// WSUG Appendix Files

[#AppFiles]
(None)

[appendix]
== Files and Folders

[#ChAppFilesCaptureFilesSection]

=== Capture Files

To understand which information will remain available after the captured packets
are saved to a capture file, it’s helpful to know a bit about the capture file
contents.

Wireshark uses the
link:https://github.com/pcapng/pcapng[pcapng] file
format as the default format to save captured packets. It is very flexible
but other tools may not support it.

Wireshark also supports the
{wireshark-wiki-url}/Development/LibpcapFileFormat[libpcap] file
format. This is a much simpler format and is well established. However, it has
some drawbacks: it’s not extensible and lacks some information that would be
really helpful (e.g., being able to add a comment to a packet such as “the
problems start here” would be really nice).

In addition to the libpcap format, Wireshark supports several different capture
file formats. However, the problems described above also applies for these
formats.

[#ChIOFileContentSection]

==== Libpcap File Contents

At the start of each libpcap capture file some basic information is stored like
a magic number to identify the libpcap file format. The most interesting
information of this file start is the link layer type (Ethernet, 802.11,
MPLS, etc.).

The following data is saved for each packet:

* The timestamp with millisecond resolution

* The packet length as it was “on the wire”

* The packet length as it’s saved in the file

* The packet’s raw bytes

A detailed description of the libpcap file format can be found at
{wireshark-wiki-url}Development/LibpcapFileFormat

[#ChIOFileNotContentSection]

==== Not Saved in the Capture File

You should also know the things that are _not saved_ in capture files:

* Current selections (selected packet, ...)

* Name resolution information. See <<ChAdvNameResolutionSection>> for details
+
--
Pcapng files can optionally save name resolution information. Libpcap files
can’t. Other file formats have varying levels of support.
--

* The number of packets dropped while capturing

* Packet marks set with “Edit/Mark Packet”

* Time references set with “Edit/Time Reference”

* The current display filter

[#ChConfigurationPluginFolders]

=== Configuration File and Plugin Folders

To match the different policies for Unix-like systems and Windows, and
different policies used on different Unix-like systems, the folders
containing configuration files and plugins are different on different
platforms.  We indicate the location of the top-level folders under
which configuration files and plugins are stored here, giving them
placeholder names independent of their actual location, and use those
names later when giving the location of the folders for configuration
files and plugins.

[TIP]
====
A list of the folders Wireshark actually uses can be found under the _Folders_
tab in the dialog box shown when you select _About Wireshark_ from the _Help_
menu.
====

==== Folders on Windows

_%APPDATA%_ is the personal application data folder.
This is usually _C:\Users{backslash}**username**\AppData\Roaming_ .
Wireshark stores its data in _%APPDATA%\Wireshark_. (more details can be
found at: <<ChWindowsProfiles>>).

_WIRESHARK_ is the Wireshark program folder, e.g.: _C:\Program
Files\Wireshark_.

==== Folders on Unix-like systems

_$XDG_CONFIG_HOME_ is the folder for user-specific configuration files.
It’s usually _$HOME/.config_, where _$HOME_ is the user’s home folder, which
is usually something such as _/home/**username**_, or
_/Users/**username**_ on macOS.

If you are using macOS and you are running a copy of Wireshark
installed as an application bundle, _APPDIR_ is the top-level directory
of the Wireshark application bundle, which will typically be
_/Applications/Wireshark.app_.  Otherwise, _INSTALLDIR_ is the top-level
directory under which reside the subdirectories in which components of
Wireshark are installed.  This will typically be `/usr` if Wireshark is
bundled with the system (for example, provided as a package with a Linux
distribution) and _/usr/local_ if, for example, you’ve built Wireshark
from source and installed it.

[#ChAppFilesConfigurationSection]

=== Configuration Files

Wireshark uses a number of configuration files while it is running. Some of these
reside in the personal configuration folder and are used to maintain information
between runs of Wireshark, while some of them are maintained in system areas.

The content format of the configuration files is the same on all platforms.

On Windows:

* The personal configuration folder for Wireshark is the
_Wireshark_ sub-folder of that folder, i.e., _%APPDATA%\Wireshark_.

* The global configuration folder for Wireshark is the Wireshark program
folder and is also used as the system configuration folder.

On Unix-like systems:

* The personal configuration folder is
_$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/wireshark_.  For backwards compatibility with
Wireshark before 2.2, if _$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/wireshark_ does not
exist and _$HOME/.wireshark_ is present, then the latter will be used.

