> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openwhispr.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Where your files live

> Every folder OpenWhispr writes to on each platform — settings, history, logs, downloaded models and note files.

OpenWhispr keeps everything in two places: an application-data folder for your
settings and history, and a cache folder for downloaded models. Both are inside
your user account, so nothing needs administrator access to read or remove.

## Application data

Your settings, dictation history, debug logs and any saved audio:

| Platform    | Folder                                     |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| **macOS**   | `~/Library/Application Support/OpenWhispr` |
| **Windows** | `%APPDATA%\OpenWhispr`                     |
| **Linux**   | `~/.config/OpenWhispr`                     |

Inside it:

| Item                | What it is                                                 |
| ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| `transcriptions.db` | An ordinary SQLite database holding your history and notes |
| `logs/`             | Debug logs, when debug logging is on                       |
| `audio/`            | Recordings kept by your audio-retention setting            |

<Warning>
  Deleting this folder resets OpenWhispr completely: settings, history, and any
  notes that were never backed up to the cloud. Notes you did back up return
  when you sign in again.
</Warning>

## Downloaded models

Local speech and AI models are downloaded on first use and cached outside the
application-data folder, so you can reclaim the space without losing settings:

| Platform            | Folder                             |
| ------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| **macOS and Linux** | `~/.cache/openwhispr/`             |
| **Windows**         | `%USERPROFILE%\.cache\openwhispr\` |

Whisper models sit in `whisper-models/` inside it. Deleting anything here is
safe — the app re-downloads what it needs next time you select it.

You don't have to do it by hand: **Settings** → **System** → **Data
Management** → **Model cache** has **Open**, which shows you the folder, and
**Clear cache**, which empties it. **Reset app data** in the same section is the
bigger hammer — it deletes local settings, transcriptions, recordings and
models together.

On Windows the uninstaller clears this folder for you. On Linux, `.deb` and
`.rpm` packages do the same on removal; AppImage and tar.gz don't, because
there's no uninstaller to run.

## Note files, if you turned them on

**Save notes as files** (under **Settings** → **Preferences** under **App**)
mirrors your notes as Markdown into a folder you choose. It's off until you
turn it on, and the location is entirely yours — the app writes into it and
nothing else does.

That folder is also the Obsidian answer: point it at a vault and your notes
appear there as ordinary Markdown. [Export your
notes](/help/notes/export-your-notes) covers the detail.

## Credentials

API keys and enterprise credentials aren't in either folder. They go to the
operating system's own credential store — Keychain on macOS, DPAPI on Windows,
libsecret on Linux — and are never sent to us. [How OpenWhispr is
secured](/help/privacy/how-openwhispr-is-secured) explains the one Linux caveat
worth knowing on managed fleets.

## Backing up

If you want a copy of everything local, take the application-data folder while
OpenWhispr is closed. Copying `transcriptions.db` while the app is running can
catch it mid-write.

The models cache isn't worth backing up — it re-downloads.

<Snippet file="still-need-help.mdx" />

## Related

* [What we store and for how long](/help/privacy/what-we-store-and-for-how-long)
* [Where your data goes](/help/privacy/where-your-data-goes)
* [Updates and reinstalling](/help/fix/updates-and-reinstalling)