LyX ⇒ How to change Preview/PDF save location on Mac

[JacobYoung]

Hi folks!

For a while now I've been doing a work around on an issue that occurred with one of the updates last year and I'm now trying to problem solve it. When I export to a PDF (on Mac), the PDF opens in Preview. When I click Command + S, it automatically saves the file... somewhere, but not in the .lyx file location, or anywhere else that I'm able to find. I should be able to Command + S and save the PDF in the .lyx file folder, but it's not doing this. (My work around is to then export the preview PDF and save it in the .lyx file location.) Does anybody know how to change this so that I automatically save PDF's where my .lyx file is located?

thanks for your help, hopefully this issue makes sense.

The version of LyX that I'm running is:
Version 2.4.3 (January 9, 2025)
Qt Version (run-time): 5.15.15 on platform cocoa
Qt Version (compile-time): 5.15.15
OS Version (run-time): macOS 14.6
Python detected: 3.9.6 (/usr/local/opt/python@3.9/bin/python3.9)

[Haiopaio]

LyX stores the generated PDF files all at a fixed position, the temporary directory.
You can view that folder from the "about LyX" dialog and get the path to that folder as well.
You can change the location of that temporary directory in LyX / Preferences / Paths / Temporary directory to whatever you wish.
However, it will always be separate from the folder where your LyX file resides and it will be one single location for all of your LyX files. There will be subfolders for each PDF file. This subfolders contain much more other files in addition to the PDF file.

The user must finally save the opened PDF file from the PDF viewer application to the desired final location.
I do not know if this temporary directory will grow forever, or if LyX has some mechanisms to clean it somehow.