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How can I create a separate installation of Crates to experiment without losing my current setup?

PostedSeptember 1, 2025
UpdatedSeptember 1, 2025

If you’d like to try a new build of Crates or just experiment without affecting your main installation, you can create a fresh data set while keeping your existing one safe.

Where Crates stores your data:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Crates
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Crates

Steps

  1. Quit Crates completely. From the File menu, choose Quit App and Server. Make sure Crates is not running in the background.
  2. Locate the data folder. On macOS, open Finder and go to ~/Library/Application Support/. On Windows, open File Explorer and go to %APPDATA%.
  3. Rename your current Crates folder. Change the folder name from Crates to something else (e.g., Crates-Prod, Crates-2).
  4. Start Crates again. The app will behave like a brand-new installation. You’ll be asked to activate and set it up from scratch. Here you can experiment as much as you want, all progress will be stored on the new folder.
  5. Switch back to your old installation (optional). Quit Crates and the server again, delete or rename the current Crates folder (holding the existing data). Then rename your old folder back to Crates, then relaunch the app to resume your previous setup.
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