# How does jabref load the configuration file on Linux?

**URL:** <https://discourse.jabref.org/t/how-does-jabref-load-the-configuration-file-on-linux/1448>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [December 3, 2018, 12:31pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/how-does-jabref-load-the-configuration-file-on-linux/1448 "2018-12-03T12:31:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![johann-petrak](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/johann-petrak/32/45_2.png) [@johann-petrak](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/johann-petrak)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2018, 12:31pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/how-does-jabref-load-the-configuration-file-on-linux/1448/1 "2018-12-03T12:31:37Z")

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I am not sure I understand how jabref knows where to read the configuration from, i.e. where the jabref.xml is stored it wants to read when getting started?

Apparently there is no command line option to tell it which config file to read?

So how can/should I control which config file it should use?

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**Author:** ![Siedlerchr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/siedlerchr/32/216_2.png) [@Siedlerchr](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/Siedlerchr)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 9:59am UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/how-does-jabref-load-the-configuration-file-on-linux/1448/2 "2018-12-22T09:59:03Z")

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Hi,

JabRef uses the java preferences API and it is stored in different locations on each OS:  
For linux it’s stored in prefs.xml files

> **[Java Preferences API](https://victor.kropp.name/blog/java-preferences-api/)**
>
> Some enexpected findings in Java Preferences API