Restore PyCharm Scratch Files After Upgrading Versions

You upgraded PyCharm. Your scratch files are gone. Here’s how to get them back in 2 minutes.

Table of contents

The Problem

PyCharm stores scratch files separately from your projects. When you upgrade to a new major version (like 2025.1 to 2025.2), it creates a new configuration directory. Your old scratches are still there – just in the wrong folder.

Quick Fix: Copy Your Scratch Files

macOS

Find your scratch files in the old version’s folder:

# Old scratches location (replace 2025.1 with your previous version)
~/Library/Application Support/JetBrains/PyCharm2025.1/scratches/

# New location (replace 2025.2 with your current version)
~/Library/Application Support/JetBrains/PyCharm2025.2/scratches/

Copy them over:

cp -r ~/Library/Application\ Support/JetBrains/PyCharm2025.1/scratches/* \
     ~/Library/Application\ Support/JetBrains/PyCharm2025.2/scratches/

Windows

# Old scratches
%APPDATA%\JetBrains\PyCharm2025.1\scratches\

# Copy to new location
xcopy "%APPDATA%\JetBrains\PyCharm2025.1\scratches\*" ^
      "%APPDATA%\JetBrains\PyCharm2025.2\scratches\" /E /I

Linux

# Old scratches
~/.config/JetBrains/PyCharm2025.1/scratches/

# Copy to new
cp -r ~/.config/JetBrains/PyCharm2025.1/scratches/* \
     ~/.config/JetBrains/PyCharm2025.2/scratches/

Make Them Appear in PyCharm

Here’s the weird part: After copying, your scratches won’t show up immediately in the Scratches view.

The trick:

1. Open PyCharm
2. Go to Scratches and Consoles in the Project view
3. Right-click → New → Scratch File
4. Cancel the dialog

Boom. All your old scratches appear at once.

Why This Works

PyCharm indexes scratch files lazily. Creating a new scratch triggers a refresh of the scratches directory. Your copied files get discovered and indexed all at once.

Prevent Future Loss

Option 1: Use Project Scratches

Store important scratches in your project instead of globally:

1. Right-click on your project root
2. New → Scratch File
3. Choose Project scratch (not IDE scratch)

These travel with your project and survive upgrades.

Option 2: Sync Settings

Enable JetBrains settings sync:

1. File → Manage IDE Settings → Settings Sync
2. Sign in with JetBrains account
3. Enable sync

Your scratches sync across machines and versions.

Option 3: Git Your Scratches

For critical scratch files, version control them:

cd ~/Library/Application\ Support/JetBrains/PyCharm2025.2/scratches
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Backup scratches"

Find Your Config Directory

Not sure where PyCharm stores config? Open PyCharm and check:

Help → Edit Custom Properties → Look at the file path

The scratches folder is in the same parent directory.

What Else Gets Lost?

When upgrading PyCharm versions, these also don’t transfer automatically:

• Live Templates
• Code Style settings
• Database connections
• Run configurations (unless in .idea)
• Plugins (need reinstalling)

The same copy technique works for most of these – they’re all in the JetBrains config folder.

The 30-Second Version

# macOS one-liner (adjust versions)
cp -r ~/Library/Application\ Support/JetBrains/PyCharm2025.1/scratches/* ~/Library/Application\ Support/JetBrains/PyCharm2025.2/scratches/ && echo "Done. Now create a new scratch in PyCharm to see them all."

That’s it. Your scratch files are back. No more rewriting that complex regex or SQL query you perfected last month.