= ["Using Pidgin"] =

[[TOC(inline,noheading)]]

== Windows Specific ==

=== How does Pidgin for Windows determine which language to use? === 
For the user who installed Pidgin, the language selected during installation will be the default.
This can be overridden by setting the `PIDGINLANG` environment variable (for example, `PIDGINLANG=de`).
If neither of these are specified, it will fall back to the default Windows user locale setting.

=== Where are my settings and data (including logs) saved? ===
Data is stored in your user's "Application Data" directory in a `.purple` subdirectory.  The location of this will vary according to your setup and version of Windows.[[BR]]
 * For Windows 2000/XP/Vista(?), entering `%APPDATA%` in your Windows Explorer address bar will take you to the right directory (probably something like `C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data`).
 * For Windows 98/ME it will be something like `C:\Windows\Profiles\username`.
This can be overridden by setting the `PURPLEHOME` environment variable.[[BR]]
Logs are stored in a subdirectory called `logs`.

=== How do I run multiple instances of Pidgin on Windows? ===
Pidgin will, by default, prevent multiple instances from running simultaneously.
You can override this restriction by defining the `PIDGIN_MULTI_INST` environment variable.
If you do this, you may find the `-c` parameter useful to specify unique configuration directories for each instance (e.g. `-c c:\home\.pidgin-alt`).

=== How do I change the Look and Feel? ===
Pidgin doesn't support skinning.  It does, however, support using various GTK+ themes to render the widgets.  The default theme, `MS-Windows,` is designed to fit in with Windows.  The GTK+ Runtime installer now includes a utility, accessible from the Start Menu, to change the theme.

=== What should I do if Pidgin Crashes? ===
Follow the instructions [wiki:TipsForBugReports#WhattodoifPidgincrashes here] to submit a bug report.

=== What is a gtkrc file and where can I find it? ===
The windowing toolkit that Pidgin uses, GTK+, is configurable via a text file.

There is a global file found in the `etc\gtk-2.0` directory your GTK+ Runtime install directory (`C:\Program Files\Common Files\GTK\2.0`, by default).
There is also per-user file (named `.gtkrc-2.0`) in your user's home directory, the location of this varies according to the version of Windows you're using and the configuration.
 * For Windows 2000/XP/Vista(?), entering `%USERPROFILE%` in your Windows Explorer address bar will take you to the right directory (probably something like `C:\Documents and Settings\username`).
 * For Windows 98/ME it will be something like `C:\Windows\Profiles\username`.

**Note that Windows Explorer will not allow you create a file that starts with a period; you'll need to use a text editor or rename the file in a cmd shell.

It is recommended that you edit your per-user file instead of the global file as the global file will be replaced when GTK+ is upgraded.

== Linux and Unix-like platforms ==

=== Where are Pidgin's settings and logs? ===
Because Pidgin is a libPurple client, it stores its settings and logs in ~/.purple.