File

The File tab in User Preferences allows you to configure auto-save preferences and set default file paths for blend-files, rendered images, and more.

../_images/preferences_file_tab.png

File Paths

Locations for various external files can be set for the following options:

Fonts
Default location when searching for font files.
Textures
Default location when searching for image textures.
Render Output
Where rendered images/videos are saved.
Scripts
An additional location to search for Python scripts. See Scripts Path below.
Sounds
Default location when searching for sound files.
Temp
The location where temporary files are stored.
Render Cache
The location where cached render images are stored.
I18n Branches
The path to the /branches directory of your local svn-translation copy, to allow translating from the UI.
Image Editor
The path to an external program to use for image editing.
Animation Player
The path to an external program to use for playback of rendered animations.

Note

If these folders do not exist, they will not be created automatically.

Scripts Path

By default Blender looks in several directories (OS dependant) for scripts. By setting a user script path in the preferences an additional directory is looked in. This can be used to store certain scripts/templates/presets independently of the currently used Blender Version.

Inside the specified folder, specific subfolders have to be created to tell Blender what to look for where. This folder structure has to mirror the structure of the scripts folder found in the installation directory of Blender:

  • scripts
  • add-ons
  • modules
  • presets
  • camera
  • cloth
  • interface_theme
  • operator
  • render
  • ...
  • startup
  • templates Not all of the folders have to be present.

Warning

Be sure that you have the right privileges for running the executable accessing the path defined. On MS-Windows for instance, if the option “Run this program as an administrator” is enabled for the executable, it will lead to a failure to open the editor due to a limitation within the OS User Account Control. Running a program with elevated privileges is potentially dangerous!

Auto Execution

Python scripts (including driver expressions) are not executed by default for security reasons.

Auto Run Python Scripts
You may choose to ignore these security issues and allow scripts to be executed automatically.
Excluded Paths
Blend files in these folders will not automatically run Python scripts. This can be used to define where blend-files from untrusted sources are kept.

See also

Python Security

Save & Load

Relative Paths
By default, external files use a relative path.
Compress File

Compress blend-file when saving.

This option will compact your files whenever Blender is saving them. Dense meshes, large packed textures or lots of elements in your scene will result in a large blend being created.

This option may slow down Blender when you quit, or under normal operation when Blender is saving your backup files. Using this option traces processor time for file-size.

Load UI
Default setting is to load the Window layout (the Screens) of the saved file. This can be changed individually when loading a file from the Open blend-file panel of the File Browser.
Filter File Extensions

By activating this, the file region in the File Browser will only show appropriate files (i.e. blend-files when loading a complete Blender setting). The selection of file types may be changed in the file region.

../_images/preferences_file-filefilter.png

File extension filter.

Hide Dot File/Data-blocks
Hide file which start with . on file browsers (in Linux and Apple systems, . files are hidden).
Hide Recent Locations
Hide the Recent panel of the File Browser which displays recently accessed folders.
Hide System Bookmarks
Hide System Bookmarks in the File Browser.
Show Thumbnails
Display a thumbnail of images and movies when using the File Browser.
Save Versions

Number of versions created for the same file (for backup).

This option tells Blender to keep the indicated number of saved versions of your file in your current working directory when you manually save a file. These files will have the extension: .blend1, .blend2, etc., with the number increasing to the number of versions you specify. Older files will be named with a higher number. e.g. With the default setting of 2, you will have three versions of your file: *.blend (your last save), *.blend1 (your second last save) and *.blend2 (your third last save).

Recent Files
Number of files displayed in File ‣ Open Recent.
Save Preview Images
Previews of images and materials in the File Browser are created on demand. To save these previews into your blend-file, enable this option (at the cost of increasing the size of your blend-file).

Auto Save

Keep Session
Always saves the blend-file after quiting Blender and reloads it after re-starting Blender.
Auto Save Temporary Files

Enable Auto Save (create a temporary file).

Checking this box tells Blender to automatically save a backup copy of your work-in-progress to the Temp directory (refer to the File tab in the User Preferences for its location).

The Auto Saved files are named using a random number and have a blend extension.

Timer

Time to wait between automatic saves.

This specifies the number of minutes between each Auto Save. The default value of the Blender installation is 5 (5 minutes). The minimum is 1, and the Maximum is 60 (Save at every one hour).

Read more about Auto Save options.

Text Editor

Tabs as Spaces
When hitting Tab the tabs get written as keyboard spaces.
Author
Name that will be used in exported files when the format supports such feature.