Where Does Jan Store Models and Data?
Jan keeps models, threads and settings in one data folder you can relocate. Default paths for Windows, Mac and Linux plus its layout.
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Jan stores everything locally in one data folder: downloaded models, conversation threads, assistants, extensions and logs. Nothing goes to a cloud, which is the point of the app.
The folder is relocatable from Settings under General. Once you move it, the defaults below stop applying and the Settings page shows the live path. Models pile up fast, so this is also the folder to watch when disk space disappears.
Where Jan stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\Jan\data
Models under llamacpp\models or mlx\models with a model.yml beside each .gguf, threads as messages.jsonl under threads. Open it from Settings General with the folder button instead of browsing.
~/Library/Application Support/Jan/data
Same internal layout as Windows. Delete this folder to fully remove app data, after exporting anything you want to keep since removal is permanent.
~/.local/share/Jan/data
Resolves through XDG_DATA_HOME on Linux. The extensions tree with assistant, conversational, download, llama.cpp, MLX, RAG and vector database extensions sits inside.
Frequently asked questions
where do i put a GGUF model for Jan?
Under llamacpp/models in the data folder, one subfolder per model holding the .gguf plus its model.yml descriptor. The interface then lists it for selection without further steps.
how do i move the Jan data folder?
Use Settings General and the edit control next to Jan Data Folder, picking an empty directory. Jan duplicates the data to the new spot and asks for a restart, leaving the original intact.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.