* If you are using macOS and you are running a copy of Wireshark
installed as an application bundle, the global configuration folder is
_APPDIR/Contents/Resources/share/wireshark_.  Otherwise, the
global configuration folder is _INSTALLDIR/share/wireshark_.

* The _/etc_ folder is the system configuration folder.  The folder
actually used on your system may vary, maybe something like:
_/usr/local/etc_.

[#AppFilesTabFolders]
.Configuration files overview
[options="header"]
|===
|File/Folder|Description
|_cfilters_|Capture filters.
|_colorfilters_|Coloring rules.
|__dfilter_buttons__|Display filter buttons.
|_dfilters_|Display filters.
|__disabled_protos__|Disabled protocols.
|__dmacros__|Display filter macros.
|_ethers_|Ethernet name resolution.
|_hosts_|IPv4 and IPv6 name resolution.
|_ipxnets_|IPX name resolution.
|_manuf_|Ethernet name resolution.
|_preferences_|Settings from the Preferences dialog box.
|_recent_|Per-profile GUI settings.
|__recent_common__|Common GUI settings.
|_services_|Network services.
|_ss7pcs_|SS7 point code resolution.
|_subnets_|IPv4 subnet name resolution.
|_subnetsipv6_|IPv6 subnet name resolution.
|_vlans_|VLAN ID name resolution.
|_wka_|Well-known MAC addresses.
|===

[discrete]
===== File contents

cfilters::
+
--
This file contains all the capture filters that you have defined and saved. It
consists of one or more lines, where each line has the following format:

----
"<filter name>" <filter string>
----

At program start, if there is a _cfilters_ file in the personal
configuration folder, it is read.  If there isn’t a _cfilters_ file in
the personal configuration folder, then, if there is a _cfilters_ file
in the global configuration folder, it is read.

When you press the Save button in the “Capture Filters” dialog box,
all the current capture filters are written to the personal capture
filters file.
--

colorfilters::
+
--
This file contains all the color filters that you have defined and saved. It
consists of one or more lines, where each line has the following format:

----
@<filter name>@<filter string>@[<bg RGB(16-bit)>][<fg RGB(16-bit)>]
----

At program start, if there is a _colorfilters_ file in the personal
configuration folder, it is read.  If there isn’t a _colorfilters_ file
in the personal configuration folder, then, if there is a _colorfilters_
file in the global configuration folder, it is read.

When you press the Save button in the “Coloring Rules” dialog box,
all the current color filters are written to the personal color filters
file.
--

dfilter_buttons::
+
--
This file contains all the display filter buttons that you have defined and
saved. It consists of one or more lines, where each line has the following
format:

----
"TRUE/FALSE","<button label>","<filter string>","<comment string>"
----

where the first field is TRUE if the button is enabled (shown).

At program start, if there is a __dfilter_buttons__ file in the personal
configuration folder, it is read. If there isn’t a __dfilter_buttons__ file
in the personal configuration folder, then, if there is a __dfilter_buttons__
file in the global configuration folder, it is read.

When you save any changes to the filter buttons, all the current display
filter buttons are written to the personal display filter buttons file.
--

dfilters::
+
--
This file contains all the display filters that you have defined and saved. It
consists of one or more lines, where each line has the following format:

----
"<filter name>" <filter string>
----

At program start, if there is a _dfilters_ file in the personal
configuration folder, it is read.  If there isn’t a _dfilters_ file in
the personal configuration folder, then, if there is a _dfilters_ file
in the global configuration folder, it is read.

When you press the Save button in the “Display Filters” dialog box,
all the current display filters are written to the personal display
filters file.
--

disabled_protos::
+
--
Each line in this file specifies a disabled protocol name. The following are
some examples:

----
tcp
udp
----

At program start, if there is a __disabled_protos__ file in the global
configuration folder, it is read first.  Then, if there is a
__disabled_protos__ file in the personal configuration folder, that is
read; if there is an entry for a protocol set in both files, the setting
in the personal disabled protocols file overrides the setting in the
global disabled protocols file.

When you press the Save button in the “Enabled Protocols” dialog box,
the current set of disabled protocols is written to the personal
disabled protocols file.
--

dmacros::
+
--
This file contains all the display filter macros that you have defined and saved.
It consists of one or more lines, where each line has the following format:

----
"<macro name>" <macro expression>
----

At program start, if there is a __dmacros__ file in the personal
configuration folder, it is read. If there isn’t a __dmacros__ file
in the personal configuration folder, then, if there is a __dmacros__
file in the global configuration folder, it is read.

