How to permanently set $PATH on Linux/Unix?
How to permanently set $PATH on Linux/Unix?
Question
I'm trying to add a directory to my path so it will always be in my Linux path. I've tried:
export PATH=$PATH:/path/to/dir
This works, however each time I exit the terminal and start a new terminal instance, this path is lost, and I need to run the export command again.
How can I do it so this will be set permanently?
Accepted Answer
There are multiple ways to do it. The actual solution depends on the purpose.
The variable values are usually stored in either a list of assignments or a shell script that is run at the start of the system or user session. In case of the shell script you must use a specific shell syntax and export or set commands.
System wide
/etc/environmentList of unique assignments, allows references. Perfect for adding system-wide directories like/usr/local/something/bintoPATHvariable or definingJAVA_HOME. Used by PAM and SystemD./etc/environment.d/*.confList of unique assignments, allows references. Perfect for adding system-wide directories like/usr/local/something/bintoPATHvariable or definingJAVA_HOME. The configuration can be split into multiple files, usually one per each tool (Java, Go, NodeJS). Used by SystemD that by design do not pass those values to user login shells./etc/xprofileShell script executed while starting X Window System session. This is run for every user that logs into X Window System. It is a good choice forPATHentries that are valid for every user like/usr/local/something/bin. The file is included by other script so use POSIX shell syntax not the syntax of your user shell./etc/profileand/etc/profile.d/*Shell script. This is a good choice for shell-only systems. Those files are read only by shells in login mode./etc/<shell>.<shell>rc. Shell script. This is a poor choice because it is single shell specific. Used in non-login mode.
User session
~/.pam_environment. List of unique assignments, no references allowed. Loaded by PAM at the start of every user session irrelevant if it is an X Window System session or shell. You cannot reference other variables includingHOMEorPATHso it has limited use. Used by PAM.~/.xprofileShell script. This is executed when the user logs into X Window System system. The variables defined here are visible to every X application. Perfect choice for extendingPATHwith values such as~/binor~/go/binor defining user specificGOPATHorNPM_HOME. The file is included by other script so use POSIX shell syntax not the syntax of your user shell. Your graphical text editor or IDE started by shortcut will see those values.~/.profile,~/.<shell>_profile,~/.<shell>_loginShell script. It will be visible only for programs started from terminal or terminal emulator. It is a good choice for shell-only systems. Used by shells in login mode.~/.<shell>rc. Shell script. This is a poor choice because it is single shell specific. Used by shells in non-login mode.
Notes
Gnome on Wayland starts user login shell to get the environment. It effectively uses login shell configurations ~/.profile, ~/.<shell>_profile, ~/.<shell>_login files.
Manuals
- environment
- environment.d
- bash
- dash
Distribution specific documentation
Related
Popular Answer
You need to add it to your ~/.profile or ~/.bashrc file.
export PATH="$PATH:/path/to/dir"
Depending on what you're doing, you also may want to symlink to binaries:
cd /usr/bin
sudo ln -s /path/to/binary binary-name
Note that this will not automatically update your path for the remainder of the session. To do this, you should run:
source ~/.profile
or
source ~/.bashrc
Read more… Read less…
In Ubuntu, edit /etc/environment. Its sole purpose is to store Environment Variables. Originally the $PATH variable is defined here.
This is a paste from my /etc/environment file:
PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games"
So you can just open up this file as root and add whatever you want.
For Immediate results, Run (try as normal user and root):
source /etc/environment && export PATH
UPDATE:
If you use zsh (a.k.a Z Shell), add this line right after the comments in /etc/zsh/zshenv:
source /etc/environment
I encountered this little quirk on Ubuntu 15.10, but if your zsh is not getting the correct PATH, this could be why
Put the export declaration in ~/.bashrc. My .bashrc contains this:
export PATH=/var/lib/gems/1.8/bin:/home/fraxtil/.bin:$PATH
You may set $PATH permanently in 2 ways.
To set path for particular user : You may need to make the entry in
.bash_profilein home directory in the user.e.g in my case I will set java path in tomcat user profile
[tomcat]$ echo "export PATH=$PATH:/path/to/dir" >> /home/tomcat/.bash_profileTo set common path for ALL system users, you may need to set path like this :
[root~]# echo "export PATH=$PATH:/path/to/dir" >> /etc/profile
You can use on Centos or RHEL for local user:
echo $"export PATH=\$PATH:$(pwd)" >> ~/.bash_profile
This add the current directory(or you can use other directory) to the PATH, this make it permanent but take effect at the next user logon.
If you don't want do a re-logon, then can use:
source ~/.bash_profile
That reload the # User specific environment and startup programs this comment is present in .bash_profile
You can also set permanently, editing one of these files:
/etc/profile (for all users)
~/.bash_profile (for current user)
~/.bash_login (for current user)
~/.profile (for current user)
You can also use /etc/environment to set a permanent PATH environment variable, but it does not support variable expansion.
Extracted from: http://www.sysadmit.com/2016/06/linux-anadir-ruta-al-path.html