Where Is the Git Global Config File?
Git global .gitconfig location on Windows, macOS and Linux, and how it relates to system and repo configs.
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Your personal Git settings live in .gitconfig in your home folder. That file covers every repo you touch unless a repo local config overrides it.
Three levels exist: system (every user), global (you), local (.git/config in one repo). When settings disagree, local wins over global, and global wins over system.
Where Git stores this, by platform
%USERPROFILE%\.gitconfig
Usually C:\Users\[Name]\.gitconfig. Git for Windows resolves HOME to the user profile. Newer setups may use $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/git/config instead when .gitconfig is absent.
~/.gitconfig
Same file for Terminal and GUI clients in most setups. The system file sits at /etc/gitconfig or inside the Xcode tools path.
~/.gitconfig
Falls back to ~/.config/git/config when .gitconfig does not exist. The system file is /etc/gitconfig. Run git config with the list and show origin flags to confirm which file a value comes from.
Frequently asked questions
How do I prove which config file a setting comes from?
List settings with origin info. That prints each value alongside the file it was read from, which settles HOME disputes on Windows fast.
Why do I have two .gitconfig files on Windows?
Different shells resolve HOME differently (profile folder versus MSYS or Cygwin home). Pick %USERPROFILE%\.gitconfig as the master and symlink the others to it.
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