Where Is claude_desktop_config.json? Claude Desktop Config File Location (Mac, Windows, Linux)

Claude Desktop keeps its local MCP server list in a file named claude_desktop_config.json. On macOS it is at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. On Windows it is at %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json, and on Linux it is at ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json.

The safest way to open it is from inside the app: open Settings, go to the Developer tab and click Edit Config. That button creates the file if it does not exist yet. One Windows install type can read a different copy of the file, which we cover below.

Checked against: the MCP project's local server guide, Anthropic's desktop extensions article and the Claude download page on 2 November 2026.

Config file location by operating system

These paths come from the official MCP quickstart for local servers. On macOS, ~/Library is hidden by default. In Finder, use Go > Go to Folder and paste the path. On Windows, paste %APPDATA%\Claude into the File Explorer address bar.

Claude Desktop is available for macOS, Windows (x64 and arm64) and Linux. The download page says "Claude Desktop for Linux is in beta and supports Ubuntu and Debian (x64 and arm64)."

How to open the file from the app

1. Click the Claude menu in your system menu bar, not the settings inside the chat window, and choose Settings....
2. Open the Developer tab in the left sidebar.
3. Click Edit Config. The MCP guide says this "creates a new configuration file if one doesn't exist, or opens your existing configuration."
4. Edit and save the file in your text editor.
5. Quit Claude Desktop completely and open it again.

Quitting matters. Closing the window is not enough on macOS or Windows, because the app keeps running in the menu bar or system tray.

What a minimal valid file looks like

The file is plain JSON with one top-level key, mcpServers. Each entry has a name you choose, a command and an args list. This example, taken from the MCP quickstart, runs the official Filesystem server on macOS:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/Users/username/Desktop",
        "/Users/username/Downloads"
      ]
    }
  }
}

On Windows, the folder paths use escaped backslashes, such as "C:\\Users\\username\\Desktop". The block was checked against the MCP quickstart on 2 November 2026. You need Node.js installed for npx to work. Our Filesystem MCP server profile explains what that server can read and change.

If the file already has other keys, such as preferences, keep them. Add mcpServers alongside them instead of replacing the whole file. If you would rather not type JSON, the free MCP config generator builds the block for you.

The Windows Store (MSIX) path trap

A long-running report on Anthropic's issue tracker describes a Windows problem. In issue #26073, opened 16 February 2026 and still open when we checked, users say Edit Config opens %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. The packaged app, though, reads %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Claude_<id>\LocalCache\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json.

The reporter blames Windows package file virtualization. Other commenters say fresh installs hit it while machines with an older non-Store install do not. Anthropic has not posted a response in the thread, so treat this as a user-reported issue, not documented behavior.

If your servers never appear on Windows:

1. Open %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\ and look for a folder whose name starts with Claude_.
2. Inside it, check LocalCache\Roaming\Claude\ for a second claude_desktop_config.json.
3. Back up that file, then add your mcpServers block to it, keeping any existing keys.
4. Restart Claude Desktop.

Users in the thread also report that installing the server as a desktop extension (.mcpb file) avoids the config file entirely.

How to confirm the file loaded

After a restart, click the "Add files, connectors, and more" button at the bottom left of the message box. Hover over Connectors and click Manage connectors. Your server should be listed by the name you gave it, with its tools.

If it is missing, open the log folder from the table above. The MCP quickstart says mcp.log holds "general logging about MCP connections and connection failures," and mcp-server-SERVERNAME.log files hold each server's stderr output. On macOS you can follow them live:

tail -n 20 -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log

Common mistakes

• Invalid JSON. A missing comma or an extra trailing comma stops the whole file from loading. Paste it into a JSON validator first.
• Relative paths. The quickstart says paths must be "absolute and not relative."
• Editing while the app runs, then not restarting. Changes only load on launch.
• Expecting the file to feed Claude on the web. Anthropic's support article says servers in this file "aren't available in Cowork or claude.ai." Remote servers go in Customize > Connectors instead.
• Windows ${APPDATA} errors. The MCP guide suggests adding the expanded APPDATA path to the server's env block if logs show ${APPDATA} in a path.

For step-by-step installs, see our Claude Desktop MCP setup on Mac and Claude Desktop MCP setup on Windows guides. If the app still ignores your file, the config not loading fix walks through each cause.

Next step

Once one local server works, decide which tools your team actually needs before adding more. Our MCP Guide covers choosing servers, and the Claude Desktop vs Claude Code comparison helps if developers on your team need file-based configs they can share.

Frequently asked questions