diff --git a/src/core/control/Control.cpp b/src/core/control/Control.cpp
index 12f8889..8633d10 100644
--- a/src/core/control/Control.cpp
+++ b/src/core/control/Control.cpp
@@ -130,8 +130,14 @@ Control::Control(GApplication* gtkApp, GladeSearchpath* gladeSearchPath, bool di
     this->metadata = new MetadataManager();
     this->cursor = new XournalppCursor(this);
 
-    auto name = Util::getConfigFile(SETTINGS_XML_FILE);
-    this->settings = new Settings(std::move(name));
+    auto name = Util::getConfigFileWithFallback(SETTINGS_XML_FILE);
+    auto saveName = Util::getConfigFile(SETTINGS_XML_FILE);
+
+    if (name != saveName) {
+        this->settings = new Settings(std::move(saveName), std::move(name));
+    } else {
+        this->settings = new Settings(std::move(name));
+    }
     this->settings->load();
     this->loadPaletteFromSettings();
 
diff --git a/src/core/control/settings/Settings.cpp b/src/core/control/settings/Settings.cpp
index 96d246b..027c8c1 100644
--- a/src/core/control/settings/Settings.cpp
+++ b/src/core/control/settings/Settings.cpp
@@ -49,7 +49,11 @@ constexpr auto DEFAULT_TOOLBAR = "Portrait";
     com = xmlNewComment((const xmlChar*)(var)); \
     xmlAddPrevSibling(xmlNode, com);
 
-Settings::Settings(fs::path filepath): filepath(std::move(filepath)) { loadDefault(); }
+Settings::Settings(fs::path savePath): savePath(std::move(savePath)), loadPath(this->savePath) { loadDefault(); }
+
+Settings::Settings(fs::path savePath, fs::path loadPath): savePath(std::move(savePath)), loadPath(std::move(loadPath)) {
+    loadDefault();
+}
 
 Settings::~Settings() = default;
 
@@ -826,12 +830,10 @@ void Settings::loadButtonConfig() {
 auto Settings::load() -> bool {
     xmlKeepBlanksDefault(0);
 
-    if (!fs::exists(filepath)) {
-        g_warning("Settings file %s does not exist. Regenerating. ", filepath.string().c_str());
-        save();
-    }
+    if (!fs::exists(loadPath))
+        g_warning("Settings file %s does not exist. Regenerating.", loadPath.string().c_str());
 
-    xmlDocPtr doc = xmlParseFile(char_cast(filepath.u8string().c_str()));
+    xmlDocPtr doc = xmlParseFile(char_cast(loadPath.u8string().c_str()));
 
     if (doc == nullptr) {
         g_warning("Settings::load:: doc == null, could not load Settings!\n");
@@ -840,14 +842,14 @@ auto Settings::load() -> bool {
 
     xmlNodePtr cur = xmlDocGetRootElement(doc);
     if (cur == nullptr) {
-        g_message("The settings file \"%s\" is empty", filepath.string().c_str());
+        g_message("The settings file \"%s\" is empty", loadPath.string().c_str());
         xmlFreeDoc(doc);
 
         return false;
     }
 
     if (xmlStrcmp(cur->name, reinterpret_cast<const xmlChar*>("settings"))) {
-        g_message("File \"%s\" is of the wrong type", filepath.string().c_str());
+        g_message("File \"%s\" is of the wrong type", loadPath.string().c_str());
         xmlFreeDoc(doc);
 
         return false;
@@ -1238,7 +1240,7 @@ void Settings::save() {
         saveData(root, p.first, p.second);
     }
 
-    xmlSaveFormatFileEnc(char_cast(filepath.u8string().c_str()), doc, "UTF-8", 1);
+    xmlSaveFormatFileEnc(char_cast(savePath.u8string().c_str()), doc, "UTF-8", 1);
     xmlFreeDoc(doc);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/core/control/settings/Settings.h b/src/core/control/settings/Settings.h
index a9395d9..46a575b 100644
--- a/src/core/control/settings/Settings.h
+++ b/src/core/control/settings/Settings.h
@@ -102,7 +102,8 @@ private:
 
 class Settings {
 public:
-    /*[[implicit]]*/ Settings(fs::path filepath);
+    explicit Settings(fs::path savePath);
+    Settings(fs::path savePath, fs::path loadPath);
     Settings(const Settings& settings) = delete;
     void operator=(const Settings& settings) = delete;
     virtual ~Settings();
@@ -612,13 +613,19 @@ public:
 
