diff --git a/docker/lookaside.go b/docker/lookaside.go
index 918c0f838..6931fd07b 100644
--- a/docker/lookaside.go
+++ b/docker/lookaside.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/containers/image/v5/docker/reference"
 	"github.com/containers/image/v5/types"
+	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/homedir"
 	"github.com/ghodss/yaml"
 	"github.com/opencontainers/go-digest"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -26,6 +27,9 @@ var systemRegistriesDirPath = builtinRegistriesDirPath
 // DO NOT change this, instead see systemRegistriesDirPath above.
 const builtinRegistriesDirPath = "/etc/containers/registries.d"
 
+// userRegistriesDirPath is the path to the per user registries.d.
+var userRegistriesDir = filepath.FromSlash(".config/containers/registries.d")
+
 // registryConfiguration is one of the files in registriesDirPath configuring lookaside locations, or the result of merging them all.
 // NOTE: Keep this in sync with docs/registries.d.md!
 type registryConfiguration struct {
@@ -75,14 +79,17 @@ func configuredSignatureStorageBase(sys *types.SystemContext, ref dockerReferenc
 
 // registriesDirPath returns a path to registries.d
 func registriesDirPath(sys *types.SystemContext) string {
-	if sys != nil {
-		if sys.RegistriesDirPath != "" {
-			return sys.RegistriesDirPath
-		}
-		if sys.RootForImplicitAbsolutePaths != "" {
-			return filepath.Join(sys.RootForImplicitAbsolutePaths, systemRegistriesDirPath)
-		}
+	if sys != nil && sys.RegistriesDirPath != "" {
+		return sys.RegistriesDirPath
 	}
+	userRegistriesDirPath := filepath.Join(homedir.Get(), userRegistriesDir)
+	if _, err := os.Stat(userRegistriesDirPath); err == nil {
+		return userRegistriesDirPath
+	}
+	if sys != nil && sys.RootForImplicitAbsolutePaths != "" {
+		return filepath.Join(sys.RootForImplicitAbsolutePaths, systemRegistriesDirPath)
+	}
+
 	return systemRegistriesDirPath
 }
 
diff --git a/docker/lookaside_test.go b/docker/lookaside_test.go
index e72a23ee7..7d9caef61 100644
--- a/docker/lookaside_test.go
+++ b/docker/lookaside_test.go
@@ -53,20 +53,36 @@ func TestRegistriesDirPath(t *testing.T) {
 	const nondefaultPath = "/this/is/not/the/default/registries.d"
 	const variableReference = "$HOME"
 	const rootPrefix = "/root/prefix"
-
+	oldHomeEnv, hasHomeEnv := os.LookupEnv("HOME")
+	tempHome, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "tempHome")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	err = os.Setenv("HOME", tempHome)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer func() {
+		os.RemoveAll(tempHome)
+		if hasHomeEnv {
+			os.Setenv("HOME", oldHomeEnv)
+		} else {
+			os.Unsetenv("HOME")
+		}
+	}()
+	var userRegistriesDir = filepath.FromSlash(".config/containers/registries.d")
+	userRegistriesDirPath := filepath.Join(tempHome, userRegistriesDir)
 	for _, c := range []struct {
-		sys      *types.SystemContext
-		expected string
+		sys             *types.SystemContext
+		userFilePresent bool
+		expected        string
 	}{
 		// The common case
-		{nil, systemRegistriesDirPath},
+		{nil, false, systemRegistriesDirPath},
 		// There is a context, but it does not override the path.
-		{&types.SystemContext{}, systemRegistriesDirPath},
+		{&types.SystemContext{}, false, systemRegistriesDirPath},
 		// Path overridden
-		{&types.SystemContext{RegistriesDirPath: nondefaultPath}, nondefaultPath},
+		{&types.SystemContext{RegistriesDirPath: nondefaultPath}, false, nondefaultPath},
 		// Root overridden
 		{
 			&types.SystemContext{RootForImplicitAbsolutePaths: rootPrefix},
+			false,
 			filepath.Join(rootPrefix, systemRegistriesDirPath),
 		},
 		// Root and path overrides present simultaneously,
@@ -75,11 +91,32 @@ func TestRegistriesDirPath(t *testing.T) {
 				RootForImplicitAbsolutePaths: rootPrefix,
 				RegistriesDirPath:            nondefaultPath,
 			},
+			false,
+			nondefaultPath,
+		},
+		// User registries.d present, not overridden
+		{&types.SystemContext{}, true, userRegistriesDirPath},
+		// Context and user User registries.d preset simultaneously
+		{&types.SystemContext{RegistriesDirPath: nondefaultPath}, true, nondefaultPath},
+		// Root and user registries.d overrides present simultaneously,
+		{
+			&types.SystemContext{
+				RootForImplicitAbsolutePaths: rootPrefix,
+				RegistriesDirPath:            nondefaultPath,
+			},
+			true,
 			nondefaultPath,
 		},
 		// No environment expansion happens in the overridden paths
-		{&types.SystemContext{RegistriesDirPath: variableReference}, variableReference},
+		{&types.SystemContext{RegistriesDirPath: variableReference}, false, variableReference},
 	} {
+		if c.userFilePresent {
+			err := os.MkdirAll(userRegistriesDirPath, 0700)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+		} else {
+			err := os.RemoveAll(userRegistriesDirPath)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+		}
 		path := registriesDirPath(c.sys)
 		assert.Equal(t, c.expected, path)
 	}
diff --git a/docs/containers-registries.d.5.md b/docs/containers-registries.d.5.md
index 263002b13..892f617d6 100644
--- a/docs/containers-registries.d.5.md
+++ b/docs/containers-registries.d.5.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ The registries configuration directory contains configuration for various regist
 so that the configuration does not have to be provided in command-line options over and over for every command,
 and so that it can be shared by all users of containers/image.
 
-By default (unless overridden at compile-time), the registries configuration directory is `/etc/containers/registries.d`;
+By default, the registries configuration directory is `$HOME/.config/containers/registries.d` if it exists, otherwise `/etc/containers/registries.d` (unless overridden at compile-time);
 applications may allow using a different directory instead.
 
 ## Directory Structure