Where Does pavucontrol Store Config and State?
Where pavucontrol keeps its window state and config on Linux, and where the real audio settings live instead.
Last updated
pavucontrol stores almost nothing of its own: a small pavucontrol.ini in ~/.config covers window size, visible tabs, and UI choices. Every volume slider and port selection belongs to the sound server underneath.
That split decides what to back up. Copying the ini preserves your mixer layout and nothing else. Real audio state (default sink, per app volumes) lives in PulseAudio or PipeWire files, so chase those when a reinstall loses your sound setup. The volume restore modules of each server read their own databases.
Where pavucontrol stores this, by platform
~/.config/pavucontrol.ini
Window geometry, selected tab, and device list options. Honors $XDG_CONFIG_HOME when set. Safe to delete for a UI reset; audio routing is unaffected since the server owns it.
Frequently asked questions
where is the pavucontrol config file
In ~/.config/pavucontrol.ini. It remembers window size, tab, and device visibility choices. Audio routing itself is stored by PulseAudio or PipeWire, so deleting the ini resets the mixer UI without touching a single volume level.
does backing up pavucontrol save my audio setup
No. pavucontrol is a remote control for the sound server: volumes, ports, and streams live in PulseAudio or PipeWire state (and EasyEffects presets separately). The ini only covers the mixer's own window. Back up the server state for real audio backup.
how do i reset pavucontrol to defaults
Delete ~/.config/pavucontrol.ini while it is closed. It regenerates with defaults on next launch. If devices are missing afterward, the problem is in the sound server, not the mixer: check pavucontrol's Configuration tab or wpctl status.
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