Data Directories

Hex Editor stores configuration files and user data in platform-specific directories. Understanding where these files live is useful when backing up settings, sharing configurations between machines, or troubleshooting.

User Data Directory

This is where user-specific files (settings, themes, schemas) are stored.

On Linux, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME takes priority if the environment variable is set; otherwise ~/.config is used.

The directory is created automatically on first launch if it does not exist.

Config File Search Order

When the editor looks for a configuration file (e.g. settings.json, a theme, or a schema), it searches the following locations in order. The last match wins, so user data directory files always take priority over bundled defaults.

1. Application directory — the folder containing the executable
2. Resources directory — on macOS, the Resources folder inside the .app bundle (same as application directory on other platforms)
3. System directory (Linux only) — /usr/share/hexeditor
4. User data directory — the platform path listed above (highest priority)

This means you can override any bundled file (theme, default schema, settings) by placing a file with the same name in the user data directory.

Common Files