title: How to set tnsnames.ora location for SQL Developer in Windows 10
body: <p>This question (<a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2019230/use-tnsnames-ora-in-oracle-sql-developer">Use tnsnames.ora in Oracle SQL Developer</a>) looks like it should have the answer.  But my copy of SQL Developer does not have Advanced under Database (it does have Advanced Parameters, but that's not helping).</p>
  <p>I've looked all through the preferences (and help), and can't find where to set it.  The accepted answer has a nice picture and this:</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>In the Preferences options expand Database --&gt; select Advanced --&gt; under &quot;Tnsnames Directory&quot; --&gt; Browse the directory where tnsnames.ora present.</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>My picture mostly matches, but there is no Tnsnames Directory option at the bottom.</p>
  <p>This link (<a href="http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/issue-archive/2008/08-may/o38sql-102034.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/issue-archive/2008/08-may/o38sql-102034.html</a>) gives the following useful information:</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>A TNS connection uses an alias entry from a tnsnames.ora file. Oracle SQL Developer uses only one tnsnames.ora file. You may have more than one on your local machine or want to use the tnsnames.ora file on a remote machine, so note that Oracle SQL Developer looks sequentially for the tnsnames.ora file in the following locations:</p>
  <ol>
  <li>$HOME/.tnsnames.ora</li>
  <li>$TNS_ADMIN/tnsnames.ora</li>
  <li>/etc/tnsnames.ora (non-Windows systems)</li>
  <li>$ORACLE_HOME/network/admin/tnsnames.ora</li>
  <li>Registry key</li>
  </ol>
  </blockquote>
  <p>I want the $ORACLE_HOME option to be used, but there appears to be a copy in one of the first 2 locations.  And I'm not sure where $HOME or $TNS_ADMIN is defined (so I could just copy over my good copy there), or better yet, how to re-define it to use the one in $ORACLE_HOME.</p>