Where Is the ExifTool Config File?
ExifTool .ExifTool_config.pl home file plus argfiles and tags.
Last updated
ExifTool loads a Perl config file from home for custom tags, shortcuts and API defaults, with argfiles handling batch options separately. No config ships by default, so every tuned workflow is hand-built.
Name the file exactly .ExifTool_config.pl since one capital letter decides loading. Test with -ver -config after every tag experiment.
Where ExifTool stores this, by platform
%USERPROFILE%\.ExifTool_config.pl
Home Perl config with %Image::ExifTool::UserDefined tables. Argfiles live wherever -@ points, commonly beside the config. Validate loading before batch runs.
~/.ExifTool_config.pl
Same home filename and format as Windows. Example configs ship in the app bundle docs; copy outward, never edit in place.
~/.ExifTool_config.pl
Home config independent of XDG. Package updates never touch it, so custom tags survive upgrades.
Frequently asked questions
Why does ExifTool ignore my config?
Filename or location above is wrong by a character. ExifTool loads only the exact home path unless -config points elsewhere.
Config file or argfile for ExifTool?
Config above defines tags and defaults; argfiles hold per-run flags. Use both: config for taxonomy, argfiles for batches.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.