diff --git a/cointop/cmd/root.go b/cointop/cmd/root.go
index e654348..106db28 100644
--- a/cointop/cmd/root.go
+++ b/cointop/cmd/root.go
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ See git.io/cointop for more info.`,
 	rootCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&config, "config", "c", "", fmt.Sprintf("Config filepath. (default %s)", cointop.DefaultConfigFilepath))
 	rootCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&cmcAPIKey, "coinmarketcap-api-key", "", "", "Set the CoinMarketCap API key")
 	rootCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&apiChoice, "api", "", "", "API choice. Available choices are \"coinmarketcap\" and \"coingecko\"")
-	rootCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&colorscheme, "colorscheme", "", "", "Colorscheme to use (default \"cointop\"). To install standard themes, do:\n\ngit clone git@github.com:cointop-sh/colors.git ~/.config/cointop/colors\n\nSee git.io/cointop#colorschemes for more info.")
+	rootCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&colorscheme, "colorscheme", "", "", fmt.Sprintf("Colorscheme to use (default \"cointop\").\n%s", cointop.ColorschemeHelpString))
 	rootCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&cacheDir, "cache-dir", "", cacheDir, "Cache directory")
 
 	return rootCmd
diff --git a/cointop/cointop.go b/cointop/cointop.go
index 8b4c15f..67e12cb 100644
--- a/cointop/cointop.go
+++ b/cointop/cointop.go
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ var DefaultPerPage uint = 100
 var DefaultColorscheme = "cointop"
 
 // DefaultConfigFilepath ...
-var DefaultConfigFilepath = "~/.config/cointop/config.toml"
+var DefaultConfigFilepath = pathutil.NormalizePath(":PREFERRED_CONFIG_HOME:/cointop/config.toml")
 
 // DefaultCacheDir ...
 var DefaultCacheDir = filecache.DefaultCacheDir
@@ -499,3 +499,8 @@ func Reset(config *ResetConfig) error {
 
 	return nil
 }
+
+// ColorschemeHelpString ...
+func ColorschemeHelpString() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("To install standard themes, do:\n\ngit clone git@github.com:cointop-sh/colors.git %s\n\nSee git.io/cointop#colorschemes for more info.", pathutil.NormalizePath(":PREFERRED_CONFIG_HOME:/cointop/colors"))
+}
diff --git a/cointop/common/pathutil/pathutil.go b/cointop/common/pathutil/pathutil.go
index def97a9..32e9e50 100644
--- a/cointop/common/pathutil/pathutil.go
+++ b/cointop/common/pathutil/pathutil.go
@@ -3,22 +3,30 @@ package pathutil
 import (
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
-	"runtime"
 	"strings"
 )
 
-// UserPreferredHomeDir returns the preferred home directory for the user
-func UserPreferredHomeDir() string {
-	var home string
+// UserPreferredConfigDir returns the preferred config directory for the user
+func UserPreferredConfigDir() string {
+	defaultConfigDir := "~/.config"
 
-	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
-		home = os.Getenv("HOMEDRIVE") + os.Getenv("HOMEPATH")
-	} else if runtime.GOOS == "linux" {
-		home = os.Getenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME")
+	config, err := os.UserConfigDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		return defaultConfigDir
 	}
 
-	if home == "" {
-		home, _ = os.UserHomeDir()
+	if config == "" {
+		return defaultConfigDir
+	}
+
+	return config
+}
+
+// UserPreferredHomeDir returns the preferred home directory for the user
+func UserPreferredHomeDir() string {
+	home, err := os.UserHomeDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		return ""
 	}
 
 	return home
@@ -26,11 +34,16 @@ func UserPreferredHomeDir() string {
 
 // NormalizePath normalizes and extends the path string
 func NormalizePath(path string) string {
+	userHome := UserPreferredHomeDir()
+	userConfigHome := UserPreferredConfigDir()
+
 	// expand tilde
 	if strings.HasPrefix(path, "~/") {
-		path = filepath.Join(UserPreferredHomeDir(), path[2:])
+		path = filepath.Join(userHome, path[2:])
 	}
 
+	path = strings.Replace(path, ":HOME:", userHome, -1)
+	path = strings.Replace(path, ":PREFERRED_CONFIG_HOME:", userConfigHome, -1)
 	path = strings.Replace(path, "/", string(filepath.Separator), -1)
 
 	return path
diff --git a/cointop/common/pathutil/pathutil_test.go b/cointop/common/pathutil/pathutil_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0a8d070
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cointop/common/pathutil/pathutil_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package pathutil
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestNormalizePath checks that NormalizePath returns the correct directory
+func TestNormalizePath(t *testing.T) {
+	os.Setenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME", "/tmp/.config")
+
+	home, _ := os.UserHomeDir()
+	configDir, _ := os.UserConfigDir()
+
+	cases := []struct {
+		in, out string
+	}{
+		{"~/.config/cointop/config.toml", filepath.Join(home, ".config/cointop/config.toml")},
+		{":HOME:/.cointop/config.toml", filepath.Join(home, "/.cointop/config.toml")},
+		{":PREFERRED_CONFIG_HOME:/cointop/config.toml", filepath.Join(configDir, "/cointop/config.toml")},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		got := NormalizePath(c.in)
+		if got != c.out {
+			t.Errorf("NormalizePath(%q) == %q, want %q", c.in, got, c.out)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/cointop/config.go b/cointop/config.go
index 5d27b46..f0446e5 100644
--- a/cointop/config.go
+++ b/cointop/config.go
@@ -17,10 +17,11 @@ var fileperm = os.FileMode(0644)
 
 // NOTE: this is to support previous default config filepaths
 var possibleConfigPaths = []string{
-	"~/.config/cointop/config.toml",
-	"~/.config/cointop/config",
-	"~/.cointop/config",
-	"~/.cointop/config.toml",
+	":PREFERRED_CONFIG_HOME:/cointop/config.toml",
+	":HOME:/.config/cointop/config.toml",
+	":HOME:/.config/cointop/config",
+	":HOME:/.cointop/config",
+	":HOME:/.cointop/config.toml",
 }
 
 type config struct {
@@ -334,7 +335,7 @@ func (ct *Cointop) getColorschemeColors() (map[string]interface{}, error) {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 	} else {
-		path := pathutil.NormalizePath(fmt.Sprintf("~/.cointop/colors/%s.toml", ct.colorschemeName))
+		path := fmt.Sprintf("%s/colors/%s.toml", ct.ConfigDirPath(), ct.colorschemeName)
 		if _, err := os.Stat(path); os.IsNotExist(err) {
 			// NOTE: case for when cointop is set as the theme but the colorscheme file doesn't exist
 			if ct.colorschemeName == "cointop" {
@@ -345,7 +346,7 @@ func (ct *Cointop) getColorschemeColors() (map[string]interface{}, error) {
 				return colors, nil
 			}
 
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("The colorscheme file %q was not found.\n\nTo install standard themes, do:\n\ngit clone git@github.com:cointop-sh/colors.git ~/.config/cointop/colors\n\nFor additional instructions, visit: https://github.com/cointop-sh/colors", path)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("The colorscheme file %q was not found.\n%s", path, ColorschemeHelpString())
 		}
 
 		if _, err := toml.DecodeFile(path, &colors); err != nil {