Reinstalling Windows or moving to a new machine? Rather than re-importing subscriptions and rewriting your Mixin, move the data directory - a five-minute exact restore.
Where everything lives
All user data of Clash for Windows sits in:
%USERPROFILE%\.config\clash(Paste into Explorer's address bar.) The contents that matter:
| File / folder | Contents | Back up? |
|---|---|---|
profiles/ | All downloaded profiles | Yes |
cfw-settings.yaml | Client settings: ports, Mixin, Parsers, switch states… | Most important |
Country.mmdb | GeoIP database | No (auto-downloaded) |
logs/ | Old logs | No |
cache/, Cache/ | UI and runtime caches | No |
Migration steps
- Old PC: quit CFW from the tray, copy the whole
.config\clashfolder to a drive. - New PC: install the same or newer CFW, launch once and fully quit (letting it create the directory structure).
- Overwrite the new PC's
.config\clashwith your backup. - Start CFW: subscriptions, Mixin, Parsers and ports should all be in place. Service Mode and autostart touch system registration - re-install/re-tick those once.
Ongoing backups
- Minimal effort: include
cfw-settings.yamlandprofiles/in your regular backup (synced folder or a private Git repo). - Privacy: profiles and settings contain subscription URLs - account credentials in effect. Never push them to a public repository.
- Portable-build users with a
datafolder: everything lives beside the executable; copying the program folder is the whole migration.
Tip: to factory-reset instead, do the reverse: quit, delete (or rename)
.config\clash, and the next launch starts clean - a surprisingly effective last resort in weird troubleshooting cases.