diff --git a/httpie/config.py b/httpie/config.py
index d1b7ae75..78adf13b 100644
--- a/httpie/config.py
+++ b/httpie/config.py
@@ -8,25 +8,51 @@ from httpie import __version__
 from httpie.compat import is_windows
 
 
+ENV_XDG_CONFIG_HOME = 'XDG_CONFIG_HOME'
+ENV_HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR = 'HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR'
+DEFAULT_CONFIG_DIRNAME = 'httpie'
+DEFAULT_RELATIVE_XDG_CONFIG_HOME = Path('.config')
+DEFAULT_RELATIVE_LEGACY_CONFIG_DIR = Path('.httpie')
+DEFAULT_WINDOWS_CONFIG_DIR = Path(
+    os.path.expandvars('%APPDATA%')) / DEFAULT_CONFIG_DIRNAME
+
+
 def get_default_config_dir() -> Path:
-    """Return the path to the httpie configuration directory.
+    """
+    Return the path to the httpie configuration directory.
 
     This directory isn't guaranteed to exist, and nor are any of its
-    ancestors.
+    ancestors (only the legacy ~/.httpie, if returned, is guaranteed to exist).
+
+    XDG Base Directory Specification support:
+
+        <https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/XDG_Base_Directory>
+
+        $XDG_CONFIG_HOME is supported; $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS is not
+
     """
-    env_config_dir = os.environ.get('HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR')
+    # 1. explicitly set through env
+    env_config_dir = os.environ.get(ENV_HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR)
     if env_config_dir:
         return Path(env_config_dir)
+
+    # 2. Windows
     if is_windows:
-        return Path(os.path.expandvars(r'%APPDATA%\httpie'))
-    legacy_config_dir = os.path.expanduser('~/.httpie')
-    if os.path.exists(legacy_config_dir):
-        return Path(legacy_config_dir)
-    xdg_config_dir = os.environ.get('XDG_CONFIG_HOME')
-    if not xdg_config_dir or not os.path.isabs(xdg_config_dir):
-        xdg_config_dir = os.path.expanduser('~/.config')
-    httpie_config_dir = os.path.join(xdg_config_dir, 'httpie')
-    return Path(httpie_config_dir)
+        return DEFAULT_WINDOWS_CONFIG_DIR
+
+    home_dir = Path.home()
+
+    # 3. legacy ~/.httpie
+    legacy_config_dir = home_dir / DEFAULT_RELATIVE_LEGACY_CONFIG_DIR
+    if legacy_config_dir.exists():
+        return legacy_config_dir
+
+    # 4. XDG
+    xdg_config_home_dir = os.environ.get(
+        ENV_XDG_CONFIG_HOME,                         # 4.1. explicit
+        home_dir / DEFAULT_RELATIVE_XDG_CONFIG_HOME  # 4.2. default
+    )
+    return Path(xdg_config_home_dir) / DEFAULT_CONFIG_DIRNAME
 
 
 DEFAULT_CONFIG_DIR = get_default_config_dir()
diff --git a/tests/test_config.py b/tests/test_config.py
index 3612234d..32106c79 100644
--- a/tests/test_config.py
+++ b/tests/test_config.py
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
-import os.path
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import pytest
+from _pytest.monkeypatch import MonkeyPatch
 
 from httpie.compat import is_windows
-from httpie.config import Config, get_default_config_dir
+from httpie.config import (
+    Config, DEFAULT_CONFIG_DIRNAME, DEFAULT_RELATIVE_LEGACY_CONFIG_DIR,
+    DEFAULT_RELATIVE_XDG_CONFIG_HOME, DEFAULT_WINDOWS_CONFIG_DIR,
+    ENV_HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR, ENV_XDG_CONFIG_HOME, get_default_config_dir,
+)
 from utils import HTTP_OK, MockEnvironment, http
 
