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Overview

Mullvad VPN uses various directories across your system for storing settings, logs, cache data, and runtime files. This guide documents all file paths used by the application.
All directory paths are defined in the mullvad-paths crate and can be customized using environment variables.

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Daemon Paths

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Settings Directory

Stores the daemon’s configuration files and persistent settings.
PlatformDefault Path
Linux/etc/mullvad-vpn/
macOS/etc/mullvad-vpn/
Windows%LOCALAPPDATA%\Mullvad VPN\
AndroidgetFilesDir()
On Windows, when running as a system service, %LOCALAPPDATA% expands to: C:\Windows\system32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local
Environment Variable: MULLVAD_SETTINGS_DIR 
# Linux/macOS
export MULLVAD_SETTINGS_DIR=/custom/settings/path

# Windows
setx MULLVAD_SETTINGS_DIR "C:\Custom\Settings\Path" /m

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Log Directory

Stores daemon and application log files.
PlatformDefault Path
Linux/var/log/mullvad-vpn/ (+ systemd)
macOS/var/log/mullvad-vpn/
WindowsC:\ProgramData\Mullvad VPN\
AndroidgetFilesDir()
Environment Variable: MULLVAD_LOG_DIR 
# Linux/macOS
export MULLVAD_LOG_DIR=/custom/logs/path

# Windows
setx MULLVAD_LOG_DIR "C:\Custom\Logs\Path" /m
On Linux, logs are also available through systemd:
journalctl -u mullvad-daemon.service

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Cache Directory

Stores temporary data such as relay lists and account information.
PlatformDefault Path
Linux/var/cache/mullvad-vpn/
macOS/Library/Caches/mullvad-vpn/
WindowsC:\ProgramData\Mullvad VPN\cache
AndroidgetCacheDir()
Environment Variable: MULLVAD_CACHE_DIR 
# Linux/macOS
export MULLVAD_CACHE_DIR=/custom/cache/path

# Windows
setx MULLVAD_CACHE_DIR "C:\Custom\Cache\Path" /m

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RPC Socket Path

The management interface socket used by the CLI and GUI to communicate with the daemon.
PlatformDefault Path
Linux/var/run/mullvad-vpn
macOS/var/run/mullvad-vpn
Windows//./pipe/Mullvad VPN
AndroidgetNoBackupFilesDir()
Environment Variable: MULLVAD_RPC_SOCKET_PATH 
# Linux/macOS
export MULLVAD_RPC_SOCKET_PATH=/custom/socket/path

# Windows
setx MULLVAD_RPC_SOCKET_PATH "\\\\.\\pipe\\CustomPipe" /m
On Windows, the RPC socket uses a named pipe instead of a Unix socket.

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Desktop Application Paths

The Electron-based GUI application stores user-specific settings separately from the daemon.

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GUI Settings File

Stores GUI preferences and window state.
PlatformPath
Linux$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/Mullvad VPN/gui_settings.json
macOS~/Library/Application Support/Mullvad VPN/gui_settings.json
Windows%LOCALAPPDATA%\Mullvad VPN\gui_settings.json
AndroidAvailable in logcat
On Linux, if $XDG_CONFIG_HOME is not set, it defaults to ~/.config.
The GUI settings file location is defined in: desktop/packages/mullvad-vpn/src/main/gui-settings.ts

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Path Hierarchy

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Linux

/etc/mullvad-vpn/           # Settings
├── settings.json
└── ...

/var/log/mullvad-vpn/       # Logs
├── daemon.log
└── ...

/var/cache/mullvad-vpn/     # Cache
├── relays.json
└── ...

/var/run/                   # Runtime
└── mullvad-vpn             # RPC socket

~/.config/Mullvad VPN/      # GUI settings
└── gui_settings.json

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macOS

/etc/mullvad-vpn/                              # Settings
├── settings.json
└── ...

/var/log/mullvad-vpn/                          # Logs
├── daemon.log
└── ...

/Library/Caches/mullvad-vpn/                   # Cache
├── relays.json
└── ...

/var/run/                                      # Runtime
└── mullvad-vpn                                # RPC socket

~/Library/Application Support/Mullvad VPN/     # GUI settings
└── gui_settings.json

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Windows

C:\Windows\system32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Mullvad VPN\
├── settings.json           # Settings
└── ...

C:\ProgramData\Mullvad VPN\
├── daemon.log              # Logs
├── cache\                  # Cache
│   ├── relays.json
│   └── ...
└── ...

\\\.\pipe\Mullvad VPN        # RPC named pipe

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Mullvad VPN\
└── gui_settings.json       # GUI settings

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Permissions

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Unix Systems (Linux/macOS)

The daemon creates directories with specific permissions to ensure security:
  • Settings directory: Root-owned, mode 0700 (owner read/write/execute only)
  • Log directory: Root-owned, readable by all users for transparency
  • Cache directory: Root-owned, readable and executable by all users
  • RPC socket: Accessible by all users by default (can be restricted with MULLVAD_MANAGEMENT_SOCKET_GROUP)

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Windows

On Windows, the daemon sets ACLs (Access Control Lists) to ensure:
  • Administrators: Full access to all directories
  • Authenticated Users: Read-only access to appropriate directories
  • SYSTEM: Full access as the service runs under the SYSTEM account

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Cleaning Up

To remove all Mullvad VPN data from your system: 
# Stop the daemon
sudo systemctl stop mullvad-daemon

# Remove all data
sudo rm -rf /etc/mullvad-vpn
sudo rm -rf /var/log/mullvad-vpn
sudo rm -rf /var/cache/mullvad-vpn
rm -rf ~/.config/"Mullvad VPN"
Removing these directories will delete all settings, logs, and cached data. You will need to reconfigure the app and log in again.

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Troubleshooting

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Permission Denied Errors

If you encounter permission errors:
  1. Ensure the daemon is running as root/SYSTEM
  2. Check directory ownership and permissions
  3. On Linux/macOS, verify SELinux or AppArmor policies aren’t blocking access

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Custom Paths Not Working

If custom environment variables aren’t being respected:
  1. Verify the environment variable is set for the daemon process, not just your user session
  2. Restart the daemon after setting environment variables
  3. Check daemon logs for path-related errors

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Disk Space Issues

If logs or cache are consuming too much space: 
# Check directory sizes
du -sh /var/log/mullvad-vpn
du -sh /var/cache/mullvad-vpn

# Safely remove old logs (daemon will recreate)
sudo systemctl stop mullvad-daemon
sudo rm /var/log/mullvad-vpn/*.log.old
sudo systemctl start mullvad-daemon

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