OpenBBUserData Folder

The REPL reads and writes user files in folders defined by the OpenBB user preferences, which default to an OpenBBUserData folder in the home directory: /Users/<name>/OpenBBUserData on macOS, C:\Users\<name>\OpenBBUserData on Windows, and /home/<name>/OpenBBUserData on Linux and inside WSL.

Preference	Default	What the REPL does there
data_directory	~/OpenBBUserData	load --file reads paths relative to it, and save in the /feature menu writes to it.
export_directory	~/OpenBBUserData/exports	--export writes files here. Routines live in its routines subfolder: record and stop save there, and exe --file completes and resolves any .openbb file below it.

Completion lists for load --file and exe --file are rebuilt whenever the home screen's help is printed, so after adding a file, run help at the home screen to see it offered.

Changing the folders

Set the preferences in ~/.openbb_platform/user_settings.json to move the folders permanently:

{
  "preferences": {
    "data_directory": "/data/OpenBBUserData",
    "export_directory": "/data/OpenBBUserData/exports"
  }
}

For the current session only, use the /user menu, for example /user/export_directory -v "/tmp/openbb-exports"; the quotes keep the REPL from reading the slashes as menu steps. Changes made there are not saved.

Files in ~/.openbb_platform

The CLI keeps its own files next to the OpenBB user settings.

File	Contents
.cli.env	REPL settings changed through /settings. See Settings.
.cli.his	Prompt history.
openbb.toml	Optional user-global CLI configuration. See Configuration.
.env	Optional environment variables loaded at startup.
user_settings.json	OpenBB credentials, preferences, and command defaults, shared with the Python package.