Where Does Unison Store Profiles?
Unison sync profile folder and archive locations on Linux, macOS, and Windows for two way file sync.
Last updated
Unison keeps sync profiles as .prf text files in a .unison folder in home. Linux and macOS use ~/.unison with one file per profile. Each profile names two roots with ignore rules and sync options.
Sync state lives beside the profiles in archive files named by root hash. Those archives let the next run transfer only changes. Back up the whole .unison folder to preserve profiles and state. Deleting archives forces a full comparison pass. Fastcheck skips unchanged files quickly. Batch mode runs profiles without prompts for cron.
Where Unison stores this, by platform
~/.unison
Profile root with .prf files plus archive state files. Respects UNISON env var when set to relocate. Copy whole folder with Unison idle.
%USERPROFILE%\.unison/*.prf
Same .prf and archive layout as Linux. Windows uses %USERPROFILE%\.unison instead. Keep ignore rules in version control.
Frequently asked questions
how do i move Unison profiles to a new machine
Copy the .unison folder with .prf profiles and archive files. Profiles hold roots and ignore rules. Archives track sync state. Both restore sync without full retransfer.
how do i exclude folders from a Unison profile
Yes. Add ignore lines with Name patterns in the .prf file for build folders and caches. Archives in the same folder record what synced. Ignores apply on the next run.
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