Where Does Ardour Store Sessions and Config?
Ardour stores each session as a folder with .ardour snapshot files plus interchange and peaks subfolders. Global config lives in a versioned user config directory.
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An Ardour session is a single folder picked at creation. It holds the main .ardour file, .ardour.bak auto backup, history and audio data.
Default session parent is requested on first run and can be changed in Edit > Preferences > Misc > Session Management. Global prefs are separate from session data.
Where Ardour stores this, by platform
~/.config/ardour<major>
User config directory. Example is /home/<username>/.config/ardour8 for Ardour 8. Honors $XDG_CONFIG_HOME if set. Holds config, UI and plug-in metadata. Replace <major> with major version number.
~/ArdourSessions/<session-name>
Example session folder when using default home location. Actual parent is set at first run or per session in New Session dialog. Contains <session>.ardour, <session>.ardour.bak, interchange, export, peaks and analysis subfolders.
~/Library/Preferences/Ardour<major>
User config directory on Mac. Example is /Users/<username>/Library/Preferences/Ardour8. Replace <major> with major version number. System defaults ship in app bundle and should not be edited.
~/ArdourSessions/<session-name>
Example session folder on Mac when using default location. Actual location is chosen in New Session dialog. Use File > Archive to create a compressed bundle for backup or sharing across platforms.
Frequently asked questions
What is inside an Ardour session folder?
The .ardour snapshot, .ardour.bak backup, .history undo file, instant.xml view state, plus interchange for audio/MIDI, export for renders, peaks for waveforms and analysis for transient data. Back up the full folder.
How do I reset Ardour preferences?
Close Ardour, rename ~/.config/ardour<major> (Linux) or ~/Library/Preferences/Ardour<major> (Mac) as backup, then restart. Ardour rebuilds defaults. Restore by swapping the backup folder back.
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