In versions of Wireshark prior to 4.4, the display filter macros were
stored in a __dfilter_macros__ file with a somewhat different format,
a <<ChUserTable,UAT>>. At program start if the __dmacros__ file
is not found a __dfilter_macros__ file is looked for in the personal and
global configuration folders and converted to the new format.

When you press the Save button in the "Display Filter Macros" dialog box,
all the current display filter macros are written to the personal display
filter macros file.

More information about Display Filter Macros is available in
<<ChWorkDefineFilterMacrosSection>>
--

ethers::
+
--
When Wireshark is trying to translate a hardware MAC or EUI-64 address to
a name, it consults the _ethers_ file in the personal configuration
folder first.  If the address is not found in that file, Wireshark
consults the _ethers_ file in the system configuration folder.

This file has a similar format to the _/etc/ethers_ file on some UNIX-like systems.
Each line in these files consists of one hardware address and name separated by
whitespace (tabs or spaces). The hardware addresses are expressed as pairs
of hexadecimal digits separated by colons (:), dashes (-), or periods(.), with
the same separator used in the entire address. A `#` can be used to indicate
a comment that extends to the rest of the line. NIS lookups, as in some
UNIX-like systems, are not supported. Both 6 byte MAC and 8 byte EUI-64 addresses
are supported. The following are some examples:

----
ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff    Broadcast
c0-00-ff-ff-ff-ff    TR_broadcast
00.2b.08.93.4b.a1    Freds_machine
00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00    zb_zero_broadcast
----

The settings from this file are read in at program start, and reloaded when
opening a new capture file or changing the configuration profile, and never
written by Wireshark.
--

hosts::
+
--
Wireshark uses the entries in the _hosts_ files to translate IPv4 and
IPv6 addresses into names.

Wireshark reads hosts files from multiple locations in a hierarchical manner:

1. Global hosts file (e.g., `C:\Program Files\Wireshark\hosts` on Windows)
2. Base personal hosts file (e.g., `%APPDATA%\Wireshark\hosts` on Windows)
3. Profile hosts file (e.g., `%APPDATA%\Wireshark\profiles\<name>\hosts` on Windows)

All three files are read in sequence. When entries conflict, the last file
loaded wins, creating a three-tier precedence system:
- Enterprise/global settings (lowest priority)
- User-wide personal overrides (medium priority)
- Profile-specific overrides (highest priority)

The profile hosts file is always loaded when name resolution is enabled. The
base personal hosts file allows users to maintain user-wide name resolution
mappings across all profiles without needing write access to system
directories or duplicating entries in every profile.

This file has the same format as the usual _/etc/hosts_ file on Unix systems.

An example is:

----
# Comments must be prepended by the # sign!
192.168.0.1 homeserver
----

The settings from these files are read in at program start, and reloaded when
opening a new capture file or changing the configuration profile, and never
written by Wireshark.
--

ipxnets::
+
--
When Wireshark is trying to translate an IPX network number to
a name, it consults the _ipxnets_ file in the personal configuration
folder first.  If the address is not found in that file, Wireshark
consults the _ipxnets_ file in the system configuration folder.


An example is:
----
C0.A8.2C.00      HR
c0-a8-1c-00      CEO
00:00:BE:EF      IT_Server1
110f             FileServer3
----

The settings from this file are read in when an IPX network number is to
be translated to a name, and never written by Wireshark.
--

manuf::
+
--
At program start, if there is a _manuf_ file in the global configuration
folder, it is read first.  Then, if there is a _manuf_ file in the personal
configuration folder, that is read; if there is an entry for a given address
prefix in both files, the setting in the personal file overrides the entry
in the global file.

The entries in this file are used to translate MAC address prefixes into short and long manufacturer names.
Each line consists of a MAC address prefix followed by an abbreviated manufacturer name and the full manufacturer name.
Prefixes 24 bits long by default and may be followed by an optional length.
Note that this is not the same format as the _ethers_ file, which does not
allow prefix lengths.

Examples are:

----
00:00:01        Xerox   Xerox Corporation
00:50:C2:00:30:00/36      Microsoft        Microsoft
----

In earlier versions of Wireshark, official information from the IEEE
Registration Authority was distributed in this format as the _manuf_ file
in the global configuration folder. In current versions of Wireshark, this
information is compiled into the program to speed startup, but if a file
is present in the global configuration folder it is still read, and can
be used to supplement or replace the official data just as the personal
file does. The compiled-in information can be written out in this format
as a report with `tshark -G manuf`.

