Where apps hide your files

Finding HandBrake's presets file and activity logs

Updated 2026-10-28 · 5 min read

Your custom HandBrake presets and encode logs are not in a visible folder: the Mac app keeps them inside its sandbox container. Here are the exact paths, which file is which, and the supported way to back presets up.

The locations

For HandBrake 1.3.0 and later on macOS, per HandBrake's own documentation:

~/Library/Containers/fr.handbrake.HandBrake/Data/Library/Application Support/HandBrake/UserPresets.json
~/Library/Containers/fr.handbrake.HandBrake/Data/Library/Application Support/HandBrake/EncodeLogs

UserPresets.json holds your preset list. EncodeLogs holds one log per encode. In Finder the fr.handbrake.HandBrake folder is displayed as "HandBrake".

HandBrake 1.2.2 and earlier, which were not sandboxed, used the plain Application Support folder instead:

~/Library/Application Support/HandBrake/

If you upgraded from an old version and cannot find your files, look there as well. HandBrake is not installed on the Mac used for this guide, so the paths come from HandBrake's documentation and its open-source Mac code.

To open the folder, choose Go > Go to Folder in Finder (⇧⌘G), paste the first path without the file name, and press Return. From Terminal:

open ~/Library/Containers/fr.handbrake.HandBrake/Data/Library/Application\ Support/HandBrake

What each file is

File or folder	What it holds
UserPresets.json	The whole preset list as JSON: your own presets plus the built-in ones, which HandBrake rewrites from the app after an update.
UserPresets.x.y.z.json	A copy of the old file, made when an update converts your presets to a newer format.
EncodeLogs/	One text file per encode, named with the video name, date and time.
HandBrake-activitylog.txt	The log of the current session, in the HandBrake folder itself. It is replaced each time HandBrake starts.
QueueV2.hbqueue	The encode queue, so jobs survive a restart (Queue.hbqueue in older versions).

The distinction matters when something fails. If you closed HandBrake after a failed encode, the session log is gone the next time you open the app, but the per-encode log in EncodeLogs is still there. Window > Activity opens the Activity window, and its action menu includes Open Activity Logs Directory In Finder, so you do not need to remember the path.

How long the logs last

HandBrake's general documentation says encode logs stay until you delete them, but the Mac app cleans up after itself. In HandBrake > Settings (Preferences in older versions), the Advanced pane has Remove old logs from main Activity Logs folder after 7 days, and it is on by default. At launch, HandBrake deletes encode logs older than that. Versions 1.3 to 1.7 used 30 days.

If you need a log for longer, copy it out of EncodeLogs, or turn that option off. The same pane has Store Activity Logs in same location as video, which puts each log beside the file it describes.

Backing up presets the supported way

Do not copy UserPresets.json unless you have to. HandBrake's custom presets page says you can export and import presets, one or several at a time, for backup or sharing. In the Mac app those commands are Presets > Export… and Presets > Import…. Export gives you a file you can keep anywhere, and importing it on another Mac puts the presets back.

Copying the JSON file by hand is the fallback if HandBrake will not start. Quit HandBrake first, copy the file somewhere safe, and on the new Mac put it in the same folder before launching the app. If a copied file is malformed, HandBrake may not load your presets, so keep the original.

When the folder is missing

The container folder only exists once you have run the sandboxed app. If ~/Library/Containers/fr.handbrake.HandBrake is not there:

• You may have used an older version, so check ~/Library/Application Support/HandBrake.
• You may be using the command line tool, HandBrakeCLI, which is a separate program from the Mac app. This guide covers the app only.

To check whether the container exists without opening anything, run:

ls ~/Library/Containers | grep -i handbrake

Where the videos go

The video files HandBrake makes are not stored in any of these folders. The main window's Save As: field sets the file name, and To: sets the folder (with Browse… to change it). Large encodes are what fill a disk; sort that destination folder by size in Finder to find the big ones.

To move to a new Mac, export your presets, install HandBrake, and import the file. Logs rarely need to come along.

Reading a log when an encode fails

Open the encode's log from EncodeLogs in any text editor, such as TextEdit. Start at the bottom: the last lines usually say how the encode ended, and errors near them point to the cause. The top of the file records the source file, the preset and the settings used, which is also useful if you want to repeat a good result later. If you are asking for help on a forum, attach this file rather than a screenshot, since it contains the settings in full.

The session log is replaced at each launch, so copy it somewhere before you reopen HandBrake if you need to keep it.

Why a normal search misses these files

The files sit inside an app container in ~/Library/Containers, one of the places Spotlight and Finder searches leave out. And because every encode log is named after your video, searching for the video's name in Finder finds the video and not its log.

Finding them next time

Everywhere covers ~/Library/Containers once you have given it Full Disk Access, which it asks for during setup. After that, typing UserPresets jumps to the presets file and its version backups, and typing a video's name lists the video together with its encode log. Press ⌘↵ to reveal either one in Finder. It matches file names only, not the log text, so for what went wrong you still open the log itself.

Common questions

Where does HandBrake store custom presets on a Mac?

In ~/Library/Containers/fr.handbrake.HandBrake/Data/Library/Application Support/HandBrake/UserPresets.json for HandBrake 1.3.0 and later. Older, non-sandboxed versions used ~/Library/Application Support/HandBrake.

Where are HandBrake's encode logs on a Mac?

In the EncodeLogs folder next to the presets file, one text file per encode named with the video name, date and time. The current session's log is HandBrake-activitylog.txt in the HandBrake folder, replaced at every launch.

How do I back up HandBrake presets?

Use Presets > Export… in HandBrake, which can save one or many presets to a file, and Presets > Import… on the other Mac. Copying UserPresets.json with HandBrake quit works as a fallback.

Does HandBrake delete old logs?

The Mac app does by default: the Advanced pane of its settings has Remove old logs from main Activity Logs folder after 7 days switched on (30 days in versions 1.3 to 1.7). Turn it off or copy a log out if you need to keep it.