Unit File Load Path
Unit files are loaded from a set of paths determined during compilation, described in the two tables below. Unit files found in directories listed earlier override files with the same name in directories lower in the list.
When the variable $SYSTEMD_UNIT_PATH is set, the contents of this variable overrides the unit load path. If $SYSTEMD_UNIT_PATH ends with an empty component (“:”), the usual unit load path will be appended to the contents of the variable.
Table 1. Load path when running in system mode (–system).
Path Description
/etc/systemd/system.control Persistent and transient configuration created using the dbus API
/run/systemd/system.control
/run/systemd/transient Dynamic configuration for transient units
/run/systemd/generator.early Generated units with high priority (see early-dir in system.generator(7))
/etc/systemd/system Local configuration
/run/systemd/system Runtime units
/run/systemd/generator Generated units with medium priority (see normal-dir in system.generator(7))
/usr/local/lib/systemd/system Units of installed packages
/usr/lib/systemd/system
/run/systemd/generator.late Generated units with low priority (see late-dir in system.generator(7))
Table 2. Load path when running in user mode (–user).
Path Description
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/systemd/user.control or ~/.config/systemd/user.control
Persistent and transient configuration created using the dbus API
($XDG_CONFIG_HOME is used if set, ~/.config otherwise)
$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/systemd/user.control
/run/systemd/transient Dynamic configuration for transient units
/run/systemd/generator.early Generated units with high priority (see
early-dir in system.generator(7))
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/systemd/user or $HOME/.config/systemd/user User configuration
($XDG_CONFIG_HOME is used if set, ~/.config otherwise)
/etc/systemd/user Local configuration
$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/systemd/user Runtime units (only used when $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR
is set)
/run/systemd/user Runtime units
$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/systemd/generator Generated units with medium priority (see
normal-dir in system.generator(7))
$XDG_DATA_HOME/systemd/user or $HOME/.local/share/systemd/user Units of
packages that have been installed in the home directory ($XDG_DATA_HOME is used
if set, ~/.local/share otherwise)
$dir/systemd/user for each $dir in $XDG_DATA_DIRS Additional locations for
installed user units, one for each entry in $XDG_DATA_DIRS
/usr/local/lib/systemd/user Units of packages that have been installed
system-wide
/usr/lib/systemd/user
$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/systemd/generator.late Generated units with low priority (see late-dir in system.generator(7))
The set of load paths for the user manager instance may be augmented or changed using various environment variables. And environment variables may in turn be set using environment generators, see systemd.environment-generator(7). In particular, $XDG_DATA_HOME and $XDG_DATA_DIRS may be easily set using systemd-environment-d-generator(8). Thus, directories listed here are just the defaults. To see the actual list that would be used based on compilation options and current environment use
systemd-analyze --user unit-paths
Moreover, additional units might be loaded into systemd (“linked”) from directories not on the unit load path. See the link command for systemctl(1).