# Directories and Files

Polyscope keeps everything — your database, workspace clones, settings, and downloaded binaries — in a single data directory under your home folder. Knowing where it lives is useful when you want to back it up, free up disk space, or inspect what Polyscope created.

## Location

The data directory is named `.polyscope` and lives in your home folder.

### macOS

```
~/.polyscope
```

Which expands to `/Users/<your-username>/.polyscope`. It's a hidden folder, so press `Cmd + Shift + .` in Finder to reveal it.

### Windows

```
%USERPROFILE%\.polyscope
```

Which expands to `C:\Users\<your-username>\.polyscope`.


## What's inside

| Path | What it is |
| --- | --- |
| `polyscope.db` | SQLite database with your repositories, workspaces, and history. The `-wal` and `-shm` files next to it are SQLite's write-ahead log — don't delete them on their own. |
| `clones/` | Workspace clones, one folder per workspace (copy-on-write on macOS). This is usually the largest directory. |
| `repos/` | Local repository data used as the source for workspace clones. |
| `settings.json` | Your app settings. |
| `bin/` | Helper binaries Polyscope downloads (e.g. the file finder and tunneling tools). |

## Backing up or moving

To back up your setup, copy the entire `.polyscope` folder while Polyscope is **closed** — copying `polyscope.db` while the app is running can capture an inconsistent database. To move your data to another machine, copy the folder to the same path on the target machine.