SketchUp 2015 plugins location

[emartingr]

I had not updated SU since version 8 because I felt that improvements were oriented mainly to architectural users. Nothing wrong with that, as it is probably the larger market, but my activity is more concerned with engineering.

Finally I decided to update to SU 2014 (something must have improved) and it was A LOT faster. In a couple of days, I was most pleasantly surprised to receive an update to SU 2015, which is 64 bits!! Then I felt really glad to have updated!

I then set to move some very useful plugins to SU 2015. To cut this post short, I created a plugins folder at C:\ProgramData\SketchUp\SketchUp 2015\SketchUp*Plugins* and selectively copy-pasted the ones that did not produce errors into this new folder.

Then I installed the more complex plugins from the Extension Warehouse or the Window-Preferences-Extensions-Install Extension menu. Pefect, it worked. Now, unexpectedly, these plugins were automatically installed at a different Plugins folder: C:\Users\MYNAME\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2015\SketchUp\Plugins. I have it now up and running.

I hope this may be useful to someone.
And congratulations for all SU and plugin programmers.

[Dave R]

There is no need to create a Plugins folder under ProgramData. All plugins you install should go into the User/AppData/.../Plugins. They'll go there when you use Install Extension, the Extension Warehouse or SCF Plugin Store.

[TIG]

The Users...AppData...Plugins folder is the place for the installation of the User's plugins.
Indeed, it is the only place used by the native 'installer' - you get no choice.
Sketchup always loads the contents of that folder as it starts up.

There is an optional ProgramData...Plugins folder, which you can create, BUT that is a 'shared' folder that you do NOT need unless someone else on your computer wants to also use the plugins in that folder.
If that folder exists SketchUp loads its contents as it starts up.
I recommend you relocate ALL of its plugins into the Users Plugins folder and delete the then unnecessary Plugins folder, so that SketchUp no longer adds it to the $:...

Having files in a 'shared' Plugins folder when you have no real need for it is simply confusing.
The native installer does not even 'see' that folder and always uses the Users Plugins folder.
The SketchUcation PluginStore dialog's AutoInstaller does see the extra shared folder and therefore it will offer you a choice of Plugins folders for each installation-destination - but without its existence in the $: the PluginStore dialog will use the Users Plugins folder, without that extra prompt !

Its existence also makes managing your installed Plugins through the SketchUcation tools Manager more convoluted than it needs to be.

The recommendation is to keep things as simple as possible.
So, unless you want to share plugins with other users on that PC do NOT add the Plugins folder into the ProgramData path.
If you want to store your plugins 'centrally' so you can have the same set of plugins across different SketchUp versions or even on different computers, then there are tools like Fredo's AdditionalPluginsFolder which will setup an extra Plugins folder in the $: list: this can then be shared as a Plugins folder across SketchUp versions and if it is hosted remotely on a server or 'cloud' your other computers can also link to it...
Again you can NOT use the native installer with this arrangement, but once again the SketchUcation PluginStore AutoInstaller will see that entry as a 'custom-Plugins' folder, and offer it as an alternative installation-destination...

[Bob James]

To assure that all of my computers are automatically using the same plugins, in addition to using a Dropbox folder identified using Fredo's AdditionalPluginsFolder, I used to use a symbolic link to another Dropbox folder as my Users...AppData...Plugins folder.

There are some plugs that must be in Users...AppData...Plugins folder to work, most do not, hence the need for two Dropbox folders.

Now, however, a symbolic link folder in Users...AppData...Plugins is no longer recognized by SU. Does anyone know why?

[emartingr]

Thank you all for your very useful and comprehensive answers.

[Ruts]

Small problem here.

I can't find the AppData map. When I go to C:\Users<your_windows_user_name> I the map AppData isn't there. I already installed 2 extensions, so the path should be created right?

There is a map called Roaming though, but there's no map SketchUp in it.

[TIG]

@ruts said:

Small problem here.

I can't find the AppData map. When I go to C:\Users<your_windows_user_name> I the map AppData isn't there. I already installed 2 extensions, so the path should be created right?

There is a map called Roaming though, but there's no map SketchUp in it.
The 'AppData' folder tree is hidden by default by Windows - you can change that behavior in Folder-Options...
To open SketchUp's Plugins folder use this one-liner copy/pasted into the Ruby Console + <enter>
UI.openURL("file:///#{Sketchup.find_support_file('Plugins')}")

[NickW]

Beware though that there are some extensions, eg Podium, which will install into the Program Datatree by default AND DOES NOT WORK if you try to install it into the Users...App Datatree.