Warning dialogs in GIMP 2.10.18: Persistence after gimprc reset

Answer to the core questions

1. Persistence after a gimprc reset
When you reset or delete gimprc, all previously disabled warning dialogs are restored to their default (shown) state. The suppression state is stored as individual entries inside the gimprc, so removing the file discards those entries.

2. Portable GIMP builds
In a standard portable installation the entire user profile—including gimprc—resides in the portable folder. As long as that folder remains writable and intact, the custom warning states persist across launches.

3. Hard‑coded unsaved‑work warning
The "Close image with unsaved changes" dialog is hard‑coded and cannot be suppressed via the Preferences → Interface panel. It is the most common non‑suppressible alert, but other safety dialogs (e.g., certain data‑loss warnings) also bypass the suppression list.

Explanation of how GIMP stores suppression states

Each time you check "Do not show this again" for a warning, GIMP writes a line such as do_not_show_this_again = 1 into gimprc under a section that identifies the dialog. These lines are part of the normal configuration file, not a separate database. Therefore, any operation that removes or rewrites gimprc will also remove those suppression flags.

Steps to verify and work around the issue

1. Open GIMP and dismiss a low‑priority warning, checking the "Do not show this again" box.
2. Quit GIMP and locate the user configuration directory:
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\GIMP\2.10\
   • Linux: ~/.config/GIMP/2.10/
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/GIMP/2.10/
3. Open gimprc with a text editor and confirm an entry similar to do_not_show_this_again = 1 appears.
4. Move gimprc to a backup location (e.g., rename it to gimprc.bak).
5. Restart GIMP; the previously suppressed warning should reappear. This demonstrates that the state is lost after a reset.
6. For a portable build, repeat steps 1–4 inside the portable folder (usually GIMP-Portable/). The warning should stay suppressed after restart, confirming persistence.
7. To confirm that the unsaved‑changes dialog cannot be suppressed, navigate to Edit → Preferences → Interface and verify there is no entry for the close‑with‑unsaved‑changes warning. Attempting to disable it via the warning list will not affect this dialog.

What to do if you need a cleaner reset

• If you want to keep some suppressed dialogs while resetting others, manually edit gimprc and delete only the lines that correspond to the dialogs you wish to re‑enable.
• For a full clean slate, delete or rename the entire GIMP/2.10/ directory. GIMP will regenerate defaults on next launch.

Missing diagnostic detail

Could you confirm whether you are using the official GIMP portable build or a third‑party repack? The persistence behavior may differ if the portable package redirects the config path.