---
name: "icewm-env"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "icewm"
version: "4.1.0-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/icewm-env"
---

# icewm-env(5)

### NAME

```
 icewm-env - icewm environment configuration file
```

### SYNOPSIS

```
 $ICEWM_PRIVCFG/env
 $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icewm/env
 $HOME/.icewm/env
 /usr/etc/icewm/env
 /usr/share/icewm/env
```

### DESCRIPTION

[**icewm-session**(1)](/icewm-session/1.md) loads additional environment variables from the file *env* before it does anything else. These variables are then propagated to all other processes, including [**icewm**(1)](/icewm/1.md), via their environment.

### FORMAT

Each line is subjected to POSIX shell expansion by [**wordexp**(3)](/wordexp/3.md). Comment lines starting by a hash-sign (`"#"`) are ignored. [**icewm-session**(1)](/icewm-session/1.md) will load those expanded lines that contain a name, followed by an equals sign, followed by the value (which may be empty).

The word **unset** begins a line with names to be removed from the environment.

### EXAMPLES

```
 # This is a comment.
 # And another.
 XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP="ICEWM"
 XDG_MENU_PREFIX="unexicon-"
 START_DATE=`date`
 START_FROM=`pwd`
```

### FILES

[**icewm-session**(1)](/icewm-session/1.md) looks for the *env* file in the following locations:

```
 $ICEWM_PRIVCFG/env
 $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icewm/env
 $HOME/.icewm/env
 /usr/etc/icewm/env
 /usr/share/icewm/env
```

The locations are searched in the order listed; the first file found is read and the remainder ignored.

### SEE ALSO

[**icewm**(1)](/icewm/1.md), [**icewm-session**(1)](/icewm-session/1.md), [**icewm-startup**(5)](/icewm-startup/5.md).

### AUTHOR

Brian Bidulock \<mailto:bidulock@openss7.org\>.

### LICENSE

**IceWM** is licensed under the GNU Library General Public License. See the *COPYING* file in the distribution.