     LatexSettings latexSettings{};
 
-    inline const fs::path& getSettingsFile() const { return filepath; }
+    inline const fs::path& getSettingsFile() const { return savePath; }
 
 private:
     /**
-     *  The config filepath
+     *  The config file path used for saving
      */
-    fs::path filepath;
+    fs::path savePath;
+
+    /**
+     *  The config file path used for loading, may differ from savePath
+     *  when falling back to system directories
+     */
+    fs::path loadPath;
 
 private:
     /**
diff --git a/src/util/PathUtil.cpp b/src/util/PathUtil.cpp
index 5ad591c..7569bc1 100644
--- a/src/util/PathUtil.cpp
+++ b/src/util/PathUtil.cpp
@@ -414,6 +414,47 @@ auto Util::getStateSubfolder(const fs::path& subfolder) -> fs::path {
     return Util::ensureFolderExists(p);
 }
 
+auto Util::getConfigFileWithFallback(const fs::path& relativeFileName) -> fs::path {
+    // Try user config home
+    fs::path userConfigPath = getConfigFile(relativeFileName);
+    std::error_code ec;
+    if (fs::exists(userConfigPath, ec)) {
+        g_message("Found user config file at: %s", userConfigPath.string().c_str());
+        return userConfigPath;
+    }
+    if (ec) {
+        g_warning("Error checking config path existence (%s): %s", userConfigPath.string().c_str(),
+                  ec.message().c_str());
+    }
+
+    // Look in system config directories
+    g_message("Looking for config file in system config directories");
+    const gchar* const* systemConfigDirs = g_get_system_config_dirs();
+    if (systemConfigDirs != nullptr) {
+        for (int i = 0; systemConfigDirs[i] != nullptr; i++) {
+            auto p = GFilename(systemConfigDirs[i]).toPath();
+            if (!p) {
+                g_warning("Could not convert system config dir to path: %s", systemConfigDirs[i]);
+                continue;
+            }
+            fs::path systemConfigPath = *p;
+            systemConfigPath /= CONFIG_FOLDER_NAME;
+            systemConfigPath /= relativeFileName;
+
+            if (fs::exists(systemConfigPath, ec)) {
+                g_message("Found system config file at: %s", systemConfigPath.string().c_str());
+                return systemConfigPath;
+            }
+            if (ec) {
+                g_warning("Error checking system config path existence (%s): %s", systemConfigPath.string().c_str(),
+                          ec.message().c_str());
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    return userConfigPath;
+}
+
 auto Util::getConfigFile(const fs::path& relativeFileName) -> fs::path {
     fs::path p = getConfigSubfolder(relativeFileName.parent_path());
     p /= relativeFileName.filename();
diff --git a/src/util/include/util/PathUtil.h b/src/util/include/util/PathUtil.h
index 63cab81..251caff 100644
--- a/src/util/include/util/PathUtil.h
+++ b/src/util/include/util/PathUtil.h
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ auto system_single_byte_filename(const fs::path& path) -> std::string;
 [[maybe_unused]] [[nodiscard]] fs::path getDataSubfolder(const fs::path& subfolder = "");
 [[maybe_unused]] [[nodiscard]] fs::path getStateSubfolder(const fs::path& subfolder = "");
 [[maybe_unused]] [[nodiscard]] fs::path getConfigFile(const fs::path& relativeFileName = "");
+[[maybe_unused]] [[nodiscard]] fs::path getConfigFileWithFallback(const fs::path& relativeFileName = "");
 [[maybe_unused]] [[nodiscard]] fs::path getCacheFile(const fs::path& relativeFileName = "");
 [[maybe_unused]] [[nodiscard]] fs::path getTmpDirSubfolder(const fs::path& subfolder = "");
 [[maybe_unused]] [[nodiscard]] fs::path getAutosaveFilepath();