# Where can I see the default nixos configuration without needing the USB installer?

**URL:** https://discourse.nixos.org/t/where-can-i-see-the-default-nixos-configuration-without-needing-the-usb-installer/78787
**Category:** Help
**Created:** [July 6, 2026, 7:12pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/where-can-i-see-the-default-nixos-configuration-without-needing-the-usb-installer/78787 "2026-07-06T19:12:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Oneechan69](https://discourse.nixos.org/user_avatar/discourse.nixos.org/oneechan69/32/32401_2.png) [@Oneechan69](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/Oneechan69)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2026, 7:12pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/where-can-i-see-the-default-nixos-configuration-without-needing-the-usb-installer/78787/1 "2026-07-06T19:12:46Z")

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Sometimes I want to see what opinionated changes I made to my Nix configuration, like networking, by comparing it to what `nixos-generate-config` usually outputs in the USB installer.

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### Author: ![wamserma](https://discourse.nixos.org/user_avatar/discourse.nixos.org/wamserma/32/5353_2.png) [@wamserma](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/wamserma)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2026, 7:19pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/where-can-i-see-the-default-nixos-configuration-without-needing-the-usb-installer/78787/2 "2026-07-06T19:19:43Z")

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You can run nixos-generate-config any time from your installed system. Read the help/manpage first to ensure you don’t accidentally wipe something important.