The settings from this file are read in at program start, and reloaded when
opening a new capture file or changing the configuration profile, and never
written by Wireshark.
--

preferences::
+
--
This file contains your Wireshark preferences, including defaults for capturing
and displaying packets. It is a simple text file containing statements of the
form:

----
variable: value
----

At program start, if there is a _preferences_ file in the global
configuration folder, it is read first.  Then, if there is a
_preferences_ file in the personal configuration folder, that is read;
if there is a preference set in both files, the setting in the personal
preferences file overrides the setting in the global preference file.

If you press the Save button in the “Preferences” dialog box, all the
current settings are written to the personal preferences file.
--

recent::
+
--
This file contains GUI settings that are specific to the current profile, such as column widths and toolbar visibility.
It is a simple text file containing statements of the form:

----
variable: value
----

It is read at program start and written when preferences are saved and at program exit.
It is also written and read whenever you switch to a different profile.
--

recent_common::
+
--
This file contains common GUI settings, such as recently opened capture files, recently used filters, and window geometries.
It is a simple text file containing statements of the form:

----
variable: value
----

It is read at program start and written when preferences are saved and at program exit.
--

services::
+
--
Wireshark uses the _services_ files to translate port numbers into names.

At program start, if there is a _services_ file in the global
configuration folder, it is read first.  Then, if there is a _services_
file in the personal configuration folder, that is read; if there is an
entry for a given port number in both files, the setting in the personal
_services_ file overrides the entry in the global _services_ file.
The format is that of the standard _services(5)_ file on UNIX-compatible
systems.

An example is:

----
mydns       5045/udp     # My own Domain Name Server
mydns       5045/tcp     # My own Domain Name Server
----

In earlier versions of Wireshark, official information from the IANA
Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry was distributed
in this format as the _services_ file in the global configuration folder.
In current versions of Wireshark, this information is compiled into the
program to speed startup, but if a file is present in the global configuration
folder it is still read, and can be used to supplement or replace the official
data just as the personal file does. The compiled-in information can be
written out in this format as a report with `tshark -G services`.

The settings from this file are read in at program start, and reloaded when
opening a new capture file or changing the configuration profile, and never
written by Wireshark.
--

ss7pcs::
+
--
Wireshark uses the _ss7pcs_ file to translate SS7 point codes to node names.

At program start, if there is a _ss7pcs_ file in the personal
configuration folder, it is read.

Each line in this file consists of one network indicator followed by a dash followed by a point code in decimal and a node name separated by whitespace or tab.

An example is:
----
2-1234 MyPointCode1
----

The settings from this file are read in at program start, and reloaded when
opening a new capture file opens or changing the configuration profile,
and never written by Wireshark.
--

subnets and subnetsipv6::
+
--
Wireshark uses the __subnets__ and __subnetsipv6__ files to translate an IP
address into a subnet name.  If no exact match from a __hosts__ file or from
DNS is found, Wireshark will attempt a partial match for the subnet of the
address.

At program start, if there is a _subnets_ or _subnetsipv6_ file in the
personal configuration folder, it is read first.  Then, if there is a
_subnets_ or _subnetsipv6_ file in the global configuration folder, that is
read; if there is a preference set in both files, the setting in the global
preferences file overrides the setting in the personal preference file.

Each line in one of these files consists of an IP address, a subnet
mask length separated only by a “/” and a name separated by whitespace.
While the address must be a full IP address, any values beyond the
mask length are subsequently ignored.

An example is:
----
# Comments must be prepended by the # sign!
192.168.0.0/24 ws_test_network
----

or

----
2001:DB8::/32   documentation
----

A partially matched name will be printed as “subnet-name.remaining-address”.
For example, “192.168.0.1” under the subnet above would be printed as
“ws_test_network.1”; if the mask length above had been 16 rather than 24, the
printed address would be “ws_test_network.0.1”.

The settings from these files are read in at program start, and reloaded when
opening a new capture file or changing the configuration profile, and never
written by Wireshark.

The __subnets__ file also changes the behavior of the Endpoints and
Conversations Statistics dialogs for the IPv4 protocol when the IPv4 user
preference _Aggregate subnets in Statistics Dialogs_ is enabled. In this
case, when an IPv4 address matches a subnet, the statistics dialog will
show this subnet instead of the IPv4 address.
--

vlans::
+
--
Wireshark uses the _vlans_ file to translate VLAN tag IDs into names.

