Appendix A — Session User Settings

The following table enumerates the settings supported in the user (or system) rstudio-prefs.json file, along with their type, allowable values, and defaults.

Property Description Type Default
allow_source_columns Whether to enable the ability to add source columns to display. boolean true
always_enable_rnw_concordance Whether to always enable the concordance for RNW files. boolean true
always_save_history Whether to always save the R console history. boolean true
always_shown_extensions List of file extensions (beginning with ., not case sensitive) that are always shown in the Files Pane, regardless of whether hidden files are shown array .circleci, .gitattributes, .github, .gitignore, .httr-oauth, .lintr, .r, .rbuildignore, .rdata, .renvignore, .renviron, .rhistory, .rprofile, .ruserdata
always_shown_files List of file names (case sensitive) that are always shown in the Files Pane, regardless of whether hidden files are shown array .build.yml, .gitlab-ci.yml, .travis.yml
ansi_console_mode How to treat ANSI escape codes in the console. string (off, on, strip) on
auto_append_newline Whether to ensure that source files end with a newline character. boolean false
auto_detect_indentation Whether to automatically detect indentation settings from file contents. boolean false
auto_discover_package_dependencies Whether to automatically discover and offer to install missing R package dependencies. boolean true
auto_expand_error_tracebacks Whether to automatically expand tracebacks when an error occurs. boolean false
auto_run_setup_chunk Whether to automatically run an R Markdown document’s Setup chunk before running other chunks. boolean true
auto_save_idle_ms The idle period, in milliseconds, after which documents should be auto-saved. integer 1000
auto_save_on_blur Whether to automatically save when the editor loses focus. boolean false
auto_save_on_idle How to deal with changes to documents on idle. string (commit, backup, none) backup
background_diagnostics Whether to run code diagnostics in the background, as you type. boolean true
background_diagnostics_delay_ms The number of milliseconds to delay before running code diagnostics in the background. integer 2000
bioconductor_mirror_name The name of the default Bioconductor mirror. string Seattle (USA)
bioconductor_mirror_url The URL of the default Bioconductor mirror. string http://www.bioconductor.org
blinking_cursor Whether to flash the cursor off and on. boolean true
browser_fixed_width_fonts List of fixed-width fonts to check for browser support. array Andale Mono, Bitstream Vera Sans Mono, Cascadia Code, Consolas, Courier New, Courier, DejaVu Sans Mono, Droid Sans Mono, Fira Code, Hack, IBM Plex Mono, Inconsolata, JetBrains Mono, Lucida Console, Lucida Sans Typewriter, Menlo, Monaco, Monoid, Operator Mono, Pragmata, SF Mono, Source Code Pro, Vera Sans Mono, Victor Mono, Ubuntu Mono
busy_detection How to detect busy status in the Terminal. string (always, never, list) always
busy_exclusion_list A list of apps that should not be considered busy in the Terminal. array tmux, screen
check_arguments_to_r_function_calls Whether to check arguments to R function calls. boolean false
check_for_updates Whether to check for new versions of RStudio when RStudio starts. boolean true
check_null_external_pointers When enabled, RStudio will detect R objects containing null external pointers when building the Environment pane, and avoid introspecting their contents further. boolean false
check_unexpected_assignment_in_function_call Whether to check for unexpected variable assignments inside R function calls. boolean false
clang_verbose The verbosity level to use with Clang (0 - 2) integer 0
clean_before_install Always use –preclean when installing package. boolean true
clean_texi2dvi_output Whether to clean output after running Texi2Dvi. boolean true
cleanup_after_r_cmd_check Whether to clean up temporary files after running R CMD CHECK. boolean true
code_completion When to use auto-completion for R code in the RStudio code editor. string (always, never, triggered, manual) always
code_completion_characters The number of characters in a symbol that can be entered before completions are offered. integer 3
code_completion_delay The number of milliseconds to wait before offering code suggestions. integer 250
code_completion_other When to use auto-completion for other languages (such as JavaScript and SQL) in the RStudio code editor. string (always, triggered, manual) always
command_palette_mru Whether to keep track of recently used commands in the Command Palette boolean true
console_code_completion Whether to always use code completion in the R console. boolean true
console_double_click_select Whether double-clicking should select a word in the Console pane. boolean false
console_line_length_limit The maximum number of characters to display in a single line in the R console. integer 1000
console_max_lines The maximum number of console actions to store and display in the console scrollback buffer. integer 1000
