diff --git a/src/common.c b/src/common.c
index 1a6cd2d..63542e5 100644
--- a/src/common.c
+++ b/src/common.c
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
 
 const char *name = "pademelon";
 const char *sysconf = "/etc/%s/%s";
@@ -54,6 +55,32 @@ int execute(const char *command) {
         return 1;
 }
 
+void init_user_data_path(void) {
+    /* does not guarantee exitence - only best effort */
+    char *xdg_data, *home;
+
+    /* get data dir */
+    if (!getenv("HOME"))
+        die("Unable to read $HOME variable");
+    if ((xdg_data = getenv("XDG_DATA_HOME"))) {
+        char path[strlen(xdg_data) + strlen(name) + 2];
+        if(sprintf(path, "%s/%s", xdg_data, name) < 0)
+            die("Unable to configure user data dir");
+        fprintf(stderr, "Creating data dir: %s\n", path);
+        mkdir(path, S_IRWXU);
+    } else {
+        if (!(home = getenv("HOME")))
+            die("Unable to read $HOME variable");
+        char path[strlen(def_userdata) + strlen(home) + strlen(name) + 2];
+        if(sprintf(path, def_userdata, home) < 0)
+            die("Unable to configure user data dir");
+        strcat(path, "/");
+        strcat(path, name);
+        fprintf(stderr, "Creating data dir: %s\n", path);
+        mkdir(path, S_IRWXU);
+    }
+}
+
 int str_to_int(const char *str, int *integer) {
     char *endptr;
     long ltemp;
@@ -133,23 +160,23 @@ char *user_config_path(char *file) {
 }
 
 char *user_data_path(char *file) {
-    char *path, *file_cpy, *xdg_config;
+    char *path, *file_cpy, *xdg_data;
     file_cpy = file ? file : "";
 
-    /* get config dir */
+    /* get data dir */
     if (!getenv("HOME"))
         die("Unable to read $HOME variable");
-    xdg_config = getenv("XDG_DATA_HOME");
-    char home_config[strlen(def_userdata) + strlen(getenv("HOME")) + 1];
-    if(sprintf(home_config, def_userdata, getenv("HOME")) < 0)
+    xdg_data = getenv("XDG_DATA_HOME");
+    char home_data[strlen(def_userdata) + strlen(getenv("HOME")) + 1];
+    if(sprintf(home_data, def_userdata, getenv("HOME")) < 0)
         die("Unable to configure fallback user data dir");
 
     /* allocate space for the string; must be freed by user */
-    path = malloc(strlen(userdata) + strlen(xdg_config ? xdg_config : home_config) + strlen(name) + strlen(file_cpy) + 1);
+    path = malloc(strlen(userdata) + strlen(xdg_data ? xdg_data : home_data) + strlen(name) + strlen(file_cpy) + 1);
     if (!path)
         die("Unable to allocate memory for the user data dir");
     /* configure data dir according to userdata variable, program name and file_cpy */
-    if (sprintf(path, userdata, xdg_config ? xdg_config : home_config, name, file_cpy) < 0)
+    if (sprintf(path, userdata, xdg_data ? xdg_data : home_data, name, file_cpy) < 0)
         die("Unable to configure the user data dir");
     return path;
 }
diff --git a/src/common.h b/src/common.h
index 2013f11..352080a 100644
--- a/src/common.h
+++ b/src/common.h
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ void die(const char *msg);
 /* returns -1 on error, return code else */
 int execute(const char *command);
 
+void init_user_data_path(void);
+
 int str_to_int(const char *str, int *integer);
 
 /*
diff --git a/src/tools.c b/src/tools.c
index 718371c..d37922e 100644
--- a/src/tools.c
+++ b/src/tools.c
@@ -220,6 +220,8 @@ int tl_save_display_conf(void) {
     if (!path)
         return EXIT_FAILURE;
 
+    init_user_data_path();
+
     char temp[strlen(UNXRANDR_CMD) + strlen(" > ") + strlen(path) + 1];
     strcpy(temp, UNXRANDR_CMD);
     strcat(temp, " > ");