diff --git a/meli.conf.5 b/meli.conf.5
index 9a54d935..efa1c91f 100644
--- a/meli.conf.5
+++ b/meli.conf.5
@@ -49,7 +49,27 @@ can have nested configuration files by using the following
 include macro:
 .Dl include(\&"/path/to/file\&")
 .Sh SECTIONS
-The top level sections of the config are accounts, shortcuts, notifications, pager, listing, composing, pgp, terminal.
+The top level sections of the config are:
+.Bl -bullet -compact
+.It
+accounts
+.It
+shortcuts
+.It
+notifications
+.It
+pager
+.It
+listing
+.It
+composing
+.It
+pgp
+.It
+terminal
+.It
+log
+.El
 .Sh EXAMPLES
 example configuration
 .sp
@@ -703,6 +723,40 @@ theme = "themeB"
 \&...
 .Ed
 .El
+.Sh LOG
+.Bl -tag -width 36n
+.It Ic log_file Ar String
+(optional) path of the log file
+.\" default value
+.Pq Pa $XDG_DATA_HOME/meli/meli.log
+.It Ic maximum_level Ar String
+(optional) maximum level of messages to log. All levels less or equal to the
+.Ic maximum_level
+will be appended to the log file. Available levels are, in partial order:
+.Bl -bullet -compact
+.It
+.Em OFF
+.It
+.Em FATAL
+.It
+.Em ERROR
+.It
+.Em WARN
+.It
+.Em INFO
+.It
+.Em DEBUG
+.It
+.Em TRACE
+.El
+This means that to turn logging off, set
+.Ic maximum_level
+to
+.Em OFF Ns
+\&.
+.\" default value
+.Pq Em INFO
+.El
 .Sh SEE ALSO
 .Xr meli 1 ,
 .Xr meli-themes 5
diff --git a/melib/src/logging.rs b/melib/src/logging.rs
index cef2fdb9..17aaee34 100644
--- a/melib/src/logging.rs
+++ b/melib/src/logging.rs
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ use std::io::{BufWriter, Write};
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
 
-#[derive(Copy, Clone, PartialEq, PartialOrd, Hash, Debug)]
+#[derive(Copy, Clone, PartialEq, PartialOrd, Hash, Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub enum LoggingLevel {
     OFF,
     FATAL,
@@ -54,6 +54,12 @@ impl std::fmt::Display for LoggingLevel {
     }
 }
 
+impl Default for LoggingLevel {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        LoggingLevel::INFO
+    }
+}
+
 use LoggingLevel::*;
 
 struct LoggingBackend {
@@ -63,15 +69,15 @@ struct LoggingBackend {
 
 thread_local!(static LOG: Arc<Mutex<LoggingBackend>> = Arc::new(Mutex::new({
     let data_dir = xdg::BaseDirectories::with_prefix("meli").unwrap();
-let log_file = OpenOptions::new().append(true) /* writes will append to a file instead of overwriting previous contents */
-                         .create(true) /* a new file will be created if the file does not yet already exist.*/
-                         .read(true)
-                         .open(data_dir.place_data_file("meli.log").unwrap()).unwrap();
-LoggingBackend {
-    dest: BufWriter::new(log_file),
-    level: INFO,
-}
-})));
+    let log_file = OpenOptions::new().append(true) /* writes will append to a file instead of overwriting previous contents */
+        .create(true) /* a new file will be created if the file does not yet already exist.*/
+        .read(true)
+        .open(data_dir.place_data_file("meli.log").unwrap()).unwrap();
+    LoggingBackend {
+        dest: BufWriter::new(log_file),
+        level: LoggingLevel::default(),
+    }}))
+);
 
 pub fn log(val: String, level: LoggingLevel) {
     LOG.with(|f| {
diff --git a/src/conf.rs b/src/conf.rs
index 5e1f4521..4c098986 100644
--- a/src/conf.rs
+++ b/src/conf.rs
@@ -271,6 +271,8 @@ pub struct FileSettings {
     pub terminal: TerminalSettings,
     #[serde(default)]
     pub plugins: HashMap<String, Plugin>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub log: LogSettings,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Default)]
@@ -308,6 +310,7 @@ pub struct Settings {
     pub pgp: PGPSettings,
     pub terminal: TerminalSettings,
     pub plugins: HashMap<String, Plugin>,
+    pub log: LogSettings,
 }
 
 impl FileSettings {
@@ -465,6 +468,13 @@ impl Settings {
             s.insert(id, ac);
         }
 
+        if let Some(ref log_path) = fs.log.log_file {
+            melib::change_log_dest(log_path.into());
+        }
+        if fs.log.maximum_level != melib::LoggingLevel::default() {
+            melib::change_log_level(fs.log.maximum_level);
+        }
+
         Ok(Settings {
             accounts: s,
             pager: fs.pager,
@@ -476,6 +486,7 @@ impl Settings {
             pgp: fs.pgp,
             terminal: fs.terminal,
             plugins: fs.plugins,
+            log: fs.log,
         })
     }
 }
@@ -798,3 +809,11 @@ mod pp {
         Ok(ret)
     }
 }
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Default, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct LogSettings {
+    #[serde(default)]
+    log_file: Option<PathBuf>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    maximum_level: melib::LoggingLevel,
+}
diff --git a/src/terminal/embed.rs b/src/terminal/embed.rs
index 3b3b938f..6a076ece 100644
--- a/src/terminal/embed.rs
+++ b/src/terminal/embed.rs
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
  * along with meli. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
  */
 
-use crate::split_command;
 use crate::terminal::position::*;
 use melib::log;
 use melib::ERROR;