You can carry the Linux setup you care about across three existing PCs without cloning their drives: keep selected dotfiles in a Git repository, then use chezmoi to apply them on each computer. Share a common baseline while using templates or local configuration for differences such as hostname and architecture. Review each proposed change with chezmoi diff before applying it.
Decide what should follow you
Start with settings you want to behave consistently, such as shell configuration, editor preferences, Git settings, and selected desktop or window-manager preferences. You do not need to make every file in your home directory identical. Keep documents, downloads, caches, and machine-specific settings out of the shared configuration unless you have a clear reason to manage them there.
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chezmoi manages selected personal configuration files from a source directory associated with your dotfiles repository. Its documentation describes the purpose as managing personal configuration files across multiple machines. Read the chezmoi overview.
The Tool Desk
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Use one repository as the source for settings common to all three PCs. chezmoi can copy a file as-is or render it as a template when some values should vary by machine. Documented template data includes operating system, architecture, and hostname. That lets a shared configuration account for real differences instead of assuming all machines have the same identity or hardware. See the chezmoi setup guide and template reference.
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A practical split is a common shell alias or editor preference in the shared baseline, with host-dependent values handled separately. Avoid embedding a particular username, home-directory path, monitor arrangement, or hardware assumption in a file that will be applied unchanged elsewhere.
Initialize each PC and review before applying
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On the first PC, initialize chezmoi and add only the files you have chosen to manage. Keep the source under version control; a hosted Git repository is optional if you want to retrieve the configuration remotely. The setup documentation gives GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket as examples of hosting services.
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On each other PC, initialize chezmoi from the same repository. Check that any required local configuration or template data reflects that machine.
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Run
chezmoi diffand inspect the proposed changes. This is the opportunity to catch an unwanted overwrite or a host-specific value that was not handled correctly.Rank #3
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When the diff is appropriate, run
chezmoi apply. For later changes, update the repository deliberately, retrieve the change on each PC, inspect the resulting diff, and apply it. The command reference documents status, diff, and update workflows. See the chezmoi command reference.
Choose the tool that matches what you want to manage
These approaches solve related but different problems. The key distinction is whether you want to apply selected configuration, declare user packages as well, or replicate ordinary files and folders.
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| Approach | What it manages | Best fit | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| chezmoi with Git | Selected dotfiles, templates, scripts, and optional secret-management integrations | Sharing a flexible personal configuration across machines, including PCs with different host details | It applies the files you select; package parity needs additional setup or scripts. |
| Home Manager | Declarative user packages and home-directory configuration through Nix | Users already using Nix, or willing to adopt it to declare packages alongside configuration | It introduces Nix setup and possible migration work. When integrated as a NixOS module, changes are applied as part of a system rebuild. |
| Syncthing | Bidirectional synchronization of selected files and folders | Documents or other user data that should replicate among devices | Replicating files does not itself declare desired machine state or install packages. |
When dotfiles are enough
Use chezmoi with Git when the goal is to reproduce selected settings and scripts. It does not automatically make installed applications identical; handle packages separately if that matters.
When package declarations matter too
Home Manager extends the scope to declarative user packages as well as home-directory configuration. It brings Nix-specific concepts and setup, so allow for migration from existing shell configuration. It can be used standalone, or integrated with NixOS, where configuration is applied as part of a system rebuild.
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When the goal is shared files
Syncthing is for replicating selected folders. Its documentation describes direct transfers among devices when they are online together, without uploading the data to a cloud service. File replication is useful for shared data, but it is not a substitute for a repository describing which configuration should be applied to a machine.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Keep secrets out of ordinary dotfiles
Do not commit plaintext passwords, access tokens, or private keys to a public repository. chezmoi documents options including password-manager integrations, encrypted files, and private configuration. Choose a secret-handling method deliberately, and ensure sensitive values are not exposed in a template or generated file. See chezmoi’s password-manager guidance.
What you do—and do not—need
The configuration workflow is software-based; a cloned disk is unnecessary. A USB installer can help install an operating system, and an external drive can be useful for backups, but neither is the mechanism that carries selected settings between PCs. Keep backups separate from configuration management: a dotfiles repository is not a complete backup of a computer.
Quick Recap
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