Where apps hide your files

BetterTouchTool's data folder and backups

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

BetterTouchTool stores your triggers and automatic backups in one folder in your hidden Library, and its app settings in a plist. Here is where, how to restore from backup, and the safe way to export.

The location

~/Library/Application Support/BetterTouchTool

That folder holds your BetterTouchTool triggers, presets and the automatic backups. BetterTouchTool's own documentation names it, and the app can open it for you: with the configuration window active, choose Help > Open BTT Data Folder in the menu bar.

App-level settings are kept apart, in a preferences file:

~/Library/Preferences/com.hegenberg.BetterTouchTool.plist

Both are inside the hidden Library. To open the first from Finder, use Go > Go to Folder (⇧⌘G) and paste the path, or from Terminal:

open ~/Library/Application\ Support/BetterTouchTool

Setapp and standalone builds

The developer says that the Setapp build uses a different preferences file, ~/Library/Preferences/com.hegenberg.bettertouchtool-setapp.plist, and that trigger setups are stored the same way in both. Expect the same Application Support folder in either case, and check with ls ~/Library/Application\ Support/BetterTouchTool if you are unsure which build you have.

What is in the data folder

The exact file names are not documented and can change between versions, which is why the developer advises copying the whole folder rather than single files. Logs quoted on the BetterTouchTool forum show the database named after the version and build that wrote it, for example btt_data_store.version_6_378_build_2026041404. If you see several, that is normal: the app keeps previous version databases (see below). The developer also asks for logs from a Logs folder in the same place.

The folder can hold more than triggers. The developer explains that BetterTouchTool's clipboard manager stores the larger parts of clipboard items there, along with trigger data such as icons. So if you use the clipboard manager, treat the folder, and any full backup made from it, as private: it may contain things you copied. Do not open these files in an editor; the supported ways to look inside are the BetterTouchTool window and its export.

Automatic backups

BetterTouchTool makes a backup of your settings each time it updates to a new version, and stores it in the data folder above. By default backups are kept for 90 days. The setting for that is under Settings > Advanced Settings > General, labelled "Keep previous version databases for".

To restore one, choose Help > Restore Settings from Auto-Backup. The list shows each backup by modification date, and the app restarts to apply the one you pick. Restoring replaces your current setup, so export your presets first if you have changed anything since the backup date.

Export a preset, or everything

For a backup you control, use the app rather than the folder:

• One preset: click the Preset: button in the top bar of the configuration window (or choose Presets > Select Active Presets in the menu bar). The documentation says Export a Preset saves the selected preset in JSON format for sharing or backup, and Import a Preset brings it back. Exported presets use the .bttpreset extension in the developer's own examples, and he says exporting and importing presets is the easier route for most people.
• Everything: Help > Export FULL BetterTouchTool Backup As Zip File makes a manual backup of all BTT data.

Only import presets from people you trust. The documentation warns that a preset can contain scripts.

Moving to a new Mac

Two routes, in order of preference:

1. Export and import. Export each preset, then use Import a Preset on the new Mac, ideally with the same or a newer BetterTouchTool version than the one that made the export. Keep the full backup zip as well, as an archive.
2. Copy the folders. The developer's answer is to back up ~/Library/Application Support/BetterTouchTool and ~/Library/Preferences/com.hegenberg.BetterTouchTool.plist, with BetterTouchTool quit, and he gives no guarantee that copying only some files works. Users report permission or version-mismatch messages after a copy, so if one fails, fall back to the export.

BetterTouchTool also has its own sync feature that can use iCloud as the sync location, according to the developer. Sync is not a backup: a change on one Mac, including a deletion, can reach the other.

Back up before you experiment

Before a big restructure, make a restore point you can find again:

1. Export the preset you are about to change (Preset: button, then Export a Preset) to a dated folder outside the data folder. For a complete archive, also use Help > Export FULL BetterTouchTool Backup As Zip File.
2. Make your changes.
3. To go back, import the exported preset. The automatic backups under Help > Restore Settings from Auto-Backup are made when BetterTouchTool updates, so they only take you back to the last update, not to this morning.

Time Machine covers ~/Library/Application Support, but the developer describes the data as a live database and says folder copies should be made only while BetterTouchTool is quit, so an export is the safer restore point.

What deleting does

Removing the data folder resets BetterTouchTool to an empty setup, and your triggers go with it unless you have an export or a backup. Quit the app and move the folder to the Trash rather than deleting from Terminal, so you can put it back. The old backups there are what the 90-day setting prunes on its own, so there is rarely a reason to clear them by hand.

If the folder has grown very large, the usual cause the developer points to is clipboard manager data. His advice is to clear the clipboard history from within BetterTouchTool, which frees most of it, at the cost of losing those clips. Deleting the clipboard files by hand leaves entries that no longer open.

Why a normal search misses these files

~/Library is hidden in Finder, and Spotlight and Finder searches leave it out of normal results. An exported preset lands wherever you saved it, often Downloads or Desktop, under whatever name you gave it.

Finding it again

Type btt_data_store into Everywhere to list the database files by version, or .bttpreset to find every preset you ever exported, wherever you saved it. Press ⌘↵ to reveal one in Finder. Application Support and Preferences are covered without extra setup, though a file written minutes ago may wait for the next scan; exports saved in Downloads or Documents appear once Everywhere has Full Disk Access. It matches names, not what is inside a preset.

Common questions

Where does BetterTouchTool store its settings on a Mac?

Triggers, presets and automatic backups are in ~/Library/Application Support/BetterTouchTool. App-level settings are in ~/Library/Preferences/com.hegenberg.BetterTouchTool.plist.

How do I back up my BetterTouchTool presets?

Click the Preset: button in the configuration window and use Export a Preset, which saves a JSON preset file you can import later. Help > Export FULL BetterTouchTool Backup As Zip File saves all BTT data in one zip.

How do I restore BetterTouchTool from an automatic backup?

Choose Help > Restore Settings from Auto-Backup, pick a backup by its modification date, and let the app restart. Backups are made when BetterTouchTool updates and kept for 90 days by default.

Can I just copy the BetterTouchTool folder to a new Mac?

The developer says to back up that folder and the plist, but gives no guarantee when only some files are copied. If it fails, import an export instead, using the same or a newer BetterTouchTool version.