Where Is the Conky Config File?
Where Conky looks for its config on Linux, from the user file down to the system sample config.
Last updated
Conky reads the first config it finds: your user file at ~/.config/conky/conky.conf, falling back to /etc/conky/conky.conf. Most distros ship a sample system config that is meant to be copied, not edited in place.
Old tutorials point at ~/.conkyrc in the home root. That path still works, but it is legacy. Stick with the XDG path for new setups. It keeps dotfile managers happy and matches what the man page documents.
Where Conky stores this, by platform
~/.config/conky/conky.conf
Primary user config (Lua syntax). Create the folder if missing. Reload a running Conky with killall -SIGUSR1 conky after edits. Legacy ~/.conkyrc still works but is deprecated.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start customizing Conky safely?
Copy /etc/conky/conky.conf to ~/.config/conky/conky.conf and edit the copy. The system file gets overwritten on package updates, so your changes would be lost there. Reload with killall -SIGUSR1 conky.
Is ~/.conkyrc still valid?
Yes. Older guides use ~/.conkyrc, and Conky still reads it for backward compatibility. New installs should use ~/.config/conky/conky.conf, since that is the documented default now.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.