Zsh/Bash startup files loading order (.bashrc, .zshrc etc.) with 50 comments If you have ever put something in a file like .bashrc and had it not work, or are confused by why there are so many different files — .bashrc, .bash_profile, .bash_login, .profile etc. — and what they do, this is for you. The issue is that Bash sources from a different file based on what kind of shell it thinks it is in.