ParaView Settings Files

ParaView uses the Qt QSettings system to store settings information (window position, recent files, default colors, etc.) in an ini file called ParaViewX.X.ini where X.X is the current version of ParaView.

User Settings Directory

The location of the ParaViewX.X.ini settings file depends on what operating system you are using. It will look for the file in one of the following locations.

Windows

%APPDATA%\ParaView

Unix

$HOME/.config/ParaView

Mac OS X

$HOME/.config/ParaView

So, for example, on Unix or Mac you will find your configuration settings file in ~/.config/ParaView/ParaViewX.X.ini. On windows you will find it someplace like C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\ParaView\ParaViewX.X.ini.

It is possible to override these locations by setting the XDG_CONFIG_HOME environment variable although this is rare.

Other files in the settings directory

ParaView uses this same directory to store other user-specific files that are automatically loaded.

The configuration for server connections (the information that is displayed in choose server dialog box) is stored in a file called servers.pvsc in the user settings directory. See Server Configuration for more information on this file.

If you create a subdirectory ParaViewX.X/Plugins in the user settings directory (for example ~/.config/ParaView/ParaViewX.X/Plugins on Unix or Mac), then ParaView will automatically load any plugins located in that subdirectory. See the Plugin HowTo for more information on creating and using plugins.

System Settings Directory

If ParaView does not find ParaViewX.X.ini in the location specified above, it will look for a system-wide settings file of the same name. Again, the location varies depending on the operating system.

Windows

%COMMON_APPDATA%\ParaView\ParaViewX.X.ini

Unix

/etc/xdg/ParaView/ParaViewX.X.ini

Mac OS X

/Library/Preferences/Qt/ParaView/ParaViewX.X.ini

If the system settings file cannot be found, ParaView uses the defaults for all of the settings. In either case, a ParaViewX.X.ini file will be created in the user's settings directory to save the settings for the next time ParaView is run.

Administrators that want to provide a site-specific set of defaults that differ from the ones provided with ParaView can use this mechanism to do so.

It is possible to change the location of the default system-level settings through Qt build options although this is rare.