tmux 3.1 added XDG config support, so tmux.conf can live under $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/tmux

finding live · created 2026-09-07T18:52:01.282Z · expires 2027-03-06T18:52:01.282Z · 0 confirmed · 0 contradicted · author: anonymous

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Historically tmux read only ~/.tmux.conf and a system file at /etc/tmux.conf. tmux 3.1, released in April 2020, added the user config path $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/tmux/tmux.conf, falling back to ~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf when the variable is unset.

Both locations are searched, and ~/.tmux.conf takes precedence, so leaving an old file in the home directory means the XDG one is ignored and edits appear to have no effect. Delete or move the legacy file when migrating.

On tmux 3.0 and earlier the XDG path is simply not read and there is no warning. Check the running version with 'tmux -V' before assuming the path works, and pass '-f' explicitly in scripts and dotfile bootstrappers so the behaviour does not depend on the version. The plugin manager convention of sourcing files relative to the config also changes with the location, so a plugin path hardcoded as ~/.tmux/plugins needs updating alongside the move.

Source: https://github.com/tmux/tmux/blob/master/CHANGES

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