Export your Orca Slicer settings through the File menu or by locating your config folder

Orca Slicer stores your print profiles, material settings, and printer configurations in files you can copy and share. The fastest way to export is through File > Export in the main menu, which lets you save individual profiles as .orca files. If you want everything at once — all your custom settings, printer definitions, and material presets — you can copy your entire config folder directly from your computer's file system. This folder location varies by operating system, but Orca Slicer always stores it in the same predictable place.

Exporting matters because it lets you back up your work, move settings between computers, or share proven profiles with others in your printing community. A profile that works perfectly for your resin printer or filament brand becomes portable instead of locked to one installation.

Key Takeaways

  • Use File > Export in Orca Slicer to save individual profiles as .orca files that you can share or back up.
  • Your full config folder — containing all profiles, materials, and printer settings — lives in a specific location based on your operating system: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\OrcaSlicer on Windows, ~/Library/Application Support/OrcaSlicer on macOS, and ~/.config/OrcaSlicer on Linux.
  • Copying your entire config folder creates a complete backup that you can restore on another computer by pasting it into the same location.
  • Imported .orca files merge with your existing settings rather than replacing them, so you can safely test profiles from others without losing your own.

Exporting individual profiles through the Orca Slicer interface

The simplest export path is through the menu. Open Orca Slicer, then go to File > Export. A dialog appears asking which type of profile you want to export: printer, filament, or process. Select the category, then choose the specific profile from the list that appears. Click the profile name to highlight it, then confirm the export. Orca Slicer saves it as a .orca file to your Downloads folder or wherever you choose.

This method works best when you have one or two profiles you want to share or back up. If someone sends you a .orca file, you import it the same way: File > Import, then select the file. The profile appears in your list without overwriting anything you already have. You can then edit it, rename it, or delete it like any other profile.

Finding and copying your full config folder

If you want to export everything — every printer you've set up, every material profile, every process setting — copy your config folder. This folder holds all of Orca Slicer's data in one place. On Windows, open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\OrcaSlicer. The AppData folder is hidden by default, so you may need to show hidden files first: click View in the File Explorer menu, then check "Hidden items".

On macOS, open Finder and press Command+Shift+G to open the "Go to Folder" dialog. Type ~/Library/Application Support/OrcaSlicer and press Enter. On Linux, open your file manager and navigate to ~/.config/OrcaSlicer. The tilde (~) represents your home directory. Once you've found the folder, right-click it and select Copy, then paste it wherever you want to store the backup — an external drive, a cloud folder, or another computer.

Restoring settings on a new computer or installation

To move your settings to another computer, copy your backed-up config folder to the same location on that machine. If Orca Slicer is already running, close it first. Then paste the folder into the correct path for that operating system. When you restart Orca Slicer, it reads the config folder and loads all your profiles, printers, and materials exactly as they were.

If you want to merge settings instead of replacing them — for example, keeping some existing profiles while adding new ones from a backup — copy only the specific files you need. Inside the config folder you'll find subfolders like printer, filament, and process. You can copy individual .json files from these folders into the corresponding folders on your new installation. This approach takes more time but gives you fine control over what gets restored.

Sharing profiles with other users

When you export a single profile as a .orca file, it's a complete, portable package. Someone else can import it into their Orca Slicer without needing your entire config folder. This is the standard way to share a profile that works well for a specific printer model, resin type, or filament brand. The person receiving it simply uses File > Import, selects your .orca file, and the profile appears in their list.

If you're sharing a profile, include a note about what it's optimized for: the printer model, the material (including brand and color if relevant), the layer height, and any special settings you changed. This context helps others know whether the profile will work for their setup or whether they need to adjust it. Profiles are starting points, not universal solutions — someone with a different printer or material may need to tweak temperatures, speeds, or support density.

Troubleshooting export and import problems

If you export a profile but can't find the file, check your Downloads folder first — that's where Orca Slicer saves exports by default unless you chose a different location. If the file is there but won't import, make sure it has a .orca extension. Some systems hide file extensions, so a file named "my_profile" might actually be "my_profile.orca" — the import dialog looks for that extension specifically.

If you copied your config folder but Orca Slicer doesn't show your profiles after restarting, check that the folder is in the correct location for your operating system. A common mistake is pasting it into the wrong AppData subfolder on Windows or the wrong Library folder on macOS. Also verify that Orca Slicer was closed before you pasted the folder — if it was running, it may have written changes to the old config folder after you copied it, leaving your restored folder out of sync.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I export settings from one version of Orca Slicer and import them into a different version?

Usually yes, but older profiles may not import into much newer versions if the file format changed. Start by trying the import — Orca Slicer will tell you if there's a compatibility problem. If it fails, check the Orca Slicer release notes for your version to see if profile format changes are mentioned.

What happens if I import a profile with the same name as one I already have?

Orca Slicer renames the imported profile automatically, adding a number or suffix so both profiles exist. You can then rename the imported one to whatever you want, or delete your old version if the new one is better.

Is it safe to edit the config folder files directly?

The files inside are JSON text, so you can open and edit them with a text editor if you know what you're changing. However, Orca Slicer is usually not running when you do this — if it's open, it may overwrite your manual changes. For most users, exporting and importing through the menu is safer and simpler.

Can I sync my Orca Slicer settings across multiple computers automatically?

Orca Slicer doesn't have built-in cloud sync, but you can place your config folder in a cloud storage service like Dropbox or OneDrive and create a symbolic link to it from the normal location. This is advanced and requires command-line work — for most users, periodic manual backups or exports are more straightforward.