console_suspend_blocked_notice Whether the ‘Auto Suspension Blocked’ icon should appear in the R Console toolbar. boolean true
console_suspend_blocked_notice_delay How long to wait before warning that automatic session suspension has been paused. Higher values for less frequent notices. integer 5
continue_comments_on_newline Whether to continue comments (by inserting the comment character) after adding a new line. boolean false
cpp_template C++ template. string Rcpp
cran_mirror The CRAN mirror to use. object
custom_shell_command The fully qualified path to the custom shell command to use in the Terminal tab. string
custom_shell_options The command-line options to pass to the custom shell command. string
data_viewer_max_cell_size The maximum number of characters to show in a data viewer cell. integer 50
data_viewer_max_columns The maximum number of columns to show at once in the data viewer. integer 50
default_encoding The default character encoding to use when saving files. string
default_latex_program The default program to use when processing LaTeX documents. string pdfLaTeX
default_project_location The directory path under which to place new projects by default. string
default_r_version The R version to use by default. object
default_sweave_engine The default engine to use when processing Sweave documents. string Sweave
diagnostics_in_r_function_calls Whether to run diagnostics in R function calls. boolean true
diagnostics_on_save Whether to check code for problems after saving it. boolean true
disabled_aria_live_announcements List of aria-live announcements to disable. array Empty
doc_outline_show Which objects to show in the document outline pane. string (sections_only, sections_and_chunks, all) sections_only
document_author The default name to use as the document author when creating new documents. string
document_load_lint_delay The number of milliseconds to wait before linting a document after it is loaded. integer 5000
editor_keybindings The keybindings to use in the RStudio code editor. string (default, vim, emacs, sublime) default
editor_theme The name of the color theme to apply to the text editor in RStudio. string Textmate (default)
emoji_skintone Preferred emoji skintone string ((None), (Default), Light, Medium-Light, Medium, Medium-Dark, Dark) (None)
enable_screen_reader Support accessibility aids such as screen readers (RStudio Server). boolean false
enable_snippets Whether to enable code snippets in the RStudio code editor. boolean true
enable_text_drag Whether to enable moving text on the editing surface by clicking and dragging it. boolean true
execution_behavior The unit of R code to execute when the Execute command is invoked. string (line, statement, paragraph) statement
file_monitor_ignored_components List of path components; file monitor will ignore paths containing one or more of these components. array Empty
find_panel_legacy_tab_sequence In source editor find panel, tab key moves focus directly from find text to replace text. boolean false
focus_console_after_exec Whether to focus the R console after executing an R command from a script. boolean false
fold_style The style of folding to use. string (begin-only, begin-and-end) begin-and-end
font_size_points The default editor font size, in points. number 10
full_project_path_in_window_title Whether to show the full path to project in desktop window title. boolean false
git_diff_ignore_whitespace Whether to ignore whitespace when generating diffs of version controlled files. boolean false
git_exe_path The path to the Git executable to use. string
global_theme The theme to use for the main RStudio user interface. string (default, alternate) default
graphics_antialiasing Type of anti-aliasing to be used for generated R plots. string (default, none, gray, subpixel) default
graphics_backend R graphics backend. string (default, cairo, cairo-png, quartz, windows, ragg) default
handle_errors_in_user_code_only Whether to handle errors only when user code is on the stack. boolean true
help_font_size_points The help panel font size, in points. number 10
hide_console_on_chunk_execute Whether to hide the R console when executing inline R Markdown chunks. boolean true
hide_object_files Whether to hide object files in the Files pane. boolean true
highlight_code_chunks Whether to highlight code chunks in R Markdown documents with a different background color. boolean true
highlight_console_errors Whether to display error, warning, and message output in a different color. boolean true
highlight_r_function_calls Whether to highlight R function calls in the code editor. boolean false
highlight_selected_line Highlight the selected line in RStudio’s code editor. boolean false
highlight_selected_word Highlight the selected word in RStudio’s code editor. boolean true
highlight_web_link Whether web links in comments are clickable. boolean true
ignore_uppercase_words Whether to ignore words in uppercase when spell checking. boolean true
ignore_words_with_numbers Whether to ignore words with numbers in them when spell checking. boolean true
