---
title: IDE Development Instances - Settings, Caches, Logs, and Plugins
---

A JetBrains feature for developing plugins is to run or debug a plugin project from within a JetBrains IDE, e.g. IntelliJ IDEA. 
[Selecting the **Run** menu](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/running-and-debugging-plugins.html) will launch 
a _Development Instance_ of the IDE with your plugin enabled. 

This page describes where the settings, caches, logs, and plugins are located for a Development Instance of the IDE.
This information is stored in a different location than for the
[installed IDE itself](https://intellij-support.jetbrains.com/hc/en-us/articles/206544519-Directories-used-by-the-IDE-to-store-settings-caches-plugins-and-logs).
Please review the documentation for the installed IDE to understand conventions about product names and versions.
These conventions are used below.

### Directory Locations for Development Instances of the IDE
Development Instance configuration data is stored in the **Sandbox Home** directory defined in the IntelliJ Platform SDK
for a plugin project. See [Specify the **Sandbox Home** directory](/basics/getting_started/setting_up_environment.md) for information about
specifying a custom **Sandbox Home** location.

The default **Sandbox Home** directory locations are:  
* **Windows:** `<User home>\.<product_system_name><product_version>\system\plugins-sandbox\`
* **Linux:** `~/.<product_system_name><product_version>/system/plugins-sandbox/`
* **Macos** `~/Library/Caches/<product_system_name><product_version>/plugins-sandbox/`

Within those directories are folders pertaining to the Development Instance:
* `config` contains settings for the IDE instance.
* `plugins` contains folders for each plugin being run in the IDE instance. 
* `system/caches or system\caches` holds the IDE instance data.
* `system/log or system\log` contains the `idea.log` file for the IDE instance.

Each of these **Sandbox Home** subdirectories can be manually cleared to reset the IDE Development Instance. 
At the next launch of a Development Instance the subdirectories will be repopulated with the appropriate information.