# How to move the config & database?
**URL:** https://forum.syncthing.net/t/how-to-move-the-config-database/19819
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [February 18, 2023, 8:26am UTC](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/how-to-move-the-config-database/19819 "2023-02-18T08:26:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@InteXX](https://forum.syncthing.net/u/InteXX)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2023, 8:26am UTC](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/how-to-move-the-config-database/19819/1 "2023-02-18T08:26:29Z")
I’m attempting to move Syncthing’s configuration and database to an external USB drive, as advised [here](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/devices-seem-to-not-be-syncing/19799/15).
Here’s the original `home` path from my service config:
```plaintext
ExecStart=/usr/bin/syncthing -no-browser -no-restart -logflags=0 -home=/home/admin/.config/syncthing
```
…and here’s what I changed it to, after running `sudo rsync -r /home/admin/.config /media/pi/Elements`:
```plaintext
ExecStart=/usr/bin/syncthing -no-browser -no-restart -logflags=0 -home=/media/pi/Elements/.config/syncthing
```
Here’s what `systemctl status` reports:
```plaintext
pi@OFFSITE:/media/pi/Elements $ sudo systemctl status syncthing@admin.service
* syncthing@admin.service - Syncthing service for admin
Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/syncthing@admin.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Drop-In: /etc/systemd/system/syncthing@admin.service.d
`-override.conf
Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Fri 2023-02-17 17:35:29 AKST; 1min 57s ago
Process: 64338 ExecStartPre=/home/pi/Documents/Scripts/mount-sync-drive.sh (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
Process: 64340 ExecStart=/usr/bin/syncthing -no-browser -no-restart -logflags=0 -home=/media/pi/Elements/.config/syncthing (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
Main PID: 64340 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
CPU: 74ms
Feb 17 17:35:29 OFFSITE systemd[1]: Starting Syncthing service for admin...
Feb 17 17:35:29 OFFSITE systemd[1]: Started Syncthing service for admin.
Feb 17 17:35:29 OFFSITE syncthing[64340]: WARNING: Failure on home directory: mkdir /media/pi/Elements/.config/syncthing: permission denied
Feb 17 17:35:29 OFFSITE systemd[1]: syncthing@admin.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Feb 17 17:35:29 OFFSITE systemd[1]: syncthing@admin.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
```
I’m not sure why it’s trying to create that `syncthing` directory, as the directory already exists. I’ve verified such manually, as well as checked its permissions against the original.
Clearly I’ve missed something here, but I’m not spotting what it is.
Any suggestions?
---
### Author:  [@bt90](https://forum.syncthing.net/u/bt90)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2023, 8:50am UTC](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/how-to-move-the-config-database/19819/2 "2023-02-18T08:50:03Z")
Could you post the output of `ls -lah` for that directory?
---
### Author:  [@InteXX](https://forum.syncthing.net/u/InteXX)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2023, 1:19pm UTC](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/how-to-move-the-config-database/19819/3 "2023-02-18T13:19:06Z")
That was it, thank you!
`owner:group` was set to `root` on the hierarchy, presumably because I’d run `rsync` under `sudo`. (Not sure how I missed that earlier.)
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.syncthing.net/u/system)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2023, 1:19pm UTC](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/how-to-move-the-config-database/19819/4 "2023-03-20T13:19:57Z")
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