initial_working_directory The initial working directory for new R sessions. string
insert_matching Whether to insert matching pairs, such as () and [], when the first is typed. boolean true
insert_native_pipe_operator Whether the Insert Pipe Operator command should use the native R pipe operator, |> boolean false
insert_numbered_latex_sections Whether to insert numbered sections in LaTeX. boolean false
insert_parens_after_function_completion Whether to insert parentheses after function completions. boolean true
insert_spaces_around_equals Whether to insert spaces around the equals sign in R code. boolean true
install_pkg_deps_individually Whether to install R package dependencies one at a time. boolean true
jobs_tab_visibility The visibility of the Jobs tab. string (closed, shown, default) default
knit_working_dir The working directory to use when knitting R Markdown documents. string (default, current, project) default
latex_preview_on_cursor_idle When to preview LaTeX mathematical equations when cursor has not moved recently. string (never, inline_only, always) always
latex_shell_escape Whether to enable shell escaping with LaTeX documents. boolean false
launcher_jobs_sort How to sort jobs in the Workbench Jobs tab in RStudio Pro and RStudio Workbench. string (recorded, state) recorded
limit_visible_console Whether to only show a limited window of the total console output boolean false
line_ending_conversion The line ending format to use when saving files. string (default, windows, posix, native, passthrough) native
load_workspace Whether to load the workspace when the R session begins. boolean true
margin_column The number of columns of text after which the margin is shown. integer 80
memory_query_interval_seconds How many seconds to wait between automatic requeries of memory statistics (0 to disable) integer 10
native_file_dialogs Whether RStudio Desktop will use the operating system’s native File and Message dialog boxes. boolean true
navigate_to_build_error Whether to navigate to build errors. boolean true
new_proj_git_init Whether a git repo should be initialized inside new projects by default. boolean false
new_proj_use_renv Whether an renv environment should be created inside new projects by default. boolean false
num_spaces_for_tab The number of spaces to insert when pressing the Tab key. integer 2
packages_pane_enabled Whether to enable RStudio’s Packages pane. boolean true
panes Layout of panes in the RStudio workbench. object
pdf_previewer The program to use to preview PDF files after generation. string (none, default, rstudio, desktop-synctex, system) default
plumber_viewer_type Where to display Shiny applications when they are run. string (user, none, pane, window, browser) window
posix_terminal_shell The terminal shell to use on POSIX operating systems (MacOS and Linux). string (default, bash, zsh, custom, none) default
project_safe_startup_seconds The number of seconds after which a project is deemed to have successfully started. integer 30
publish_ca_bundle The path to the custom certificate authority (CA) bundle to use when publishing content. string
publish_check_certificates Whether to check remote server SSL certificates when publishing content. boolean true
python_path The path to the default Python interpreter. string
python_project_environment_automatic_activate When enabled, if the active project contains a Python virtual environment, then RStudio will automatically activate this environment on startup. boolean true
python_type The Python type. string
python_version The Python version. string
rainbow_parentheses Whether to highlight parentheses in a variety of colors. boolean false
real_time_spellchecking Whether to enable real-time spellchecking by default. boolean true
reduced_motion Reduce use of animations in the user interface. boolean false
reindent_on_paste Whether to automatically re-indent code when it’s pasted into RStudio. boolean true
relative_line_numbers Show relative, rather than absolute, line numbers in RStudio’s code editor. boolean false
remove_history_duplicates Whether to remove duplicate entries from the R console history. boolean false
restore_last_project Whether to restore the last project when starting RStudio. boolean true
restore_project_r_version Whether to restore the last version of R used by the project in RStudio Pro and RStudio Workbench. boolean true
restore_source_document_cursor_position Whether to save the position of the cursor when a file is closed, restore it when the file is opened. boolean true
restore_source_documents Whether to restore the last opened source documents when RStudio starts up. boolean true
reuse_sessions_for_project_links Whether to reuse sessions when opening projects in RStudio Workbench. boolean false
rmd_auto_date Use current date when rendering document boolean false
rmd_chunk_output_inline Whether to show chunk output inline for ordinary R Markdown documents. boolean true
rmd_preferred_template_path The path to the preferred R Markdown template. string
rmd_viewer_type Where to display R Markdown documents when they have completed rendering. string (window, pane, none) window
