---
title: "Environment variables"
date-meta: 2026-05-04
---

You can control certain aspects of RStudio by setting environment variables before starting it. RStudio reads these variables at startup, so set them in the environment that launches RStudio (for example, in your shell profile, a launcher script, or your operating system's environment settings).

In the table below, a Value of "Non-empty" means RStudio treats the variable as enabled whenever you set it to any string other than the empty string. Setting the variable to `1` is the conventional choice, but values such as `true`, `yes`, or even `0` and `false` also enable the behavior because the variable is non-empty. To turn the behavior off, unset the variable rather than setting it to an empty string.

| Environment Variable | Value | Platform | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| `RS_NO_SPLASH` | Non-empty | Desktop | Disables the splash screen shown while RStudio is starting up. |
| `RSTUDIO_DISABLE_CHECK_FOR_UPDATES` | Non-empty | Desktop | Disables automatic checks for new RStudio releases. |
| `RSTUDIO_DISABLE_EXTERNAL_PUBLISH` | Non-empty | Desktop, Server | Disables publishing to external services such as RPubs. Publishing to internal services (e.g., Posit Connect) remains available. |
| `RSTUDIO_DISABLE_PACKAGES` | Non-empty | Desktop, Server | Disables the package management UI. |
| `RSTUDIO_DISABLE_PACKAGE_INSTALL_PROMPT` | Non-empty | Desktop, Server | Suppresses prompts to install missing packages required by your code. |
| `RSTUDIO_DISABLE_POSIT_ASSISTANT` | Non-empty | Desktop, Server | Disables and hides the [Posit Assistant](../guide/tools/posit-ai.qmd) features. RStudio does not display the Posit Assistant toolbar button or pane, and you cannot install or use Posit Assistant. |
| `RSTUDIO_DISABLE_PUBLISH` | Non-empty | Desktop, Server | Disables content publishing entirely, including both internal and external services. |
| `RSTUDIO_DISABLE_WHATS_NEW` | Non-empty | Desktop | Suppresses the "What's New" dialog that is otherwise shown after RStudio is updated to a new version. |
