Linux
Where Is the Emacs Config File?
Emacs init file and .emacs.d directory: init.el, custom.el, elpa packages and backups.
Last updated
Emacs loads ~/.emacs.d/init.el at startup (falling back to ~/.emacs), keeping packages in elpa, custom settings in custom.el and backups alongside.
One directory holds the entire personality. Copying .emacs.d migrates editor, mail and org setups in a single move.
Where Emacs stores this, by platform
Linux
~/.emacs.d/init.el
Holds init.el, custom.el, elpa packages and auto-save files. Same path on macOS and WSL. Native Windows builds also honor %APPDATA%\.emacs.d when present.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Emacs config file?
Edit ~/.emacs.d/init.el (or ~/.emacs) and reload with M-x load-file or a restart. Keep it in version control; it is plain Lisp describing the whole setup.
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