shell profile and rc files
When a Unix shell is initialized, it reads and executes commands from a set of configuration files. These files are used to set up the shell environment, including environment variables, aliases, and functions. The specific files that are executed depend on the type of shell being used and whether the shell has registered a login operation.
table of contents
the home directory
Profile files and RC files should be located in the user’s home directory. To see the location of your home directory, execute one of the following commands in your preferred Unix shell.
echo $HOME
cd ~
pwd
If a profile file or RC file does not exist, you can create it using the touch command.
For example, to create a .bash_profile file, execute the following command in your preferred Unix shell.
touch ~/.bash_profile
Additional information about Unix shell commands can be found in the useful unix commands guide.
shell profile files
Shell profile files are executed when a user logs in to the shell. On a personal computer, opening a new shell window will typically register as a login operation.
In
Bash shell,
the profile file is typically called .bash_profile.
In
Z shell,
the profile file is typically called .zprofile.
shell rc files
RC files are executed when a new shell is started or initialized. This includes opening a new shell window or executing a shell script.
In
Bash shell,
the RC file is typically called .bashrc.
In
Z shell,
the profile file is typically called .zshrc.
editing profile and rc files
editing on macOS
You can edit profile and RC files on macOS using the TextEdit application.
You can open files in TextEdit from the command line using the open command.
For example, to open the .bashrc file, execute the following command in your preferred Unix shell.
open ~/.bashrc
editing on Windows
You can edit profile and RC files on Windows using the Notepad application.
You can open files in Notepad from the command line using the explorer command.
For example, to open the .bashrc file, execute the following command in your preferred Unix shell.
explorer ~/.bashrc
editing from the command line
You can edit profile and RC files directly from the command line using a wide range of command line text editors, including
nano,
vi,
and
vim.
Additional information about vi can be found in the
editing files in vi guide.