 
@@ -53,38 +57,48 @@ def test_default_options_overwrite(httpbin):
     }
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skipif(is_windows, reason='XDG_CONFIG_HOME is only supported on *nix')
-def test_config_file_location_xdg(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
-    monkeypatch.delenv('HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR', raising=False)
-    home = tmp_path.absolute().as_posix()
-    monkeypatch.setenv('HOME', home)
-    xdg_config_home = tmp_path.joinpath("different_config")
-    os.mkdir(xdg_config_home)
-    monkeypatch.setenv('XDG_CONFIG_HOME', xdg_config_home.absolute().as_posix())
-    assert get_default_config_dir() == xdg_config_home.joinpath('httpie')
-    monkeypatch.delenv('XDG_CONFIG_HOME')
-    # NB: this should be true even though .config doesn't exist.
-    assert get_default_config_dir() == tmp_path.joinpath('.config', 'httpie')
-    monkeypatch.setenv('XDG_CONFIG_HOME', 'some/nonabsolute/path')
-    assert get_default_config_dir() == tmp_path.joinpath('.config', 'httpie')
+@pytest.mark.skipif(is_windows, reason='XDG_CONFIG_HOME needs *nix')
+def test_explicit_xdg_config_home(monkeypatch: MonkeyPatch, tmp_path: Path):
+    home_dir = tmp_path
+    monkeypatch.delenv(ENV_HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR, raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.setenv('HOME', home_dir)
+    custom_xdg_config_home = home_dir / 'custom_xdg_config_home'
+    monkeypatch.setenv(ENV_XDG_CONFIG_HOME, str(custom_xdg_config_home))
+    expected_config_dir = custom_xdg_config_home / DEFAULT_CONFIG_DIRNAME
+    assert get_default_config_dir() == expected_config_dir
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skipif(is_windows, reason='legacy config file location is only checked on *nix')
-def test_config_file_location_legacy(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
-    monkeypatch.delenv('HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR', raising=False)
-    home = tmp_path.absolute().as_posix()
-    monkeypatch.setenv('HOME', home)
-    os.mkdir(tmp_path.joinpath('.httpie'))
-    assert get_default_config_dir() == tmp_path.joinpath('.httpie')
+@pytest.mark.skipif(is_windows, reason='XDG_CONFIG_HOME needs *nix')
+def test_default_xdg_config_home(monkeypatch: MonkeyPatch, tmp_path: Path):
+    home_dir = tmp_path
+    monkeypatch.delenv(ENV_HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR, raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.delenv(ENV_XDG_CONFIG_HOME, raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.setenv('HOME', home_dir)
+    expected_config_dir = (
+        home_dir
+        / DEFAULT_RELATIVE_XDG_CONFIG_HOME
+        / DEFAULT_CONFIG_DIRNAME
+    )
+    assert get_default_config_dir() == expected_config_dir
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(is_windows, reason='legacy config dir needs *nix')
+def test_legacy_config_dir(monkeypatch: MonkeyPatch, tmp_path: Path):
+    home_dir = tmp_path
+    monkeypatch.delenv(ENV_HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR, raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.setenv('HOME', home_dir)
+    legacy_config_dir = home_dir / DEFAULT_RELATIVE_LEGACY_CONFIG_DIR
+    legacy_config_dir.mkdir()
+    assert get_default_config_dir() == legacy_config_dir
+
+
+def test_custom_config_dir(monkeypatch: MonkeyPatch, tmp_path: Path):
+    httpie_config_dir = tmp_path / 'custom/directory'
+    monkeypatch.setenv(ENV_HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR, str(httpie_config_dir))
+    assert get_default_config_dir() == httpie_config_dir
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(not is_windows, reason='windows-only')
-def test_config_file_location_windows(monkeypatch):
-    monkeypatch.delenv('HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR', raising=False)
-    assert get_default_config_dir() == Path(os.path.expandvars(r'%APPDATA%\httpie'))
-
-
-def test_config_file_location_custom(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
-    httpie_config_dir = tmp_path.joinpath('custom', 'directory')
-    monkeypatch.setenv('HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR', str(httpie_config_dir.absolute()))
-    assert get_default_config_dir() == httpie_config_dir
+def test_windows_config_dir(monkeypatch: MonkeyPatch):
+    monkeypatch.delenv(ENV_HTTPIE_CONFIG_DIR, raising=False)
+    assert get_default_config_dir() == DEFAULT_WINDOWS_CONFIG_DIR