Where Does TortoiseHg Store Settings?
TortoiseHg writes its options into Mercurial.ini (user and repo tiers) plus UI state files under %APPDATA%\TortoiseHg. No registry involved.
Last updated
TortoiseHg splits settings across two systems, and the docs are explicit about both. Behavior options (diff tool, tab width, username) go into Mercurial's ini tiers: site-wide, per-user, per-repo. Interface state (window positions, repo registry) goes into XML and ini files under %APPDATA%\TortoiseHg.
The Settings dialog only ever writes the user and repo tiers. That protects the site-wide file from your edits and your edits from upgrades. Back up Mercurial.ini plus the TortoiseHg folder and the whole setup moves machines intact.
Where TortoiseHg stores this, by platform
%USERPROFILE%\Mercurial.ini
Per-user behavior settings under [tortoisehg] and [ui] sections. The Settings dialog's Global mode edits exactly this file. May not exist until you open Settings once.
%APPDATA%\TortoiseHg
thg-reporegistry.xml holds the repo registry contents; TortoiseHgQt.ini holds window state and UI prefs. Delete both to reset the interface without touching version-control behavior.
Frequently asked questions
Does TortoiseHg use the Windows registry?
No. Unlike TortoiseSVN, TortoiseHg keeps zero settings in the registry. Everything lives in Mercurial.ini tiers and the %APPDATA%\TortoiseHg folder, which makes migration a file copy.
Global versus Repository settings: which file changes?
Open the Settings dialog and switch between Global and Repository modes. Global edits Mercurial.ini, Repository edits .hg\hgrc. The dialog never touches the site-wide file, which upgrades may overwrite.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.