If there is a _vlans_ file in the currently active profile folder, it is used. Otherwise, the _vlans_ file in the personal configuration folder is used.

Each line in this file consists of one VLAN tag ID and a describing name separated by whitespace or tab.

An example is:
----
123     Server-LAN
2049    HR-Client-LAN
----

The settings from this file are read in when a VLAN ID is to be translated
to a name, and never written by Wireshark.
--

wka::
+
--
At program start, if there is a _wka_ file in the global configuration folder,
it is read.

The entries in this file are used to translate MAC addresses and MAC address
prefixes into names. The format is that of the _manuf_ file. This file is
distributed with Wireshark, and contains data assembled from various non IEEE
but respected sources.

The settings from this file are read in at program start, and reloaded when
opening a new capture file or changing the configuration profile, and never
written by Wireshark.
--

[#ChPluginFolders]

=== Plugin folders

Wireshark supports plugins for various purposes.  Plugins can either be
scripts written in Lua or code written in C or {cpp} and compiled to
machine code.

Wireshark looks for plugins in both a personal plugin folder and a
global plugin folder.  Lua plugins are stored in the plugin folders;
compiled plugins are stored in subfolders of the plugin folders, with
the subfolder name being the Wireshark minor version number (X.Y). There is
another hierarchical level for each Wireshark plugin type (libwireshark,
libwiretap and codecs). So for example the location for a libwireshark plugin
_foo.so_ (_foo.dll_ on Windows) would be _PLUGINDIR/X.Y/epan_
(libwireshark used to be called libepan; the other folder names are _codecs_
and _wiretap_).

On Windows:

* The personal plugin folder is _%APPDATA%\Wireshark\plugins_.

* The global plugin folder is _WIRESHARK\plugins_.

On Unix-like systems:

* The personal plugin folder is _~/.local/lib/wireshark/plugins_.

[NOTE]
====
To provide better support for binary plugins this folder changed in Wireshark 2.5.
It is recommended to use the new folder but *for Lua scripts only* you may
continue to use _$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/wireshark/plugins_ for backward-compatibility.
This is useful to have older versions of Wireshark installed side-by-side. In case
of duplicate file names between old and new the new folder wins.
====

* If you are running on macOS and Wireshark is installed as an
application bundle, the global plugin folder is
_%APPDIR%/Contents/PlugIns/wireshark_, otherwise it’s
_INSTALLDIR/lib/wireshark/plugins_.

[#ChWindowsFolder]

=== Windows folders

Here you will find some details about the folders used in Wireshark on different
Windows versions.

As already mentioned, you can find the currently used folders in the “About
Wireshark” dialog.

[#ChWindowsProfiles]

==== Windows profiles

Windows uses some special directories to store user configuration files which
define the “user profile”. This can be confusing, as the default directory
location changed from Windows version to version and might also be different for
English and internationalized versions of Windows.

[NOTE]
====
If you’ve upgraded to a new Windows version, your profile might be kept in the
former location. The defaults mentioned here might not apply.
====

The following guides you to the right place where to look for Wireshark’s
profile data.

Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and associated server editions::
_C:\Users{backslash}**username**\AppData\Roaming\Wireshark_.

Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 footnote:historical[No longer supported by Wireshark. For historical reference only.]::
_C:\Documents and Settings{backslash}**username**\Application Data_. “Documents and
Settings” and “Application Data” might be internationalized.

[#ChWindowsRoamingProfiles]

==== Windows roaming profiles

Some larger Windows environments use roaming profiles. If this is the case the
configurations of all programs you use won’t be saved on your local hard drive.
They will be stored on the domain server instead.

Your settings will travel with you from computer to computer with one exception.
The “Local Settings” folder in your profile data (typically something like:
_C:\Documents and Settings{backslash}**username**\Local Settings_) will not be
transferred to the domain server. This is the default for temporary capture
files.

[#ChWindowsTempFolder]

==== Windows temporary folder

Wireshark uses the folder which is set by the TMPDIR or TEMP environment
variable. This variable will be set by the Windows installer.

Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and associated server editions::
_C:\Users{backslash}**username**\AppData\Local\Temp_

Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 footnote:historical[]::
_C:\Documents and Settings{backslash}**username**\Local Settings\Temp_

// End of WSUG Appendix Files
