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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-25T13:32:55+00:00

Every .NET project I’ve worked on uses an app.config file for its configuration. Fair

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Every .NET project I’ve worked on uses an app.config file for its configuration. Fair enough.

Today I am asking, “is there a better way?” (in the spirit of continual learning of course)

I guess my specific questions are:

  1. Does it matter either way if I use app.config or settings file?
  2. Are there any scenarios where settings files should not be used e.g web sites where you should use a web.config instead?
  3. Other than not having to edit xml, are there any other benefits gained by using settings instead of app.config, e.g. its easier to deploy or maintain apps etc.

Clarification:
I’ll put this question another way:
Can I completely ignore app.config files if I want to and keep all the configuration in a settings.cs file and interact with configuration via the designer only?

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    IMO, the main advantage of settings files is scoping (for client apps at least) – that is, that you can have different values of the same setting for a different user. It also allows you to easily edit and save user-scoped settings. And yes, if you don’t like editing XMLs – then settings have the advantage of a designer too 🙂

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