Where Does KiCad Store Projects and Settings?
KiCad projects folder in Documents and the versioned settings folders on Windows, macOS and Linux.
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KiCad suggests Documents\KiCad for projects and keeps preferences in versioned settings folders per OS. Symbol and footprint libraries resolve through configurable library tables.
Versioned settings are the gotcha. Major releases orphan old configs instead of migrating them, which looks like a wipe after every upgrade.
Where KiCad stores this, by platform
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\KiCad
Default new-project location. Actual projects may live anywhere; check the project .kicad_pro path. Settings live separately in the folders below.
%APPDATA%\kicad
Versioned per release (e.g. 7.0, 8.0). Holds preferences, hotkeys and library tables. Copy forward across upgrades.
~/.config/kicad
Same versioned layout. Confirm the live version folder matches your installed KiCad major release.
Frequently asked questions
How do I move KiCad to a new computer?
Copy the project folder (.kicad_pro, .kicad_sch, .kicad_pcb plus caches) and the settings folder for your version. Keep major versions matched; settings migrate forward but not backward.
Why did my settings vanish after upgrading KiCad?
Each major KiCad release gets its own settings folder, so upgrades start fresh rather than inheriting. Copy the old version folder contents into the new one to carry preferences across.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.