root_document The root document to use when compiling PDF documents. string
rsa_key_path The path to the SSH key file to use. string
run_rprofile_on_resume Whether to run .Rprofile again after resuming a suspended R session. boolean false
save_before_sourcing Whether to automatically save scripts before executing them. boolean true
save_files_before_build Whether to save all open, unsaved files before building the project. boolean false
save_retry_timeout The maximum amount of seconds of retry for save operations. integer 15
save_workspace Whether to save the workspace to an .Rdata file after the R session ends. string (always, never, ask) ask
screenreader_console_announce_limit Maximum number of lines of console output announced after a command. integer 25
scroll_past_end_of_document Whether to allow scrolling past the end of a file. boolean false
server_editor_font The name of the fixed-width editor font to use with RStudio Server. string
server_editor_font_enabled Whether to use a custom editor font in RStudio Server. boolean false
session_protocol_debug Enable session protocol debug logging showing all session requests and events boolean false
shiny_background_jobs Whether to run Shiny applications as background jobs. boolean false
shiny_viewer_type Where to display Shiny applications when they are run. string (user, none, pane, window, browser) window
show_diagnostics_cpp Whether to show diagnostic messages for C++ code as you type. boolean true
show_diagnostics_other Whether to show diagnostic messages for other types of code (not R, C++, or YAML). boolean false
show_diagnostics_r Whether to show diagnostic messages (such as syntax and usage errors) for R code as you type. boolean true
show_diagnostics_yaml Whether to show diagnostic messages for YAML code as you type. boolean true
show_doc_outline_rmd Whether to show the document outline by default when opening R Markdown documents. boolean false
show_focus_rectangles Control with keyboard focus displays a visual focus indicator. boolean true
show_function_signature_tooltips Whether to show function signature tooltips during autocompletion. boolean true
show_help_tooltip_on_idle Whether to show help tooltips for functions when the cursor has not been recently moved. boolean false
show_hidden_files Whether to show hidden files in the Files pane. boolean false
show_indent_guides Whether to show indentation guides in the RStudio code editor. boolean false
show_inline_toolbar_for_r_code_chunks Whether to show a toolbar on code chunks in R Markdown documents. boolean true
show_internal_functions Whether to show functions without source references in the Traceback pane while debugging. boolean false
show_invisibles Whether to show invisible characters, such as spaces and tabs, in the RStudio code editor. boolean false
show_last_dot_value Show the result of the last expression (.Last.value) in the Environment pane. boolean false
show_launcher_jobs_tab Whether to show the Workbench Jobs tab in RStudio Pro and RStudio Workbench. boolean true
show_line_numbers Show line numbers in RStudio’s code editor. boolean true
show_margin Whether to show the margin guide in the RStudio code editor. boolean true
show_memory_usage Whether to compute and show memory usage in the Environment Pane boolean true
show_panel_focus_rectangle Show which panel contains keyboard focus. boolean false
show_publish_diagnostics Whether to show verbose diagnostic information when publishing content. boolean false
show_rmd_render_command Whether to print the render command use to knit R Markdown documents in the R Markdown tab. boolean false
show_terminal_tab Whether to show the Terminal tab. boolean true
show_user_home_page When to show the server home page in RStudio Workbench. string (always, never, sessions) sessions
soft_wrap_r_files Whether to soft-wrap R source files, wrapping the text for display without inserting newline characters. boolean false
soft_wrap_rmd_files Whether to soft-wrap R Markdown files (and similar types such as R HTML and R Notebooks) boolean true
sort_file_names_naturally Whether to sort file names naturally, so that e.g., file10.R comes after file9.R boolean true
source_with_echo Whether to echo R code when sourcing it. boolean false
spelling_custom_dictionaries The list of custom dictionaries to use when spell checking. array Empty
spelling_dictionary_language The language of the spelling dictionary to use for spell checking. string en_US
ssh_key_type The encryption type to use for the SSH key file. string (ed25519, rsa) ed25519
strip_trailing_whitespace Whether to strip trailing whitespace from each line when saving. boolean false
style_diagnostics Whether to show style diagnostics (suggestions for improving R code style) boolean false
submit_crash_reports Whether to automatically submit crash reports to RStudio. boolean true
surround_selection Which kinds of delimiters can be used to surround the current selection. string (never, quotes, quotes_and_brackets) quotes_and_brackets
svn_exe_path The path to the Subversion executable to use. string
