On GNU/Linux, the configuration directory is: "${HOME}/.purple", which is generally /home/USERNAME/.purple

On Windows, the configuration directory is: "%userprofile%\Application Data\.purple", which is generally C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\.purple, and Application Data is a hidden directory

The configuration directory contains the following subdirectories:

• icons - Buddy icons received from other users. Icons are named by forty hexidecimal characters followed by a file extension (png, gif, bmp) and referenced by blist.xml.
• icons(old) - Old buddy icons, migrated from gaim installation. Icons are named by eight hexidecimal characters and referenced by blist.xml.
• logs - Stores the logs of prior chats (if this feature is enabled). The logs are stored in the format .purple/logs/${Protocol}/${ScreenName}/${RemoteScreenName}/${YYYY-MM-DD.HHmmSS-UTCOffsetTimeZone}.html" In the case of chat rooms/channels, ${RemoteAccountName} is "#ChannelName.chat". In the case of logged availability information, ${RemoteAccountName} is ".system".
• plugins (Optional)
• smileys - Empty on my machine. Thankfully. Let's deprecate this.
• certificates - Currently used only for SSL host certificate caching

The configuration directory contains the following files:

• accels - Any menu shortcuts you may have modified in pidgin. This file is an automated accelerator map dump.
• accounts.xml - Information about your accounts, including passwords.
• blist.xml - A local copy of your buddy lists, for use in keeping locally applied aliases and group and buddy ordering between accounts.
• pounces.xml - Your Buddy Pounce settings (Optional)
• prefs.xml - Your preference settings
• status.xml - Your status mssages
• gtkrc-2.0 - ​FAQ-Entry (Only in Windows)