Where Does the Delta Pager Store Settings?
The delta diff pager reads settings.json from a per-OS folder, overridable per session with DELTA_CONFIG_DIR.
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Delta, the terminal diff pager often paired with git, keeps its settings in a settings.json file inside a per-OS folder. Point git's pager at delta and every diff picks up those styles automatically.
The DELTA_CONFIG_DIR variable moves the file anywhere you like, which suits dotfile repos and per-project themes. Mac users get a compatibility fallback: if the XDG style folder is absent, the classic Application Support path is read instead.
Where Delta stores this, by platform
~/.config/delta/settings.json
Primary location, with ~/Library/Application Support/delta/settings.json as fallback. Set DELTA_CONFIG_DIR to point elsewhere. Wire it up with git config core.pager delta.
~/.config/delta/settings.json
Respects XDG_CONFIG_HOME when set, else ~/.config. Same DELTA_CONFIG_DIR override. Versioned settings file, so upgrades keep old keys working.
%APPDATA%\delta\settings.json
Roaming AppData home with the same file name and override variable. Settings apply app wide since delta has no per project mode.
Frequently asked questions
How do I use delta with git?
Install delta, then set git config core.pager to delta. Diff output immediately gains syntax highlighting and side by side views. Tweak styles in settings.json. No repository changes are needed since paging is purely presentational.
Can I keep delta settings in my dotfiles repo?
Yes. Store settings.json in the repo and point DELTA_CONFIG_DIR at it from your shell profile. That syncs themes and options across machines without touching each OS default folder.
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