Where Does TheBrain Store Brains?
TheBrain keeps every brain in a Brains folder at your user root by default, with metadata in a separate MetaDB folder.
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TheBrain stores local brains as plain folders full of files inside one Brains directory at the top of your user profile. Move that folder and TheBrain loses sight of everything, which is both the backup strategy and the classic footgun.
A second folder, MetaDB, tracks which brains exist. When restored brains refuse to appear, the documented fix is to park the Brains folder at the default location and delete the MetaDB index so it rebuilds. Prefer a custom location? Set it in Options, Preferences, System before creating anything.
Where TheBrain stores this, by platform
C:\Users\<you>\Brains
Default Brains home. The index file TheBrainMeta.db lives in %LOCALAPPDATA%\TheBrain\MetaDB. Back up the Brains folder itself. That holds the content. Change the location under Options > Preferences > System tab.
/Users/<you>/Brains
Same default layout as Windows. The index sits at ~/.TheBrain/v9/MetaDB/TheBrainMeta.db. If restored brains do not show up, quit, rename TheBrainMeta.db, and relaunch to rebuild the index.
Frequently asked questions
My restored brains don't appear. What now?
Quit TheBrain, make sure the Brains folder sits at the default path above, then rename TheBrainMeta.db to .old and restart. The index rebuilds and picks the brains up. Delete any test brain created beforehand first, after syncing it to the cloud if you want to keep it.
Can I store brains on an external drive?
You can set a custom path in Options, Preferences, System before downloading or creating any local brain. TheBrain needs its store constantly reachable while running, so sleeping or network drives risk data loss. Local disk is the safe choice.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.