Where Does Substance Designer Store Preferences?
Substance Designer keeps UI prefs in user_preferences.xml under Adobe app data. Paths on all platforms, migration and project files.
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Substance Designer separates personal prefs from project prefs. UI layout, performance toggles and the active project list live in user_preferences.xml inside Adobe app data. Node shortcuts, library aliases and bake settings belong to .sbsprj project files and .sbscfg configurations that travel with the studio.
That split makes migration easy: copy user_preferences.xml to the same spot on the new machine for your personal setup, then open the project files for everything shared. Studios automate it further with --config-file launch flags or scripts editing the XML. Start Designer once before copying, or the file won't exist yet.
Where Substance Designer stores this, by platform
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Adobe\Adobe Substance 3D Designer\user_preferences.xml
The single personal prefs file. Copy it to the identical path on another PC to migrate shortcuts and UI. Legacy Allegorithmic-era installs used a parallel folder tree.
~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Substance 3D Designer
Same user_preferences.xml role as Windows. App installs to /Applications/Adobe Substance 3D Designer.app. Legacy paths used ~/Library/Application Support/Allegorithmic instead.
~/.local/share/Adobe/Adobe Substance 3D Designer
Mirrors the other platforms. RPM installs land in /opt/Adobe/Adobe_Substance_3D_Designer. Keep project .sbscfg files in version control, not this folder.
Frequently asked questions
How do I move Substance Designer settings to a new computer?
Copy user_preferences.xml from the path above to the same location on the new machine. That carries shortcuts, UI and the project list. Project-specific library and bake settings come from opening the .sbsprj files.
How do studios share one Substance Designer setup?
Distribute a standard user_preferences.xml plus versioned .sbscfg project configs, or launch Designer with --config-file pointing at a shared configuration. Per-project library paths stay relative to the project file so shares survive moves.
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