Can I run NetBeans with an alternate "userdir"? Can I move the .netbeans directory?

Yes. You can specify the new location for the .netbeans userdir via the --userdir <path> option when starting NetBeans.

The <path> argument may refer to an existing or a new folder name. In the first case, the existing userdir will be reused. In the latter case, a new userdir will be created by NetBeans.

Running NetBeans with non-default userdir can be useful in various scenarios:

1. You want to temporarily run NetBeans with different settings (window layouts, font settings, etc.).
2. You want to run multiple instances of the same NetBeans version simultaneously .
3. You've run into problems and want to exclude the possibility of corrupted settings. NetBeans developers often ask if the problem is reproducible with a clean userdir when evaluating a bug report.
4. Your default installation is on a slower drive, and you want the userdir to be located on a faster one.

Examples

• Windows:
  netbeans.exe --userdir C:\MyOtherUserdir

• Unix:
  ./netbeans --userdir ~/my-other-userdir

• Mac OS:
  /Applications/NetBeans.app/Contents/MacOS/executable --userdir ~/my-other-userdir

Applies to: NetBeans 3.6, 4.0, 4.1, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0

Platforms: All

Links

• What is userdir?