Where Are Arduino IDE Sketches and Settings Stored?
Arduino IDE stores sketches in a sketchbook folder and IDE settings in separate config files. Paths differ by operating system and between IDE 1.x and 2.x.
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Arduino IDE separates user sketches from board packages and settings. The sketchbook holds sketches plus user installed libraries. It defaults to a Documents Arduino folder on Windows and macOS and to an Arduino folder in home on Linux.
IDE 1.x uses preferences.txt in the Arduino15 data folder. IDE 2.x uses arduino-cli.yaml in the .arduinoIDE folder and records the sketchbook path in the directories.user key. Board cores and staged downloads also live under the Arduino15 data folder.
Where Arduino IDE stores this, by platform
C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Arduino
Default sketchbook. <username> stands for your Windows login name. IDE 2 config is C:\Users\<username>\.arduinoIDE\arduino-cli.yaml. Board data is C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Arduino15. IDE 1.x preferences.txt is inside that Arduino15 folder.
/Users/<username>/Documents/Arduino
Default sketchbook. <username> stands for your macOS login name. IDE 2 config is /Users/<username>/.arduinoIDE/arduino-cli.yaml. Board data is /Users/<username>/Library/Arduino15. IDE 1.x preferences.txt is inside that Arduino15 folder.
/home/<username>/Arduino
Default sketchbook on Linux. <username> stands for your Linux login name. IDE 2 config is /home/<username>/.arduinoIDE/arduino-cli.yaml. Board data is /home/<username>/.arduino15. IDE 1.x preferences.txt is inside that .arduino15 folder.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the sketchbook path stored in IDE 2?
In the arduino-cli.yaml file under the .arduinoIDE folder in your home directory. Look for the directories.user key. Edit it while the IDE is closed, then restart.
Why do I see both preferences.txt and arduino-cli.yaml mentioned?
They belong to different IDE generations. IDE 1.x reads preferences.txt. IDE 2.x ignores that file and uses arduino-cli.yaml. Check which IDE version you run before editing.
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