Where Does Pro Tools Store Sessions and Preferences?
Pro Tools stores each session as a folder with a .ptx file plus Audio Files and Session File Backups subfolders. Preferences live in a separate Avid support folder.
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A Pro Tools session is a folder, not a single file. The .ptx file references audio and settings inside that folder structure.
Session location is chosen at creation in the Dashboard. Preferences and plug-in settings use fixed per user Avid paths and can be trashed to reset.
Where Pro Tools stores this, by platform
C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Pro Tools
Default parent for new sessions and Demo Sessions subfolder. Each session is a folder with .ptx, Audio Files, Session File Backups (.bak files) and related folders. Use Location button at creation or enable Prompt Location to change per session.
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Avid\Pro Tools
Preferences folder. Same as %AppData%\Avid\Pro Tools. Delete this Pro Tools folder (after backup) to reset prefs for Pro Tools 11 and later. Plug-ins are separate in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins.
~/Documents/Pro Tools
Default parent for new sessions and Demo Sessions subfolder. Full form is /Users/<username>/Documents/Pro Tools. Each session folder holds .ptx, Audio Files and Session File Backups. Project cloud cache location can be changed in Preferences > Operation > User Media and Settings Location.
~/Library/Preferences/Avid/Pro Tools
Preferences folder. Full form is /Users/<username>/Library/Preferences/Avid/Pro Tools. Delete this folder (after backup) to reset prefs for Pro Tools 11 and later. AAX plug-ins are in /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins.
Frequently asked questions
What should I back up for a Pro Tools session?
The full session folder, including .ptx, Audio Files and Session File Backups. Copying only the .ptx file leaves audio behind. Use Save As > Copy All Audio Files or Save Copy In for archive and studio transfer.
Where are automatic backups?
In <session-folder>\Session File Backups as .ptx.bak numbered files. Frequency and count are set in Setup > Preferences > Operation. Open a .bak to create a .recovered.ptx, then Save As to keep it.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.