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Zeal stores its settings in a configuration file that can be edited manually or through the application’s settings dialog.

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Configuration File Location

Settings are stored in the platform-specific location:
  • Linux: ~/.config/Zeal/Zeal.conf
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Zeal\Zeal.ini
  • macOS: ~/Library/Preferences/org.zealdocs.Zeal.plist

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Settings Categories

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Startup

Control how Zeal behaves when launched.
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startMinimized
boolean
default:"false"
Start Zeal minimized to the system tray
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checkForUpdate
boolean
default:"true"
Automatically check for application updates
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ui.hide_menu_bar
boolean
default:"false"
Hide the menu bar (can be temporarily shown with Alt key)

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System Tray

Configure system tray icon and window behavior.
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show_systray_icon
boolean
default:"true"
Display Zeal icon in the system tray
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minimize_to_systray
boolean
default:"false"
Minimize to system tray instead of taskbar
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hide_on_close
boolean
default:"false"
Hide window instead of closing when clicking the close button

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Global Shortcuts

Set keyboard shortcuts that work system-wide.
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global_shortcuts.show
string
Global keyboard shortcut to show/hide Zeal windowExample: Alt+Space, Meta+Z

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Tabs

Control tab behavior.
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tabs.open_new_tab_after_active
boolean
default:"false"
Open new tabs after the currently active tab instead of at the end
Configure search behavior.
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search.fuzzy_search_enabled
boolean
default:"false"
Enable fuzzy search matchingWhen enabled, search results don’t require exact character matches in sequence.

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Content

Customize documentation appearance and fonts.

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Appearance

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content.appearance
enum
default:"Automatic"
Control the appearance theme
  • Automatic (0) - Follow system theme
  • Light (1) - Always use light theme
  • Dark (2) - Always use dark theme

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Fonts

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content.default_font_family
string
default:"serif"
Default font family for documentationOptions: serif, sans-serif, monospace
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content.serif_font_family
string
Serif font family name (e.g., “Times New Roman”)
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content.sans_serif_font_family
string
Sans-serif font family name (e.g., “Arial”)
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content.fixed_font_family
string
Fixed-width font family name for code (e.g., “Courier New”)
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content.default_font_size
integer
default:"16"
Default font size in pixels
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content.default_fixed_font_size
integer
default:"13"
Default fixed-width font size in pixels
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content.minimum_font_size
integer
default:"0"
Minimum font size in pixels

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Behavior

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content.highlight_on_navigate
boolean
default:"true"
Highlight search term when navigating to a result
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content.smooth_scrolling
boolean
default:"true"
Enable smooth scrolling animation
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content.custom_css_file
string
Path to custom CSS file for styling documentation
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content.external_link_policy
enum
default:"Ask"
How to handle external links
  • Ask (0) - Prompt user before opening
  • Open (1) - Open in embedded browser
  • OpenInSystemBrowser (2) - Open in system browser

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Network

Configure network and proxy settings.

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Proxy

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proxy.type
enum
default:"System"
Proxy configuration type
  • None (0) - No proxy
  • System (1) - Use system proxy settings
  • Http (3) - HTTP proxy
  • Socks5 (4) - SOCKS5 proxy
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proxy.host
string
Proxy server hostname or IP address
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proxy.port
integer
Proxy server port number
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proxy.authenticate
boolean
default:"false"
Enable proxy authentication
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proxy.username
string
Proxy authentication username
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proxy.password
string
Proxy authentication password
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proxy.ignore_ssl_errors
boolean
default:"false"
Ignore SSL certificate errors
Only enable this if you understand the security implications.

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Docsets

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docsets.path
string
Path to docset storage directoryDefault locations:
  • Linux: ~/.local/share/Zeal/docsets
  • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Zeal\docsets
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Zeal/docsets
For portable builds, defaults to docsets in the application directory.

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Example Configuration

Here’s an example configuration file snippet: 
[General]
start_minimized=false
check_for_update=true
show_systray_icon=true
minimize_to_systray=false
hide_on_close=false

[ui]
hide_menu_bar=false

[global_shortcuts]
show=Alt+Space

[search]
fuzzy_search_enabled=true

[content]
appearance=0
default_font_family=serif
default_font_size=16
default_fixed_font_size=13
minimum_font_size=0
external_link_policy=0
highlight_on_navigate=true
smooth_scrolling=true

[proxy]
type=1
ignore_ssl_errors=false

[docsets]
path=/home/user/.local/share/Zeal/docsets

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Internal Settings

Zeal also maintains some internal settings that should not be manually edited:
  • internal.install_id - Unique UUID identifying the installation
  • internal.version - Configuration format version
  • state.window_geometry - Window size and position
  • state.splitter_geometry - Splitter positions
  • state.toc_splitter_state - Table of contents splitter state
Settings are automatically saved when you close Zeal or change preferences in the settings dialog.

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