> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.n8n.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.n8n.io/deploy/host-n8n/configure-n8n/basic-configuration/use-environment-variables/binary-data.md).

# Binary data

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**File-based configuration**

You can add `_FILE` to individual variables to provide their configuration in a separate file. Refer to [Keeping sensitive data in separate files](/deploy/host-n8n/configure-n8n/basic-configuration.md#keeping-sensitive-data-in-separate-files) for more details.
{% endhint %}

By default, n8n uses memory to store binary data. Enterprise users can choose to use an external service instead. Refer to [External storage](/deploy/host-n8n/configure-n8n/scaling/use-external-storage.md) for more information on using external storage for binary data.

| Variable                          | Type   | Default                      | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| --------------------------------- | ------ | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `N8N_AVAILABLE_BINARY_DATA_MODES` | String | `filesystem`                 | A comma separated list of available binary data modes.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| `N8N_BINARY_DATA_STORAGE_PATH`    | String | `N8N_USER_FOLDER/binaryData` | The path where n8n stores binary data.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| `N8N_DEFAULT_BINARY_DATA_MODE`    | String | `default`                    | The default binary data mode. `default` keeps binary data in memory. Set to `filesystem` to use the filesystem, `s3` to use AWS S3, `azure` to use Azure Blob Storage, or `database` to use the DB. Note that binary data pruning operates on the active binary data mode. For example, if your instance stored data in S3, and you later switched to filesystem mode, n8n only prunes binary data in the filesystem. This may change in future. |