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You can carry selected Linux settings across three PCs without cloning any drive: keep the configuration you want to share in a Git-backed dotfiles repository, then use chezmoi to apply it on each machine. Templates let common settings coexist with per-PC details such as hostname or architecture. Review changes with chezmoi diff before applying them.
Choose what should follow you
Start by listing the settings and tools you actually want to keep consistent—for example, shell configuration, editor preferences, Git settings, and selected desktop or window-manager preferences. A dotfiles repository is a shared source for those chosen files, not a copy of your entire home directory or a disk image.
Keep documents and other ordinary user data in a separate workflow if you want them synchronized too. Configuration management and file replication solve different problems.
Use chezmoi and Git for shared configuration
chezmoi manages personal configuration files across machines. Its documented workflow keeps a source directory from a dotfiles repository separate from the files installed in your home directory. You can store that repository locally or host it with a Git service; the setup guide gives GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket as examples.
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- On the first PC, initialize a source repository. Follow the chezmoi setup guide to initialize chezmoi and connect its source directory to your dotfiles repository.
- Add files selectively. Add the configuration files you intend to manage rather than sweeping in the whole home directory. Keep machine-specific paths or assumptions out of shared files unless they are handled deliberately.
- Review the proposed state. Run
chezmoi diffto inspect changes before applying them. The documented sequence is to review the diff and then runchezmoi apply. - Set up the other PCs from the same repository. Initialize chezmoi from that repository on each PC, inspect its proposed changes, and apply only after checking them.
- Move deliberate updates between machines. Use Git to commit and distribute changes to the repository, then use chezmoi’s documented update workflow on the other PCs. The command reference covers status, diff, and update commands.
Keep common settings and PC differences together
Files that are identical on all machines can be copied as-is. For files that need to vary, chezmoi supports templates. Its template data includes operating system, architecture, and hostname, so a shared configuration can account for differences instead of assuming every PC is interchangeable.
Use that flexibility only where there is a real difference. For example, a monitor layout or a hardware-dependent setting may belong in a per-machine variant, while a shell alias can often remain common. Avoid hard-coding usernames, paths, or hardware details into a shared file if they differ between PCs. The templating guide explains the available approach.
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Keep credentials out of ordinary dotfiles
Do not commit plaintext credentials to a public repository. chezmoi documents options including private configuration, encrypted files, and integrations with password managers; consult its password-manager documentation when deciding how to handle secrets. Keep credentials distinct from routine settings, and inspect repository changes before publishing them.
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If you want to declare user packages as well as home-directory configuration, consider Home Manager. It uses Nix to manage both, extending the scope beyond a selected dotfiles workflow. That can suit someone already using Nix or willing to learn it, but it adds setup concepts and may require migrating existing shell or user configuration.
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Home Manager can be used standalone or integrated with NixOS. With the NixOS module, changes are applied as part of a system rebuild; standalone use is also documented. Choose it when declarative package selection is part of the goal, not merely because you have three PCs.
When Syncthing is the right tool
Syncthing is for selected files and folders that should replicate between devices. Its documentation describes bidirectional propagation of file creation, modification, and deletion when devices are online together, with transfers directly between devices rather than uploading the data to a cloud service.
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That is useful for shared documents or other user data. Replication alone does not declare a desired machine configuration, install packages, or provide the same review-and-apply workflow as a dotfiles repository. You can use both approaches if you want shared files and managed settings.
Which approach fits your goal?
| Approach | Manages | Best fit | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| chezmoi with Git | Selected dotfiles, templates, scripts, and optional secret-management integrations | Sharing chosen settings across PCs, including machines with different host details | You choose and apply the files; package parity needs additional setup or scripts. |
| Home Manager | Declarative user packages and home-directory configuration through Nix | Users who already use, or are willing to adopt, Nix and want packages declared alongside configuration | More concepts and potential migration work; NixOS module changes are applied as part of a system rebuild. |
| Syncthing | Bidirectional synchronization of selected files and folders | Replicating user data between devices | File replication does not describe desired machine state or install packages. |
Why cloning a drive is unnecessary
A drive clone copies a whole installation, including material that may be irrelevant or hardware-specific. For this goal, the useful unit is the configuration you select and can review. A USB installer or backup drive may help with installation or recovery, but neither is the mechanism that makes chosen settings follow you between existing PCs.
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