# Session file

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-file/71480>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [November 17, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-file/71480 "2005-11-17T18:21:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tmatsumoto](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tmatsumoto](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tmatsumoto)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-file/71480/1 "2005-11-17T18:21:31Z")

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Hi

Does anyone know where the session file, storing cookie data, is?

Thanks,

Todd

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**Author:** ![tmatsumoto](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tmatsumoto](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tmatsumoto)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-file/71480/2 "2005-11-17T18:23:42Z")

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> Does anyone know where the session file, storing cookie data, is?

In my experience (linux/mac os) usually in the most recent file called  
/tmp/ruby-sess\*

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**Author:** ![tmatsumoto](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tmatsumoto](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tmatsumoto)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-file/71480/3 "2005-11-17T18:25:35Z")

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epo001 wrote:

> In my experience (linux/mac os) usually in the most recent file called  
> /tmp/ruby-sess\*

OOps make that /tmp/ruby\_sess.\*

☹

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tmatsumoto](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tmatsumoto](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tmatsumoto)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 7:06pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-file/71480/4 "2005-11-17T19:06:50Z")

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on MS Windows PStore puts them in,  
C:\Documents and Settings\<your\_home\_directory\>\Local Settings\Temp

i believe PStore is the default backing store for session files.

And cookies are in  
C:\Documents and Settings\<your\_home\_directory\>\Local  
Settings\Temporary Internet Files

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tmatsumoto](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tmatsumoto](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tmatsumoto)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 10:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-file/71480/5 "2005-11-18T22:57:47Z")

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So they are normally stored on the temporary directory.  
On windows machines that is referred as %temp%

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**Author:** ![tmatsumoto](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tmatsumoto](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tmatsumoto)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-file/71480/6 "2005-11-18T20:08:39Z")

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tmatsumoto wrote:

> Hi
> 
> Does anyone know where the session file, storing cookie data, is?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Todd

On Windows XP, Rails sessions are in files like

```
C:\WINDOWS\Temp\ruby_sess.2a9778de5955c4a9

```

Note that these store serialised session state, not cookies.

regards

Justin