, currently GIMP/2.10. Brushes, gradients, scripts, plugins, shortcuts and preferences live there. The program install folder holds none of it, which surprises people who reinstall to fix a problem.
That split is useful when something breaks. If GIMP fails to start after installing a bad plugin, rename the profile folder and restart. GIMP builds a fresh one. You can then copy your addons back in small batches to find the culprit. Check Edit > Preferences > Folders to confirm the active paths.
Where GIMP stores this, by platform
C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\GIMP\2.10
AppData is hidden. Paste %appdata%\GIMP\2.10 into the Explorer address bar to jump straight there.
~/Library/Application Support/GIMP/2.10
Some third party Mac builds used ~/Library/GIMP/2.10 instead. If the Application Support path is empty, check that older variant.
~/.config/GIMP/2.10
Follows the XDG config convention. Very old GIMP 2.8 installs used ~/.gimp-2.8 in the home folder directly.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I put downloaded GIMP brushes and plugins?
Drop brushes into the brushes subfolder and plugins into the plug-ins subfolder inside your profile, then restart GIMP. You can confirm the exact folders under Edit > Preferences > Folders.
Will reinstalling GIMP fix a startup crash?
Usually not, because a reinstall reuses the same profile. Rename the profile folder first and let GIMP recreate it. That resolves most startup failures caused by corrupt settings.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.