Scripts/Addons Folder Location on MacOS

As with Windows installations of Blender, for MacOS, scripts and addons that add functionality to Blender are typically loaded or installed as self-contained ZIP archives through Blender Preferences, all stored relative to the User rather than the application.

Addons Folder Location

Newer versions of Blender store custom scripts and addons relative to the Users account, outside the application itself, typically in /scripts/ and/or /addons/ depending on the type of script or functionality being added. For MacOS the path to these locations is typically;

For example;

Design note: the ‘version’ folder, e.g. “5.0”, corresponds to the version or versions of Blender installed, acting as a local script and addon storage for each iteration so they don’t interfere with each other.

Blender stores custom or third-party scripts and addons as a location within a User profile, and crucially an otherwise hidden Library folder (see below).

Library Folder

By default the Library folder is hidden from view because it’s a system or protected location. To see it, in Finder click on the View menu then Show View Options – View » Show View Options [1]. In the ‘user’ panel that appears click the Show Library Folder checkbox [2]. The Library folder will then be visible in the ‘user’ directory (top-level).

Important: administrative privileges may be necessary to enable and access the Library folder as displaying it also grants access to other ‘system’ locations.

Custom scripts and addons are placed ‘scripts’ and ‘addons’ that sit inside the Library folder of the ‘user’. It’s hidden by default [1] so may need to be enabled [2] for access.

User Data

Similarly, the corresponding user profile might not be displayed either, Finder defaulting to showing a limited set of Sidebar options. To change or check this, with Finder open click Finder then on Settings… – Finder » Settings… [3]. In the Finder Settings panel that appears, in the Sidebar tab, enable the appropriate options by clicking the corresponding checkbox [4], for example Movies, Pictures, ‘user’ (e.g. katsbits) etc. Selecting ‘user’, e.g. katsbits, in Finder will then list all locations accessible to the logged in user.

Enabling [3] various Finder options [4] to grant full access to Library and other locations.