---
c: Copyright (C) Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>, et al.
SPDX-License-Identifier: curl
Long: config
Arg: <file>
Help: Read config from a file
Short: K
Category: curl
Added: 4.10
Multi: append
See-also:
  - disable
Example:
  - --config file.txt $URL
---

# `--config`

Specify a text file to read curl arguments from. The command line arguments
found in the text file are used as if they were provided on the command
line.

Options and their parameters must be specified on the same line in the file,
separated by whitespace, colon, or the equals sign. Long option names can
optionally be given in the config file without the initial double dashes and
if so, the colon or equals characters can be used as separators. If the option
is specified with one or two dashes, there can be no colon or equals character
between the option and its parameter.

If the parameter contains whitespace or starts with a colon (:) or equals sign
(=), it must be specified enclosed within double quotes ("like this"). Within
double quotes the following escape sequences are available: \\, \", \t, \n, \r
and \v. A backslash preceding any other letter is ignored.

If the first non-blank column of a config line is a '#' character, that line
is treated as a comment.

Only write one option per physical line in the config file. A single line is
required to be no more than 10 megabytes (since 8.2.0).

Specify the filename to --config as minus "-" to make curl read the file from
stdin.

Note that to be able to specify a URL in the config file, you need to specify
it using the --url option, and not by simply writing the URL on its own
line. So, it could look similar to this:

    url = "https://curl.se/docs/"

    # --- Example file ---
    # this is a comment
    url = "example.com"
    output = "curlhere.html"
    user-agent = "superagent/1.0"

    # and fetch another URL too
    url = "example.com/docs/manpage.html"
    -O
    referer = "http://nowhereatall.example.com/"
    # --- End of example file ---

When curl is invoked, it (unless --disable is used) checks for a default
config file and uses it if found, even when --config is used. The default
config file is checked for in the following places in this order:

1) **"$CURL_HOME/.curlrc"**

2) **"$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/curlrc"** (Added in 7.73.0)

3) **"$HOME/.curlrc"**

4) Windows: **"%USERPROFILE%\.curlrc"**

5) Windows: **"%APPDATA%\.curlrc"**

6) Windows: **"%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\.curlrc"**

7) Non-Windows: use getpwuid to find the home directory

8) On Windows, if it finds no *.curlrc* file in the sequence described above, it
checks for one in the same directory the curl executable is placed.

On Windows two filenames are checked per location: *.curlrc* and *_curlrc*,
preferring the former. Older versions on Windows checked for *_curlrc* only.