Where Does Inkscape Store Preferences?
Inkscape preferences.xml and extensions folders on Windows, macOS and Linux, and how to reset a broken setup safely.
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Inkscape keeps settings in a preferences.xml file inside a per OS user folder, with extensions, palettes and templates as siblings. The program folder holds none of your customization, so reinstalls inherit every old mistake.
A corrupt preferences file causes most mysterious startup hangs. Rename it with Inkscape closed and the app rebuilds defaults on next launch. Copy extensions back in small batches to find the culprit. Check Edit > Preferences > System to confirm the live paths. Stock patterns in the share tree stay read only through all of this.
Where Inkscape stores this, by platform
%appdata%\inkscape\preferences.xml
Extensions live in %appdata%\inkscape\extensions beside it. Close Inkscape fully before renaming, since the file rewrites on quit.
~/Library/Application Support/org.inkscape.inkscape/preferences.xml
Some builds use ~/Library/Application Support/inkscape instead. Check Preferences > System inside Inkscape if this path comes up empty.
~/.config/inkscape/preferences.xml
Follows XDG config rules. Share trees sit under ~/.local/share/inkscape with stock patterns and markers you should leave alone.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I put downloaded Inkscape extensions?
Drop the .py and .inx pairs into the extensions folder beside preferences.xml, then restart Inkscape. New entries appear under Extensions after a successful load.
Will reinstalling fix Inkscape crashes?
Usually not, because the profile survives. Rename preferences.xml first and let Inkscape recreate it. That resolves most startup failures from bad settings.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.