How to change the default project directory (folder) in Netbeans 6.9?

Under Windows 7, logged in under AD, the projectui.properties file's directory was under the parent folder listed in the USERPROFILE environment variable (type set in a command prompt window):

C:\Users\my_login_name\\.netbeans\7.0\config\Preferences\org\netbeans\modules\projectui.properties

It was not in the directories pointed at by the HOME or APPDATA variables.

Changed projectsFolder value to new location, restarted NetBeans and default folder for new projects was in the new location. It worked!

I don't think you can make it module-specific but you can set it as follows:

1. Close NetBeans
2. Find the projectui.properties file. For me (Windows) it was under C:\Documents and Settings\Catchwa\.netbeans\6.9\config\Preferences\org\netbeans\modules\projectui.properties
3. The projectsFolder=C:\\NetBeansProjects variable is I think what you want to change.

Slightly different way of doing it for NetBeans 7.3 latest release (at least for Windows 7, 64-bit). Search your system for netbeans.conf (from explorer window) or go to its default install location:

C:\Program Files\NetBeans 7.3\etc\netbeans.conf

Look for netbeans.conf on Mac OS X:

find / -name "netbeans.conf" -print &

Look for netbeans.conf in Linux:

sudo find / -name "netbeans.conf" 2> /dev/null

---

Then edit the netbeans.conf file to replace the userdir line:

netbeans_default_userdir="${DEFAULT_USERDIR_ROOT}/7.3"

With your new projects directory/folder path:

 netbeans_default_userdir="C:/APPS/netbeans/"

-OR-

 netbeans_default_userdir="\Applicatons\netbeans\"

(NOTE: if you have trouble in Windows in a network managed security environment, you'll need admin access to make this change. Open the file using your editor's ".exe" directly by right-clicking the launcher file and clicking "Run as Administrator", I had to do this for Notepad++ because it said "Another application is using the file", but in fact it was just locked to non-admin users).

This changes the default userdir which stores user-specific IDE settings, but not the default project folder/directory. Next, you need to open NetBeans IDE with the new IDE settings and start to create a new Java project (then cancel after second screen in project creation wizard). It will now create a new projectui.properties file in the userdir you set; this is the file that wasn't found before this workaround that you need to edit as per the other suggestions. Mine was located here after these changes:

C:\APPS\netbeans\config\Preferences\org\netbeans\modules 

Finally, you've reached the finish line and can change the projectsFolder property value to the path you want, if you don't see a line for projectsFolder then simply type or paste one in at the bottom of the file to point to your path where you want NetBeans to store projects by default, such as:

 projectsFolder=C:/APPS/projects/

-OR-

 projectsFolder=\Applicatons\projects\

Wow, that's alot of settings changes but it finally works for me the way I wanted it to, being able to switch my IDE back and forth between a local workspace and a network workspace using my username space on the corporate LAN just by changing projectsFolder property value in the projectui.properties folder.

NOTE: On Linux or Mac you might not need the first step of modifying netbeans.conf as the projectui.properties should be as follows (may vary by OS version): $HOME/.netbeans/7.3/config/Preferences/org/netbeans/modules/projectui.properties

I found mine in a slightly different location (Windows 7 64-bit using Netbeans 7.2):

C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\NetBeans\7.2\config\Preferences\org\netbeans\modules\projectui.properties