Data directory
The location where Bitcoin's data files are stored, including the wallet data file.
Default Location
Windows
Go to Start -> Run (or press WinKey+R) and run this:
explorer %APPDATA%\Bitcoin
Bitcoin's data folder will open. For most users, this is the following locations:
C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\Application data\Bitcoin (XP) C:\Users\YourUserName\Appdata\Roaming\Bitcoin (Vista and 7)
"AppData" and "Application data" are hidden by default.
Linux
By default Bitcoin will put its data here:
~/.bitcoin/
You need to do a "ls -a" to see directories that start with a dot.
If that's not it, you can do a search like this:
find / -name wallet.dat -print 2>/dev/null
Mac
By default Bitcoin will put its data here:
~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/
Directory Contents
Subdirectories
- database
- Contains journaling files for the block database
- testnet
- Contains testnet versions of these files (if running with -testnet)
Files
- .lock
- BDB lock file
- bitcoin.conf [optional]
- Contains configuration options.
- blkxxxx.dat
- Contains concatenated raw blocks
- blkindex.dat
- Indexing information used with blkxxxx.dat
- __db.xxx
- Used by BDB
- db.log
- debug.log
- Bitcoin's verbose log file. Automatically trimmed from time to time.
- wallet.dat
- Storage for keys, transactions, metadata, and options. Please be sure to make backups of this file. It contains the keys necessary for spending your bitcoins.
- addr.dat [Versions prior to v0.7.0]
- Storage for ip addresses to make a reconnect easier
- peers.dat [Versions v0.7.0 and later]
- Storage for peer information to make a reconnect easier. This file uses a bitcoin-specific file format, unrelated to any database system<ref>[1]<ref>.
The data, index and log files are used by Oracle Berkeley DB, the embedded key/value data store that Bitcoin uses.