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How to change Linked Helper user data folder

Alexey Krotov
Updated

By default, Linked Helper stores its data in a separate directory that cannot be changed during installation. However, it is possible to change the Linked Helper user data folder in case you don't have enough disk space on the C drive. For that, you need to change the variable which will be read during the Linked Helper start.

This option is helpful for marketers who manage multiple LinkedIn accounts and want to store the data on a separate drive.

 

Note:

  1. Do not move the program executable files or user data into remote locations such as samba or FTP shares, NFS file systems, etc., as this may cause a decrease in system responsiveness;
  2. We do not recommend moving the user data folder to a cloud-synced folder of GDrive, DropBox, iCloud, etc., since a third-party synchronization program may corrupt Linked Helper databases;
  3. Each LinkedIn account has its own database where data is often written to, so moving the Linked Helper user data folder from an SSD to an HDD may lead to a decrease in the program responsiveness since HDDs I/O rate is lower. This is not critical in most cases when few LinkedIn accounts are managed, but there might be an issue if a lot of LinkedIn accounts running at the same time.
  4. For advanced users: Linked Helper data folder can be moved to another location using Symbolic links in any operating system.

 

In Windows

By default, Linked Helper the user data files are stored in "C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\linked-helper" folder, where {username} is the name of your current Windows user, for example, Jake, BetaTest, or Admin.

You can change the default folder by adding the environment variable LH_APP_USER_DATA_PATH that indicates a new path where Linked Helper data should be saved.

In order to change variables, please:

  1. Login into Windows under the Windows user who has a Linked Helper account with the data you want to move to another folder.
  2. Close all Linked Helper windows.
  3. Your Linked Helper account data like campaigns, collected profiles, CRMs, etc. is currently in "C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\linked-helper" folder, where {username} is the name of your current Windows user, for example, Jake, BetaTest, or Admin.
    We will set up a new folder and move Linked Helper data from current folder mentioned above into a new one as per the steps below:
    • Create a new folder called "linked-helper" in a new location or disk drive (it should be a local disk) where data should be moved to. I created a linked-helper folder in D:\ drive, i.e. the full path will be "D:\linked-helper\" but without quotes:
    • Make a right-mouse click on the folder and choose the "Open in new window" option to open another window of Windows File Explorer:
    • Paste %appdata%\linked-helper into the address bar and hit Enter button on your keyboard:
      This path will navigate you directly inside  the current Linked Helper data folder that is mentioned at the beginning (in my case it is C:\Users\BetaTest\AppData\Roaming\linked-helper):
    • Now move the content of the current Linked Helper data folder to the new folder that you've set up at the beginning of this third step.
      In my case, it is D:\linked-helper\, so I moved everything from
      C:\Users\BetaTest\AppData\Roaming\linked-helper folder
      to
      D:\linked-helper\ folder:
  4. Open the Start Search, type in “env”, and choose “Edit the system environment variables”:
  5. Enter your Windows User or Administrator password if needed.
  6. Go to the Advanced tab and click the “Environment Variables…” button:
  7. Here you can add Windows variables that can be read by Linked Helper. Click the "New..." button under the "System variables" section:
  8. Set the Windows system environment variable for Linked Helper user data folder:
    • Set up LH_APP_USER_DATA_PATH as variable name;
    • Set up a new location as a value. In this example, I have "D:\linked-helper" as a new folder (without quotes).
    • Click OK
    • Here is the result you should get but with different path in Value:                                        
  • Click on "OK" on all previously opened windows.

Start Linked Helper. If everything was done correctly, then you will be logged in when the Linked Helper window is opened, all your campaigns are in place.

 

In Ubuntu

By default, Linked Helper stores your data in this folder: /home/{username}/.config/linked-helper/ where {username} is the name of the user under which you logged in. However, it is possible to change the folder to another one. For example, I want to move the folder to /media/nick/data/linked-helper. Here is what I need to do:

  • Create a new folder where you want to move Linked Helper data if it is not created yet
  • Close all Linked Helper windows
  • Create a folder for your data. In my case it is /media/nick/data/linked-helper
  • Launch Terminal:

mceclip6.png

  • Type: sudo nano /etc/environment

mceclip0.png

  • Press Enter button, type your admin password, and press Enter again:

mceclip1.png

  • You will now have the file open in the Nano editor. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard, to navigate and edit the file and paste these line: LH_APP_USER_DATA_PATH="/path/to/new/folder/linked-helper" where /path/to/new/folder/linked-helper is the new path to the Linked Helper user data folder. For example, I want to move the folder from my default /home/ug/.config/linked-helper folder to the /media/nick/data/linked-helper, so I need to paste: LH_APP_USER_DATA_PATH="/media/nick/data/linked-helper"

mceclip2.png

  • save the file by pressing Ctrl + S:

mceclip3.png

  • Exit with Ctrl + X
  • Now you need to move the content of linked-helper folder which is stored in /home/{user}/.config/ into a new location, in my case, it is /media/nick/data/linked-helper, so the final path to the Linked Helper folder looks like /media/nick/data/linked-helper, and not like /media/nick/data/linked-helper/linked-helper:

mceclip4.png

  • restart Ubuntu and start Linked Helper.

 

In macOS

By default, Linked Helper stores your data in this folder: /Users/{username}/Library/Application Support/linked-helper/ where {username} is the name of the user under which you are logged in.

However, it is possible to change the folder to another one. For example, I want to move the folder to Desktop of my current user nick, i.e. /Users/nick/Desktop/linked-helper.

 

Here is what I need to do:

  • Close all Linked Helper windows
  • Open macOS Finder
  • In the upper left corner, click Go > Go to Folder...
  • Enter the path to Linked Helper data folder, i.e.  /Users/nick/Library/Application Support/ and hit Enter button:
  • Move the Linked Helper data folder from its current location to Desktop via drag and drop:
  • Navigate to the /Users/{username}/Library/LaunchAgents/ folder and check whether the 'setENV.plist' file exists.
  • If it is, make a right mouse click and edit it with TextEdit to add the launchctl setenv LH_APP_USER_DATA_PATH /Users/nick/Desktop/linked-helper line as per the screenshot and reboot the machine:
  • If it does, not, I need to create it as per the steps below.
  • Launch TextEdit from a list of Applications:
  • In the Format menu, choose Make Plain Text:
  • Paste the following text, do not forget to change the path to new Linked Helper data folder:
     
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

    <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" 
    "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">

    <plist version="1.0">
    <dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>setenv.MY_VARS</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
    <string>sh</string>
    <string>-c</string>
    <string>
    launchctl setenv LH_APP_USER_DATA_PATH /Users/nick/Desktop/linked-helper
    </string>
    </array>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <true/>
    <key>KeepAlive</key>
    <true/>
    </dict>
    </plist>
  • Save it on Desktop with 'setENV.plist' as the name (uncheck the 'if no extension is provided, use ".txt" option before naming)
  • Move the file from Desktop to /Users/{username}/Library/LaunchAgents/ folder and reboot the machine.

 

 

 

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