FaqWhatIsUserdir
What is a userdir and where can I find it? What is a cachedir and where can I find it?
The NetBeans userdir is the directory where NetBeans stores user configuration data such as window layouts, editor settings, menu and toolbar customizations and various module settings.
Beside this, the NetBeans cachedir is the directory consists of files that may become large; may change frequently; and can be freely deleted and recreated. For example, the results of the Java classpath scan would live in the cache.
NetBeans 7.2 or newer
The default location of the userdir is specific of given system.
Per default on Windows and Mac OS X the userdir is inside a directory NetBeans in application customization folder (usually set to C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\ on Windows 7, to /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/ on Mac OS X).
On Unix-like system the userdir is inside a (hidden) directory called .netbeans stored in the user's home directory. The home directory is ${HOME} .
As the name suggests, the userdir is unique per user. For each version of NetBeans installed, the userdir will be a unique subdirectory such as NetBeans/<nb-version>.
To find out your exact userdir location, go to the IDE's main menu, and choose Help > About NetBeans. (Mac: NetBeans > About NetBeans).
The cachedir is separate to userdir also on system specific locations like:
- C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\NetBeans\Cache\7.2\ on Windows
- /home/<username>/.cache/netbeans/7.2 on Unix-like systems
- /Users/<username>/Library/Caches/NetBeans/7.2/ on Mac OS X
Examples
- A Windows 7 user jdoe running NetBeans 7.2 is likely to find his userdir under
C:\Users\jdoe\AppData\Roaming\NetBeans\7.2\ and his cachedir under
C:\Users\jdoe\AppData\Local\NetBeans\Cache\7.2\ - A Linux user jdoe running NetBeans 7.2 is likely to find his userdir under
/home/jdoe/.netbeans/7.2/ and his cache under
/home/jdoe/.cache/netbeans/7.2/ - A Mac OS X user jdoe running NetBeans 7.2 is likely to find his userdir under
/Users/jdoe/Library/Application Support/NetBeans/7.2/ (To open this folder in the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder from the Finder menu, type /Users/jdoe/Library/Application Support/NetBeans/7.2/ into the box, and click Go.) His cachedir under
/Users/jdoe/Library/Caches/NetBeans/7.2/
Applies to: NetBeans 7.2
Platforms: All
NetBeans 7.1 or older
Per default, the userdir is inside a (hidden) directory called .netbeans stored in the user's home directory. The home directory is ${HOME} on Unix-like systems, and %USERPROFILE% (usually set to C:\Documents and Settings\<username>) on Windows.
As the name suggests, the userdir is unique per user. For each version of NetBeans installed, the userdir will be a unique subdirectory such as .netbeans/<nb-version>.
To find out your exact userdir location, go to the IDE's main menu, and choose Help > About NetBeans. (Mac: NetBeans > About NetBeans).
NetBeans 7.1 allows separate the cache directory using a switch --cachedir to desired location.
Examples
- A Windows user jdoe running NetBeans 5.0 is likely to find his userdir under
C:\Documents and Settings\jdoe\.netbeans\5.0\ - A Windows Vista user jdoe running NetBeans 5.0 is likely to find his userdir under
C:\Users\jdoe\.netbeans\5.0\ - A Linux user jdoe running NetBeans 5.0 is likely to find his userdir under
/home/jdoe/.netbeans/5.0/ - A Mac OS X user jdoe running NetBeans 5.0 is likely to find his userdir under
/Users/jdoe/.netbeans/5.0/ (To open this folder in the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder from the Finder menu, type /Users/jdoe/.netbeans/5.0/ into the box, and click Go.)
Applies to: NetBeans 3.6, 4.x, 5.x, 6.x, 7.0, 7.1
Platforms: All
