Where Does KDE Connect Store Pairing Data?
KDE Connect pairing keys and device config under ~/.config, and what to back up per machine.
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KDE Connect identifies each machine with a private key and remembers trusted phones as certificates, all inside a kdeconnect folder under ~/.config. Pairing state, device plugins and per phone settings live there together, separate from any file transfer directories.
That folder is the whole migration story on Linux. Copy it with the daemon stopped and the new machine inherits your identity, so already paired phones keep working without re pairing. Received files land wherever you configured, normally Downloads, and are not part of this directory.
Where KDE Connect stores this, by platform
~/.config/kdeconnect
Respects $XDG_CONFIG_HOME when set. Do not share one copy between two live machines: identical keys on two hosts confuse paired phones. Stop the daemon before copying to avoid half written certificate files.
Frequently asked questions
how do i move kde connect pairing to a new pc
Copy the whole kdeconnect directory with the daemon stopped. It holds your private key, trusted device certificates and per device settings together. The phone side re pairs only if the key changes, so keep the original key file.
kde connect sees my phone but will not pair
Delete the device certificate files inside the kdeconnect config directory for that phone, then pair fresh from both ends. A stale certificate after reinstalls is the usual cause of devices that see each other but never connect.
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