Where Is the GNU Screen Config File?
Screen .screenrc location in home with keybinds, status line and startup windows on Linux.
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GNU Screen reads a single .screenrc from your home directory at startup, holding escape key choice, status lines, startup windows and scrollback size. No file ships by default, so stock behavior rules until you write one.
Sessions themselves live in sockets under /run/screen, not in the config. Copy .screenrc and every machine multiplexes identically.
Where GNU Screen stores this, by platform
~/.screenrc
Only config file Screen reads, with /etc/screenrc as the system fallback. Session sockets sit in /run/screen/S-$USER and vanish on reboot. Keep .screenrc in dotfiles and reattach anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change the Screen escape key?
Set the escape line in .screenrc, for example to backtick. Existing sessions keep the old key until reattached fresh.
Where are detached Screen sessions?
As sockets under /run/screen/S-$USER, listed by screen -ls. They die with the machine, so long jobs need nohup-style care across reboots.
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