Storage Paths and Files

Use this page to find the folders and files created or managed by Godot Launcher.

Default folders

Purpose	Default path
New projects	<home>/Godot/Projects
Downloaded editor installs	<home>/Godot/Editors
Launcher config files	<home>/.gd-launcher

On Windows, <home> is your user profile folder, such as C:\Users\You. On Linux and macOS, <home> is your home directory, such as /home/you or /Users/you.

You can change the project and editor install locations from Launcher Settings.

Config files

Godot Launcher stores small internal files in the config folder:

File	Purpose
prefs.json	User preferences such as paths, language, update settings, and launch behavior.
projects.json	The local project list, including device-specific project organization and activity.
editor-catalog.json	Saved official editor catalog data used when a refresh is unavailable.
releases.json	Cached official stable Godot release metadata.
prereleases.json	Cached official prerelease metadata.
installed-releases.json	Registered official and custom editor installs.
migrations.json	Internal migration state.

Project folders

Godot Launcher expects each imported or created project to have a project.godot file.

Adding an existing project does not move it. The launcher keeps a local record that points to its folder.

Information that stays on this computer

Some project information belongs to one launcher installation and stays in the local project list:

• The selected external code editor, such as Visual Studio Code, VSCodium, or None.
• The project's last-opened history used for recent-project ordering and tray quick launch.
• Pin state and pinned-project order.

These choices are not restored when you add the project on another computer.

Information stored with the project

When present, .godotlauncher identifies:

• The Godot Launcher version that wrote it.
• The selected Godot editor channel, flavor, compatible base version, and exact version.

The file does not contain the code editor choice, recent activity, or pin order. The launcher can still recognize a supported code editor from the project's existing setup.

warning

.godotlauncher and the JSON files in the launcher config folder are launcher-managed. Edit them manually only when you are recovering from a specific problem and have a backup.

Per-project editor settings

Godot Launcher isolates Godot editor settings per project and editor version.

The settings file name follows this pattern:

editor_settings-<major.minor>.tres

For the full explanation, see Editor Settings Per Project.

Custom editor manifests

Custom-built Godot editors are registered from:

godotlauncher-editor-manifest.json

For the manifest shape, see Custom Editor Manifest Format.