Where Does World of Warcraft Store Addons?
WoW addons live per version folder under Interface AddOns, with account settings in WTF. Managers sync both across machines.
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World of Warcraft addon storage is two trees with different jobs: Interface AddOns holds the addon code per game version folder, while WTF holds account settings, layouts, macros, and per character variables. Managers install to the first and sync the second.
Retail, Classic Era, and Hardcore each keep separate version folders, so addons install per flavor. Patch day breaks the interface on purpose until authors flag compatibility, and the out of date checkbox bridges the gap. Keep WTF under version control or manager sync; rebuilding a tuned UI from memory takes days.
Where World of Warcraft stores this, by platform
[Install]\World of Warcraft\_retail_\Interface\AddOns
One folder per addon here per game version flavor. Saved variables and layouts live in WTF beside it. Managers install and sync both trees.
[Install]/World of Warcraft/_retail_/Interface/AddOns
Same Interface and WTF split under the Mac install. Managers handle both platforms identically.
Frequently asked questions
Addons vanished after a patch. Where did they go?
Update the addon manager and set it to the current patch branch. New patches break interface addons on schedule, and out of date checkboxes hide entries without errors. Delete the Cache folder to clear stale state.
What must I back up for a full UI move?
Copy the WTF account folder plus the Interface AddOns folder. Layouts, macros, and keybinds live in WTF, so addons alone restore only half the setup. Managers sync both halves.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.