Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.07.14
Where are NetworkManager connection profiles stored?
In three .nmconnection files dirs: /etc/... for your persistent profiles, /run/... for temporary ones, /usr/lib/... for vendor defaults.
The same three-tier layout systemd uses applies here: admin config in /etc (persistent, the one you usually edit), runtime/transient state in /run (gone on reboot), and package-supplied defaults in /usr/lib (read-only). Profiles are INI-style .nmconnection files.
| Path | Type | Survives reboot? |
|---|---|---|
/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/ |
Your persistent profiles | Yes |
/run/NetworkManager/system-connections/ |
Temporary / runtime | No |
/usr/lib/NetworkManager/system-connections/ |
Vendor defaults | Yes (read-only) |
Example file:
[connection]
id=static-eth0
type=ethernet
autoconnect=true
interface-name=eth1
[ipv4]
address1=172.30.1.1/24,172.30.1.254
dns=4.2.2.4;
method=manual
Important: After editing files manually:
chown root:root /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/filename
chmod 600 /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/filename
nmcli con reload # Reload configuration