Where Does Spyder Store Settings?
Spyder config directories on Linux and Windows with preferences, history and project state.
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Spyder keeps preferences, history and window layouts in versioned config directories, separate from your Python projects. Major versions bump the folder name, which strands old settings instead of migrating them.
Deleting the config folder is the standard fix for a Spyder that refuses to start. Projects and conda environments live elsewhere and survive the wipe.
Where Spyder stores this, by platform
~/.config/spyder-py3
Holds preferences, history and project state for Spyder 5 and later. Older installs used ~/.spyder-py3 in home instead. Remove the folder with Spyder closed to reset everything.
%USERPROFILE%\.spyder-py3
Same versioned config role as Linux. Confirm the folder name on your install since major versions rename it. Projects and environments sit outside and are unaffected by deletion.
Frequently asked questions
Spyder crashes on startup. How do I reset it?
Close Spyder and delete the config folder above. A frequent cause is a corrupt window layout, which the fresh defaults fix.
Where are Spyder projects stored?
Wherever you created them, independent of the config folders. The config only remembers recent paths and open files.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.