Jan Data Folder

Jan stores all your data locally on your computer. No cloud storage, no external servers - everything stays on your machine.

Quick Access

Via Jan Interface:

1. Go to Settings (⚙️) > Advanced Settings
2. Click the folder icon 📁

Via File Explorer:

Windows

%APPDATA%\Jan\data

macOS

~/Library/Application Support/Jan/data

Linux

# Default installation
~/.config/Jan/data

# Custom installation
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/Jan/data

Monitoring Server Logs

When Jan’s local server is running, you can monitor real-time activity in the logs folder:

Live Log Monitoring

Real-time logs show:

• API requests and responses
• Model loading and inference activity
• Error messages and warnings
• Performance metrics
• Connection attempts from external applications

Accessing logs:

• In Jan: System Monitor (footer) > App Log
• File location: /logs/app.log

Log Categories

Log Type	What It Shows	When It’s Useful
[APP]	Core application events	Startup issues, crashes, general errors
[SERVER]	API server activity	Connection problems, request failures
[SPECS]	Hardware information	Performance issues, compatibility problems
[MODEL]	Model operations	Loading failures, inference errors

Data Structure

jan/
├── assistants/          # AI personality settings
│   └── jan/
│       └── assistant.json
├── engines/             # Engine configurations
│   └── llama.cpp/
├── extensions/          # Add-on modules
│   └── extensions.json
├── logs/               # Server and application logs
│   └── app.log         # Main log file
├── models/             # Downloaded AI models
│   └── huggingface.co/
└── threads/            # Chat conversations
    └── thread_id/
        ├── messages.jsonl
        └── thread.json

Key Folders Explained

/logs/ - Server Activity Hub

Contains all application and server logs. Essential for troubleshooting and monitoring API activity.

What you’ll find:

• Real-time server requests
• Model loading status
• Error diagnostics
• Performance data

/models/ - AI Model Storage

Where your downloaded models live. Each model includes:

• model.gguf - The actual AI model file
• model.json - Configuration and metadata

/threads/ - Chat History

Every conversation gets its own folder with:

• messages.jsonl - Complete chat history
• thread.json - Thread metadata and settings

/assistants/ - AI Personalities

Configuration files that define how your AI assistants behave, including their instructions and available tools.

Privacy & Security

Your data stays local:

• No cloud backups or syncing
• Files stored in standard JSON/JSONL formats
• Complete control over your data
• Easy to backup or migrate

File permissions:

• Only you and Jan can access these files
• Standard user-level permissions
• No elevated access required

Note

When using cloud AI services through Jan, those conversations follow the cloud provider’s data policies. Local model conversations never leave your computer.

Common Tasks

Backup Your Data

Copy the entire Jan data folder to backup:

• All chat history
• Model configurations
• Assistant settings
• Extension data

Clear Chat History

Delete individual thread folders in /threads/ or use Jan’s interface to delete conversations.

Export Conversations

Thread files are in standard JSON format - readable by any text editor or compatible with other applications.

Troubleshooting Data Issues

1. Check /logs/app.log for error messages
2. Verify folder permissions
3. Ensure sufficient disk space
4. Restart Jan if files appear corrupted

Uninstalling Jan

If you need to completely remove Jan and all data:

Keep data (reinstall later): Just uninstall the application Remove everything: Delete the Jan data folder after uninstalling

Detailed uninstall guides:

• macOS
• Windows
• Linux