Where apps hide your files

Where Postman stores your data

Updated 2026-10-28 · 5 min read

Postman's local data lives in ~/Library/Application Support/Postman, but your collections are kept in your Postman account and in browser-style databases there, not as files you can open. This guide shows what is inside the folder and how to get collections out as JSON.

Where Postman keeps its data

~/Library/Application Support/Postman

That is the folder for the Postman desktop app on a Mac. Postman's help pages put the app's logs in its logs subfolder, and the app opens that folder for you from View > Developer > View Logs in Finder. The folder sits inside ~/Library, which Finder hides. Choose Go > Go to Folder (⇧⌘G), paste the path and press Return, or run:

open ~/Library/Application\ Support/Postman

Your collections are not files you can open

This surprises people. Postman does not save each collection as a .json file you can find in Finder. When you are signed in, your collections, environments and history live in your Postman account and sync to the app. The desktop app is built on Electron, and what it keeps on disk is browser-style storage: databases under an IndexedDB folder, plus caches. None of it is meant to be read or edited by hand.

On the Mac used for this guide, Postman is no longer installed, but a 1.8 MB leftover folder from an older install remains. Its contents, by name only:

Item	What it is
Partitions/<id>/IndexedDB/	Browser-style database storage, holding a folder named file__0.indexeddb.leveldb. The <id> differs per install, so match it with a wildcard
Partitions/<id>/Local Storage, Session Storage, GPUCache	Smaller browser-style stores and a graphics cache
Cache, Code Cache, blob_storage	Electron caches and temporary data
Crashpad/	Crash reports, in new, pending and completed subfolders
storage/	Two small settings files, settings.json and userPartitionData.json
Postman_Config/	App configuration, with a userconfigs.json inside a numbered folder
proxy/	Files for Postman's built-in proxy: postman-proxy-ca.crt and postman-proxy-ca.key
logs/	Log files, which Postman asks you to attach to support requests
window, Preferences	Tiny files for window and app state

The layout changes between Postman versions, so use this as a map and not a promise. Do not share anything from proxy: the file ending in .key is the private key for Postman's proxy certificate.

The supported way to get collections out

Because the on-disk format is not meant for people, export from the app. Postman's documentation gives these steps:

1. Click Collections in the sidebar.
2. Click the View more actions icon next to a collection, then choose More > Export collection.
3. Click Export JSON to download the file.

For an environment: click Environments in the sidebar, click View more actions next to it, and choose Export. The file downloads straight away. Exported environments can hold secret values you typed in, so do not post them publicly.

To get everything at once, Postman's documentation describes a bulk export: click the settings icon in the Postman header, choose Settings > Account settings, then Account and Export Data. You choose collections, environments or both, click Request Data Export, and Postman emails a download link that stays valid for two days. On a team, only Admins and Super Admins can run it.

Menu names move between Postman versions. If yours differ, the View more actions icon next to each item is the place to look for Export.

Signed in, or only on this Mac

If you are signed in, the account is the real copy, and the Mac holds a working copy. Two cases keep data only on the Mac:

• The lightweight API Client, which is what Postman shows when you use it without signing in. Postman's documentation says work there "is stored locally and isn't synced online". After you sign in, Postman offers to move your open requests and history into a workspace.
• The old Scratch Pad, an offline mode that Postman's documentation says is no longer available from version 10.18. If you still have data there, Postman asks whether you want to move it when it prompts you to sign in.

In either case, deleting the Postman folder deletes that work. Sign in and move it, or export it, before you touch the folder.

Clearing it without losing work

If Postman misbehaves, try the app's own reset first: Postman's troubleshooting page lists Help > Clear Cache and Reload. Only after your work is synced or exported, and only if you want a full reset, quit Postman and move the whole Postman folder to the Trash in Finder, not individual files. Postman starts fresh and asks you to sign in again.

Moving to a new Mac

Sign in on the new Mac and your synced workspaces come with you. For anything local-only, export collections and environments to JSON, copy the files across, and bring them in through Postman's import, which also accepts files dragged into the app. Copying the Application Support folder is a poor substitute, because it carries tokens, caches and the old Mac's proxy key. If you do copy it, quit Postman on both Macs first.

Why Spotlight finds nothing

The folder sits in ~/Library, and Spotlight and Finder searches leave it out of normal results. Inside it, the data is in database folders with names like file__0.indexeddb.leveldb, so nothing carries the name of a collection.

Finding exports again later

Exported collections are ordinary JSON files, usually named after the collection with a .postman_collection.json ending, and environments with .postman_environment.json. Typing postman_collection into Everywhere lists every exported collection on the Mac, whichever folder you saved it to; exports in Downloads or Documents appear once Everywhere has Full Disk Access. Typing postman-proxy-ca finds the proxy certificate folder, even in a leftover install like the one above. It matches file names only, not the requests inside a collection.

Common questions

Where does Postman store data on a Mac?

In ~/Library/Application Support/Postman. Logs are in its logs subfolder, which View > Developer > View Logs in Finder opens, and local app data is in browser-style databases such as IndexedDB.

Can I find my Postman collections as JSON files on my Mac?

Not in the app's own folder. Postman keeps collections in your account and in database storage, so export them: click View more actions next to a collection, then More > Export collection > Export JSON.

Is it safe to delete the Postman folder in Application Support?

Only after your work is synced to your Postman account or exported. Work done signed out, in the lightweight API Client or the old Scratch Pad, is stored only on the Mac.

How do I back up all my Postman collections?

Request a bulk export from Settings > Account settings > Account > Export Data, which emails a link valid for two days, or export each collection and environment as JSON.