@section What is my init file?
@cindex .emacs
@cindex init file
+@cindex early init file
When Emacs starts up, it attempts to load and execute the contents of
a file commonly called @file{.emacs} (though it may have other names,
accessible from the @emph{Options} menu. If the file does not exist,
Emacs will start with the default settings.
+In addition, Emacs 27 and later attempts to load and execute the
+contents of the @file{early-init.el} file. As its name suggests, this
+file, if it exists, is loaded and executed early on during the Emacs
+startup sequence, before @code{.emacs}, and is intended to contain the
+few initializations which must be performed before @file{.emacs} is
+looked up and loaded.
+
@node Location of init file
@section Where do I put my init file?
@cindex HOME directory
@cindex .emacs.d
@cindex _emacs
@cindex init.el
+@cinde early-init.el
@cindex registry, setting the HOME directory in
-On Windows, the @file{.emacs} file may be called @file{_emacs} for
+On Windows, the @file{.emacs} init file may be called @file{_emacs} for
backward compatibility with DOS and FAT filesystems where filenames
could not start with a dot. Some users prefer to continue using such
a name due to historical problems various Windows tools had in the
past with file names that begin with a dot. The init file may also be
-called @file{.emacs.d/init.el}. Many of the other files that are
-created by Lisp packages are stored in the @file{.emacs.d} directory
-too, which keeps all your Emacs related files in one place.
+called @file{.emacs.d/init.el}. The @file{early-init.el} file and many
+of the other files that are created by Lisp packages are stored in the
+@file{.emacs.d} directory too, which keeps all your Emacs related files
+in one place.
All the files mentioned above should go in your @env{HOME} directory.
The @env{HOME} directory is determined by following the steps below: