Where Does Illustrator Store Preferences and Presets?
Illustrator preferences and presets folder on Windows and macOS, versioned per release.
Last updated
Illustrator stores preferences, workspaces, brushes and presets in a versioned Settings folder. Each major release gets its own folder, which is why settings seem to vanish after an upgrade.
The folder name includes the release, so expect it to change yearly. Back up the folder for your current version before migrating or resetting.
Where Adobe Illustrator stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator [Version] Settings
Folder name includes the Illustrator version (for example Adobe Illustrator 28 Settings). Paste %APPDATA%\Adobe into the File Explorer address bar to browse.
~/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator [Version] Settings
Folder name includes the version. Use Go > Go to Folder in Finder, since Library is hidden.
Frequently asked questions
How do I reset Illustrator preferences?
Hold Alt+Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Option+Command+Shift (macOS) right after launching Illustrator, then confirm the deletion. This resets preferences without touching your documents.
How do I move Illustrator settings to a new computer?
Copy the whole versioned Settings folder to the same location on the new machine with Illustrator closed, then launch. Match major versions to avoid migration prompts.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.