Find Claude Code JSONL Files on macOS, Linux & Windows

Start in ~/.claude/projects/, or the projects directory inside your custom CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR. Search recursively rather than guessing a folder name. These instructions concern transcripts on the machine that ran the local session.

macOS and Linux: list transcript files

session_root="${CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR:-$HOME/.claude}/projects"
find "$session_root" -type f -name '*.jsonl'
# Replace SESSION_ID with the identifier you already know.
find "$session_root" -type f -name 'SESSION_ID.jsonl'

In macOS Finder, press Command–Shift–G and enter ~/.claude/projects/. Use your custom configuration directory if set.

Search by a remembered phrase

find "$session_root" -type f -name '*.jsonl' \
  -exec grep -lF -- 'fix the login page' {} +

The command prints matching file names. It handles spaces in paths and searches text literally. Encoded text, images and missing transcripts will not necessarily match.

Windows PowerShell: show recent files

$sessionRoot = if ($env:CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR) {
  Join-Path $env:CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR 'projects'
} else {
  Join-Path $env:USERPROFILE '.claude/projects'
}
Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $sessionRoot -Filter *.jsonl -Recurse -File |
  Sort-Object LastWriteTime -Descending |
  Select-Object -First 10 FullName, LastWriteTime

For a session run inside WSL, check that Linux environment's home directory instead of assuming the Windows profile contains it.

If no file appears

• Check the account, machine, container or remote environment where the session ran.
• Check CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR, hidden folders and directory permissions.
• Check whether persistence was disabled or retention cleanup removed the transcript. A missing file cannot be recovered by importing the folder into a viewer.

Once located, open the file in CCViewer. For the distinction between prompt history and full transcripts, see the storage guide in Related guides.

FAQ