Skip to main content
  1. Arduino Help Center
  2. Software Support
  3. IDE Settings

Open the Arduino IDE installation folder

Learn how to open the Arduino IDE installation folder on your system.

Standard installations:

Other:

Windows

Depending on whether “All users” or “Only me” was selected during installation, these are the default installation paths:

  • All users: C:\Program Files\Arduino IDE
  • Only me: C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Programs\Arduino IDE

Prior to IDE 2, the application name was Arduino, with C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino being the default path.

Navigate to the installation folder in File Explorer

  1. Open the File Explorer from the Task Bar or Start Menu, or press Win + E on your keyboard.

  2. To find the system drive C:, look for “This PC” in the sidebar and double-click to open.

  3. Navigate to the path listed above by double-clicking folders.

The AppData folder is hidden by default. If you can’t see it, follow these steps:

  • Windows 11: View > Show > Hidden items.

  • Windows 10: View > Options > Change folder and search options. Select the View tab and, in Advanced settings, select Show hidden files, folders, and drives and OK.

Show the enclosing folder of an application in the Task Bar

If you’re able to find Arduino IDE in the Task Bar, you can use this method:

  1. Open the Start Menu.

  2. Find Arduino IDE in the list of applications, right-click on it, and select More > Show file location.

  3. A new File Explorer window will open a folder containing shortcuts to all Start Menu programs, with the Arduino IDE shortcut being selected.

  4. Right-click the Arduino IDE shortcut and select Open file location.

  5. The Arduino IDE installation folder will open, with the main executable being selected.

macOS

The application files are packaged in an application bundle file named Arduino IDE.app, which is located inside the Applications folder (/Applications) by default.

Open the Applications folder

  1. Open Finder.

  2. Click on Applications in the sidebar or press ⌘ + Shift + A.

Show the enclosing folder of any application

  • When Arduino IDE is running, right-click on the icon in Dock and select Options > Show in Finder.
  • Hold ⌘ + Space to open Spotlight and search for “Arduino”. Use the arrow keys to highlight Arduino IDE.app, then hold ⌘ and press Enter to open the enclosing folder.

Explore package contents

In Finder, right-click the Arduino application, and select Show Package Contents.

The executable is located at Arduino IDE.app/Contents/MacOS/Arduino IDE.

Linux

AppImage

When using the AppImage distribution, there is no automatic installation process. The application files remain packaged in AppImage file, which may have been saved to your Downloads folder by default.

ZIP archive

If the application was downloaded as an archive, the files are stored wherever chosen during the extraction process.

Other options and ‘whereis’

If arduino is available as a command in Terminal, you can use the whereis command to locate binary, source, and manual page files:

  1. Open Terminal.

  2. Enter the following command and check the output.

    whereis arduino

  3. The output will probably point to a shortcut. Enter the following command to get the actual path.

    readlink <path>

Windows (Microsoft Store)

Arduino IDE is available as a Windows App in the Microsoft Store. It is installed to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps by default, with a folder name like ArduinoLLC.ArduinoIDE_<VERSION>, with a version number instead of “<VERSION>”.

Navigate to the installation folder in File Explorer

  1. Open the File Explorer from the Task Bar or Start Menu, or press Win + E on your keyboard.

  2. To find the system drive C:, look for “This PC” in the sidebar and double-click to open.

  3. Go to Program Files > WindowsApps.

  4. Look for a folder starting with “ArduinoLLC.ArduinoIDE_”.

The WindowsApps folder is hidden by default. If you can’t see it, follow these steps:

  • Windows 11: View > Show > Hidden items.

  • Windows 10: View > Options > Change folder and search options. Select the View tab and, in Advanced settings, select Show hidden files, folders, and drives and OK.

Open with the Run Dialog

  1. Press Win + R

  2. Copy and paste this path into the box:

    C:\Program Files\WindowsApps

  3. Press Enter to open the location in File Explorer.

Further reading

  • Last edited:
Was this article helpful?
Do you want to contribute? Visit the Github repository
Return to top

Didn’t find what you were looking for?

Contact Us

Do you have a particular request? Haven’t found what you were looking for in the articles we suggested? No worries, email us and we’ll answer as soon as possible.

Ask the Community

If you need a hand picking up the appropriate board for your next creation or just need help with a project, head over Discord to ask the community.

Project Hub

Get inspired by a variety of tutorials, Getting Started guides, showcases and pro tips. Contribute with projects, comment tutorials and ‘Respect’ the ones you like.