I'm new to managing dotfiles and am setting up Chezmoi on Windows 11. I install most of my programs with Scoop, but their configuration files are spread across several locations, including Scoop's persistent directories, .config in my home folder, and %APPDATA%Roaming.
I was considering moving everything into .config and tracking it there with Chezmoi. For applications that support it, I set XDG_CONFIG_HOME in my PowerShell profile. For the others, I've been using symbolic links and junctions to connect their original locations to files under .config.
Is this a sensible setup, or would it be better to leave each configuration file where its application expects it and let Chezmoi manage those different paths directly? I'd appreciate advice on how others handle this on Windows.
2 Answers
You generally don’t need symlinks or junctions for this. Chezmoi can manage files at their normal application-specific locations, even when they’re scattered across your system. I’d leave each file where the program expects it and add those paths directly to your Chezmoi source. PowerShell profiles and OneDrive can require a little extra handling, such as a script to copy or restore files, but I’d avoid introducing links unless a particular application truly needs them.
Your approach can work, especially for programs that properly support XDG_CONFIG_HOME. Still, moving files or creating links adds another layer that can make troubleshooting harder. A simpler setup is to use .config where Windows applications support it and let Chezmoi map everything else from its default location. That way the programs keep their expected paths while Chezmoi provides the versioning and deployment.
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