sync_files_pane_working_dir Whether to change the directory in the Files pane automatically when the working directory in R changes. boolean false
syntax_color_console Whether to use syntax highlighting in the R console. boolean false
tab_completion Whether to attempt completion of statements when pressing Tab. boolean true
tab_key_move_focus Tab key moves focus out of text editing controls instead of inserting tabs. boolean false
tab_multiline_completion Whether to attempt completion of multiple-line statements when pressing Tab. boolean false
terminal_bell_style Terminal bell style string (none, sound) sound
terminal_close_behavior Whether to close the terminal pane after the shell exits. string (always, clean, never) always
terminal_initial_directory Initial directory for new terminals. string (project, current, home) project
terminal_local_echo Whether to use local echo in the Terminal. boolean true
terminal_path The path to the terminal executable to use. string
terminal_python_integration Enable Python terminal hooks. When enabled, the RStudio-configured version of Python will be placed on the PATH. boolean true
terminal_renderer Terminal rendering engine: canvas is faster, dom may be needed for some browsers or graphics cards string (canvas, dom) canvas
terminal_track_environment Whether to track and save changes to system environment variables in the Terminal. boolean true
terminal_weblinks Whether web links displayed in the Terminal tab are made clickable. boolean true
terminal_websockets Whether to use websockets to communicate with the shell in the Terminal tab. boolean true
toolbar_visible Whether to show the toolbar at the top of the RStudio workbench. boolean true
typing_status_delay_ms Number of milliseconds to wait after last keystroke before updating live region. integer 2000
ui_language The IDE’s user-interface language. string (en, fr) en
use_dataimport Whether to use RStudio’s data import feature. boolean true
use_devtools Whether to use the devtools R package. boolean true
use_internet2 Whether to use Internet2 for networking on R for Windows. boolean true
use_newlines_in_makefiles Whether to use newlines when saving Makefiles. boolean true
use_publish_ca_bundle Whether to use a custom certificate authority (CA) bundle when publishing content. boolean false
use_roxygen Whether to use Roxygen for documentation. boolean false
use_secure_download Whether to use secure downloads when fetching R packages. boolean true
use_spaces_for_tab Whether to insert spaces when pressing the Tab key. boolean true
use_tinytex Use tinytex to compile .tex files. boolean false
vcs_autorefresh Automatically refresh VCS status? boolean true
vcs_enabled Whether to enable RStudio’s version control system interface. boolean true
vertically_align_arguments_indent Whether to vertically align arguments to R function calls during automatic indentation. boolean true
view_dir_after_r_cmd_check Whether to view the directory after running R CMD CHECK. boolean false
visual_markdown_code_editor The name of the editor to use to provide code editing in visual mode string (ace, codemirror) ace
visual_markdown_code_editor_line_numbers Whether to show line numbers in the code editors used in visual mode boolean false
visual_markdown_editing_canonical Whether to write canonical visual mode markdown when saving from source mode. boolean false
visual_markdown_editing_font_size_points The default visual editing mode font size, in points integer 0
visual_markdown_editing_is_default Whether to enable visual editing by default for new markdown documents boolean false
visual_markdown_editing_list_spacing Default spacing for lists created in the visual editor string (tight, spaced) spaced
visual_markdown_editing_max_content_width Maximum content width for visual editing mode, in pixels integer 700
visual_markdown_editing_references_location Placement of footnotes within markdown output. string (block, section, document) block
visual_markdown_editing_show_doc_outline Whether to show the document outline by default when opening R Markdown documents in visual mode. boolean true
visual_markdown_editing_show_margin Whether to show the margin guide in the visual mode code blocks. boolean false
visual_markdown_editing_wrap Whether to automatically wrap text when writing markdown string (none, column, sentence) none
visual_markdown_editing_wrap_at_column The column to wrap text at when writing markdown integer 72
warn_if_no_such_variable_in_scope Whether to generate a warning if a variable is used without being defined in the current scope. boolean false
warn_variable_defined_but_not_used Whether to generate a warning if a variable is defined without being used in the current scope boolean false
windows_terminal_shell The terminal shell to use on Windows. string (default, win-git-bash, win-wsl-bash, win-cmd, win-ps, ps-core, custom, none) default
wrap_tab_navigation Whether to wrap around when going to the previous or next editor tab. boolean true
zotero_libraries Zotero libraries to insert citations from. array My Library