diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/jetpackduba/gitnuro/Logging.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/jetpackduba/gitnuro/Logging.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd649d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/jetpackduba/gitnuro/Logging.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+package com.jetpackduba.gitnuro
+
+import com.jetpackduba.gitnuro.extensions.openDirectory
+import com.jetpackduba.gitnuro.system.OS
+import com.jetpackduba.gitnuro.system.getCurrentOs
+import org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender
+import org.apache.log4j.LogManager
+import org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
+import org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
+import java.io.File
+
+fun initLogging() {
+    val layout = PatternLayout("%d{yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss} %-5p %c{1}:%L - %m%n")
+
+    val filePath = when (getCurrentOs()) {
+        OS.LINUX -> linuxLogsPathAppender()
+        OS.WINDOWS -> windowsLogsPathAppender()
+        OS.MAC -> macosLogsPath()
+        OS.UNKNOWN -> defaultLogsPath()
+    }
+
+    val fileAppender = RollingFileAppender(layout, filePath, true)
+    fileAppender.maximumFileSize = 10 * 1024 * 1024 // 10MB
+    fileAppender.maxBackupIndex = 5
+
+    val consoleAppender = ConsoleAppender(layout)
+
+    LogManager.getRootLogger().apply {
+        addAppender(fileAppender)
+        addAppender(consoleAppender)
+    }
+}
+
+private fun defaultLogsPath(): String {
+    val homePath = System.getProperty("user.home").orEmpty()
+
+    return "$homePath/gitnuro/gitnuro.logs"
+}
+
+private fun macosLogsPath(): String {
+    val logsDir = File(System.getProperty("user.home") + "/Library/Logs/")
+        .openDirectory("com.jetpackduba.Gitnuro")
+
+    return "${logsDir.absolutePath}/gitnuro.log"
+}
+
+private fun windowsLogsPathAppender(): String {
+    val localAppData = System.getenv("LOCALAPPDATA")
+
+    val gitnuroDir = File(localAppData).openDirectory("Gitnuro")
+    val logsDir = gitnuroDir.openDirectory("logs")
+    return "${logsDir.absolutePath}/gitnuro.log"
+}
+
+private fun linuxLogsPathAppender(): String {
+    // Based on this https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html
+    val homePath = System.getProperty("user.home")
+    val xdgStateHome = System.getenv("XDG_STATE_HOME")
+
+    val safeXdgStateHome = if (xdgStateHome.isNullOrBlank())
+        "$homePath/.local/state"
+    else
+        xdgStateHome
+
+    val gitnuroDir = File(safeXdgStateHome).openDirectory("gitnuro")
+    val logsDir = gitnuroDir.openDirectory("logs")
+
+    return "$logsDir/gitnuro.log"
+}
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/jetpackduba/gitnuro/main.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/jetpackduba/gitnuro/main.kt
index e68124e..fd60e82 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/jetpackduba/gitnuro/main.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/jetpackduba/gitnuro/main.kt
@@ -1,6 +1,13 @@
 package com.jetpackduba.gitnuro
 
+import com.jetpackduba.gitnuro.preferences.initPreferencesPath
+
+private const val TAG = "main"
+
 fun main(args: Array<String>) {
+    initLogging()
+    initPreferencesPath()
+
     val app = App()
     app.start(args)
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/jetpackduba/gitnuro/preferences/AppSettings.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/jetpackduba/gitnuro/preferences/AppSettings.kt
index 6d398e4..cf5fd01 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/jetpackduba/gitnuro/preferences/AppSettings.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/jetpackduba/gitnuro/preferences/AppSettings.kt
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package com.jetpackduba.gitnuro.preferences
 
 import com.jetpackduba.gitnuro.extensions.defaultWindowPlacement
+import com.jetpackduba.gitnuro.system.OS
+import com.jetpackduba.gitnuro.system.getCurrentOs
 import com.jetpackduba.gitnuro.theme.ColorsScheme
 import com.jetpackduba.gitnuro.theme.Theme
 import com.jetpackduba.gitnuro.viewmodels.TextDiffType
@@ -195,4 +197,20 @@ class AppSettings @Inject constructor() {
             _customThemeFlow.value = Json.decodeFromString<ColorsScheme>(themeJson)
         }
     }
+}
+
+// TODO migrate old prefs path to new one?
+fun initPreferencesPath() {
+    if(getCurrentOs() == OS.LINUX) {
+        val xdgConfigHome: String? = System.getenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME")
+
+        val settingsPath = if(xdgConfigHome.isNullOrBlank()) {
+            val home = System.getProperty("user.home").orEmpty()
+            "$home/.config/gitnuro"
+        } else {
+            "$xdgConfigHome/gitnuro"
+        }
+
+        System.setProperty("java.util.prefs.userRoot", settingsPath)
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/main/resources/log4j.properties b/src/main/resources/log4j.properties
deleted file mode 100644
index 0c28a82..0000000
--- a/src/main/resources/log4j.properties
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-# Root logger option
-log4j.rootLogger=INFO, file, stdout
-# Direct log messages to a log file
-log4j.appender.file=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
-log4j.appender.file.File=${user.home}/.gitnuro/gitnuro.log
-log4j.appender.file.MaxFileSize=10MB
-log4j.appender.file.MaxBackupIndex=10
-log4j.appender.file.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
-log4j.appender.file.layout.ConversionPattern=%d{yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss} %-5p %c{1}:%L - %m%n
-# Direct log messages to stdout
-log4j.appender.stdout=org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender
-log4j.appender.stdout.Target=System.out
-log4j.appender.stdout.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
-log4j.appender.stdout.layout.ConversionPattern=%d{yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss} %-5p %c{1}:%L - %m%n
\ No newline at end of file