Where Does VCV Rack Store Patches?
VCV Rack keeps patches, plugins, and settings in a Rack folder under Documents. Autosaves sit beside finished patches.
Last updated
VCV Rack stores everything musical in a Rack folder under Documents: patches you save, the plugin collection, user presets, and application settings. Autosaves land in their own corner of the same tree on a timer. The layout stays identical across free and paid editions.
Patch files are portable JSON, so sharing means sending one file. Plugin binaries differ per OS, which makes full folder copies across platforms unreliable; let the library manager refetch instead. Back up the patches folder separately from plugins, since your music matters more than reinstallable binaries.
Where VCV Rack stores this, by platform
Documents\Rack2
Patches, plugins, presets, and settings under one Documents folder. Share patch files directly. Let the library refetch plugins on new machines.
~/Documents/Rack2
Same Rack folder layout as other platforms. Patch JSON files move freely across operating systems.
~/Documents/Rack2
Identical tree under the home documents folder. Plugin binaries differ per OS, so refetch rather than copy those.
Frequently asked questions
Rack crashed. Where is my patch?
Look in the autosave folder inside the patches tree. Rack writes recovery copies on a timer, and crashes usually leave a recent one. Save finished work as named patches; autosaves rotate.
How do I move plugins to a new computer?
Copy the plugins folder to the new machine and let Rack rescan on launch. Free plugins redownload from the library automatically. Commercial licenses reactivate through your account.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.