Where Does UNetbootin Store Files?
UNetbootin keeps nothing persistent by design: temp work files plus bootloader changes on the USB target.
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UNetbootin has no settings folder. It ships as a portable single executable with no installer and no user config file. There is no AppData tree, no dotfolder config, nothing to migrate between machines. Copying the exe moves the whole app.
Work happens in temp space and on the target drive. Downloads and extraction scratch live in the OS temp directory during a run, then clean up. The USB stick or hard-disk install gains bootloader files like ubnkern, syslinux config and unetbootin marker files. The ISO itself comes from wherever you point the file dialog.
Where UNetbootin stores this, by platform
%TEMP% (transient work files only)
Temp files clean after each run. Uninstall tracking sits in the registry under Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\UNetbootin. Target drive gains ubnkern, ubninit, syslinux.cfg and unetbtin marker files. No persistent settings exist by design.
/tmp (transient work files only)
Same portable behavior on Linux with temp scratch in /tmp. No ~/.config store is documented in the source. ISOs are user-chosen per run, either an existing file or a distro auto-download target you pick.
Frequently asked questions
How do I back up UNetbootin settings?
There is nothing to back up. The exe carries no persistent state, and each run starts from defaults plus your on-screen choices. Keep the ISO files you reuse and the target USB sticks; those are the only artifacts that persist.
Where does UNetbootin download ISOs to?
Wherever you choose. Either pick an existing ISO through the file dialog or let the distro downloader save to your chosen path. No fixed cache directory exists, so check Downloads first when hunting a previous fetch.
What files does UNetbootin leave on the USB stick?
Bootloader pieces like ubnkern and ubninit, a syslinux.cfg, and marker files recording the source path. Those belong to the created media, not the app. Wiping the stick removes every trace of the run.
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