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Your configuration is stored in <code>~/.config/home-manager/home.nix</code>. Each time you modify it, rerun <code>home-manager switch</code> for changes to have effect.
Your configuration is stored in <code>~/.config/home-manager/home.nix</code>. Each time you modify it, rerun <code>home-manager switch</code> for changes to have effect.


Note that to work correctly, home-manager needs your shell to source <code>~/.nix-profile/etc/profile.d/hm-session-vars.sh</code>. The most convenient way to do so is to have home-manager manage your whole shell configuration, eg <code>programs.bash.enable = true;</code> or <code>programs.zsh.enable = true;</code>. But in this case your whole bashrc is managed with Home Manager: the years of customization you accumulated in your former .bashrc must be migrated to Home Manager options, which may take some time. The quick and dirty way to do the migration is to move your bashrc to some other location and source it from Home Manager:
To work correctly, Home Manager needs your shell to source <code>~/.nix-profile/etc/profile.d/hm-session-vars.sh</code>. The most convenient way to do so is to have Home Manager manage your whole shell configuration, eg <code>programs.bash.enable = true;</code> or <code>programs.zsh.enable = true;</code>. But in this case your whole bashrc is managed with Home Manager: the years of customization you accumulated in your former .bashrc must be migrated to Home Manager options, which may take some time. The quick and dirty way to do the migration is to move your bashrc to some other location and source it from Home Manager:
<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">
<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">
{ pkgs, ...}: {
{ pkgs, ...}: {
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It can either be incorporated in <code>/etc/nixos/configuration.nix</code> or be placed in a standalone file and imported in configuration.nix: <code>imports = [ ./thefile.nix ]</code>.
It can either be incorporated in <code>/etc/nixos/configuration.nix</code> or be placed in a standalone file and imported in configuration.nix: <code>imports = [ ./thefile.nix ]</code>.


Whenever you change you home-manager configuration, you must rerun <code>nixos-rebuild switch</code>. With this method, changing the configuration of an unprivileged user requires to run a command as root.
Whenever you change you Home Manager configuration, you must rerun <code>nixos-rebuild switch</code>. With this method, changing the configuration of an unprivileged user requires to run a command as root.


=== Usage as a NixOS module in a Flake ===
=== Usage as a NixOS module in a Flake ===
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{
{
   inputs = {
   inputs = {
     nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-24.11";
     nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-25.05";
     home-manager = {
     home-manager = {
       url = "github:nix-community/home-manager/release-24.11";
       url = "github:nix-community/home-manager/release-25.05";
       inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
       inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
     };
     };
   };
   };
   outputs = { self, nixpkgs, home-manager, ... }@inputs:
   outputs =
     nixosConfigurations.exampleMachine = nixosConfiguration "exampleMachine"
    {
      system = "x86_64-linux";
      self,
      modules = [
      nixpkgs,
      home-manager,
      ...
    }@inputs:
     {
      nixosConfigurations.<HOSTNAME> = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem { # replace <HOSTNAME> with your actual hostname
        system = "x86_64-linux";
        modules = [
           ./configuration.nix
           ./configuration.nix
           home-manager.nixosModules.home-manager
           home-manager.nixosModules.default
           {
           {
             home-manager.useGlobalPkgs = true;
             home-manager = {
            home-manager.useUserPackages = true;
              useGlobalPkgs = true;
            home-manager.users.your-username = import ./home.nix;
              useUserPackages = true;
         };
              users.<USERNAME> = ./home.nix; # replace <USERNAME> with your actual username
       ];
            };
          }
         ];
       };
     };
     };
  };
}
}
</syntaxhighlight>
</syntaxhighlight>
        
        
Here's an example of home manager configuration in ./home.nix  
Here's an example of Home Manager configuration in ./home.nix  
<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">
<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">
{ config, pkgs, ... }:
{ config, pkgs, ... }:


{
{
  # Home Manager needs a bit of information about you and the
  # paths it should manage.
  home.username = "your-username";
  home.homeDirectory = "/home/your-username";
   # This value determines the Home Manager release that your
   # This value determines the Home Manager release that your
   # configuration is compatible with. This helps avoid breakage
   # configuration is compatible with. This helps avoid breakage
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   # changes in each release.
   # changes in each release.
   home.stateVersion = "24.11";
   home.stateVersion = "24.11";
  # Let Home Manager install and manage itself.
  programs.home-manager.enable = true;
}
}
</syntaxhighlight>
</syntaxhighlight>
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Of course you'll probably want to keep more stuff in there than just a state version, but the state version is required.
Of course you'll probably want to keep more stuff in there than just a state version, but the state version is required.


