Where Does DOSBox Staging Store Its Config?
DOSBox Staging reads dosbox-staging.conf from a per-OS config folder, with per-game dosbox.conf files and a portable mode beside the binary.
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DOSBox Staging layers its configuration, and the layer order decides which edit wins. The primary file dosbox-staging.conf sets global defaults from a platform-specific folder. A dosbox.conf in the game folder you launch from overrides those defaults per game. A config beside the executable flips the whole install into portable mode.
Start from the primary file: it ships with every setting and its default documented inline. Per-game files then carry only the exceptions. That order keeps one authoritative default instead of five divergent copies.
Where DOSBox Staging stores this, by platform
C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\DOSBox\dosbox-staging.conf
The primary (global) config. Per-game dosbox.conf files in each game's folder layer on top. Drop a dosbox-staging.conf beside the exe to go portable instead.
/Users/[Username]/Library/Preferences/DOSBox/dosbox-staging.conf
Same layered system under Apple's preferences folder. Note the capital DOSBox directory name; the file itself is lowercase dosbox-staging.conf.
~/.config/dosbox/dosbox-staging.conf
Honors XDG_CONFIG_HOME when set. Captures, screenshots, and per-game files live relative to your game folders rather than here, so this file stays purely about settings.
Frequently asked questions
Which config file is actually loading?
Run dosbox-staging --printconf (or -printconf) to print the active user config path. A stray config beside the executable overrides everything, so check there first when edits seem ignored.
How do I make an install portable?
Place a dosbox-staging.conf next to the executable to switch that install to portable mode. Remove it (and relaunch, letting a fresh default generate) to go back to the standard per-OS location.
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