The downside to doing it this way over the User config is that you have to do a full system rebuild; the home manager config is part of the full system, and so must be built as root or at least a trusted user.
The downside to doing it this way over the User config is that you have to do a full system rebuild; the Home Manager config is part of the full system, and so must be built as root or at least a trusted user.


== Usage ==
== Usage ==


=== Using Home Manager as a declarative version of nix-env ===
=== Using Home Manager to install package declaratively ===


Nix-env has problematic behavior due to its imperative nature. For example, after installing java 8 with  
Nix-env has problematic behavior due to its imperative nature. For example, after installing java 8 with  
<code>nix-env -i jdk8</code>, running <code>nix-env --upgrade</code> upgrades java to 10 despite the fact that we initially explicitly requested java 8.
<code>nix-env -i jdk8</code>, running <code>nix-env --upgrade</code> upgrades java to 10 despite the fact that we initially explicitly requested java 8.


Installing software with Home-manager avoids this problem:
Installing software with Home Manager avoids this problem:
<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">
<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">
{ pkgs, ...}: {
{ pkgs, ...}: {
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</syntaxhighlight>
</syntaxhighlight>


It is a perfectly valid use case for home-manager to only install software with <code>home.packages</code> without managing dotfiles at all.
It is a perfectly valid use case for Home Manager to only install software with <code>home.packages</code> without managing dotfiles at all.


=== Usage on non-NixOS Linux ===
=== Usage on non-NixOS Linux ===
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   programs.git = {
   programs.git = {
     enable = true;
     enable = true;
     userName  = "my_git_username";
     settings = {
    userEmail = "my_git_username@gmail.com";
      user = {
        name = "my_git_username";
        email = "my_git_username@gmail.com";
      };
    };
   };
   };
</syntaxhighlight>
</syntaxhighlight>
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{{Note|In both ways ("source" and "text"), the symlink points to a target in /nix/store. The difference is that, "source" would overwrite the content of the dot file, while "text" would add the text to the dot file that may also be affected in other places.}}
{{Note|In both ways ("source" and "text"), the symlink points to a target in /nix/store. The difference is that, "source" would overwrite the content of the dot file, while "text" would add the text to the dot file that may also be affected in other places.}}


You have the whole list of the options available in home-manager [https://nix-community.github.io/home-manager/options.xhtml here]
You have the whole list of the options available in Home Manager [https://nix-community.github.io/home-manager/options.xhtml here]


=== Examples ===
=== Examples ===
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== FAQ ==
== FAQ ==


=== I cannot set GNOME or Gtk themes via home-manager ===
=== I cannot set GNOME or Gtk themes via Home Manager ===


If you get [https://nix-community.github.io/home-manager/index.xhtml#_why_do_i_get_an_error_message_about_literal_ca_desrt_dconf_literal_or_literal_dconf_service_literal an error about {{ic|ca.desrt.conf}} or {{ic|dconf.service}}] on NixOS, add
If you get [https://nix-community.github.io/home-manager/index.xhtml#_why_do_i_get_an_error_message_about_literal_ca_desrt_dconf_literal_or_literal_dconf_service_literal an error about {{ic|ca.desrt.conf}} or {{ic|dconf.service}}] on NixOS, add
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=== Workaround with <code>home on tmpfs</code> and standalone installation ===
=== Workaround with <code>home on tmpfs</code> and standalone installation ===


home-on-tmpfs users who installed home-manager standalone may meet problems that cannot load configs after reboot, caused by auto cleaning symlink under the toplevel of the home directory. You need to ensure <code>/home/<user>/.nix-profile</code> exists since the standalone install will not act symlink while the system boots.
home-on-tmpfs users who installed Home Manager standalone may meet problems that cannot load configs after reboot, caused by auto cleaning symlink under the toplevel of the home directory. You need to ensure <code>/home/<user>/.nix-profile</code> exists since the standalone install will not act symlink while the system boots.


If your toplevel of home is on tmpfs, one possible workaround is manually write <code>activationScripts</code> to link the directory:
If your toplevel of home is on tmpfs, one possible workaround is manually write <code>activationScripts</code> to link the directory:
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== Templates ==
== Templates ==


* https://github.com/juspay/nix-dev-home A home-manager template providing useful tools & settings for Nix-based development.  
* https://github.com/juspay/nix-dev-home A Home Manager template providing useful tools & settings for Nix-based development.


== Alternatives ==
== Alternatives ==
Retrieved from "https://wiki.nixos.org/wiki/Home_Manager"