diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/history/history_.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/history/history_.rs
index 40d951966e..cd4affe015 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/history/history_.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/history/history_.rs
@@ -45,8 +45,10 @@ impl Command for History {
             return Ok(PipelineData::empty());
         };
         // todo for sqlite history this command should be an alias to `open ~/.config/nushell/history.sqlite3 | get history`
-        let Some(history_path) = history.file_path() else {
-            return Err(ShellError::ConfigDirNotFound { span: Some(head) });
+        let result = history.file_path(Some(call.head));
+        let history_path = match result {
+            Ok(path) => path,
+            Err(err) => return Err(err),
         };
 
         if call.has_flag(engine_state, stack, "clear")? {
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/history/history_import.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/history/history_import.rs
index d56bc1da03..e2128025eb 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/history/history_import.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/history/history_import.rs
@@ -73,10 +73,10 @@ Note that history item IDs are ignored when importing from file."#
         let Some(history) = engine_state.history_config() else {
             return ok;
         };
-        let Some(current_history_path) = history.file_path() else {
-            return Err(ShellError::ConfigDirNotFound {
-                span: Some(call.head),
-            });
+        let result = history.file_path(Some(call.head));
+        let current_history_path = match result {
+            Ok(path) => path,
+            Err(err) => return Err(err),
         };
         if let Some(bak_path) = backup(&current_history_path)? {
             println!("Backed history to {}", bak_path.display());
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/repl.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/repl.rs
index 5440f9caa2..2c4ef5c103 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/repl.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/repl.rs
@@ -1126,7 +1126,7 @@ fn setup_history(
         None
     };
 
-    if let Some(path) = history.file_path() {
+    if let Ok(path) = history.file_path(None) {
         return update_line_editor_history(
             engine_state,
             path,
@@ -1401,7 +1401,7 @@ fn trailing_slash_looks_like_path() {
 fn are_session_ids_in_sync() {
     let engine_state = &mut EngineState::new();
     let history = engine_state.history_config().unwrap();
-    let history_path = history.file_path().unwrap();
+    let history_path = history.file_path(None).unwrap();
     let line_editor = reedline::Reedline::create();
     let history_session_id = reedline::Reedline::create_history_session_id();
     let line_editor = update_line_editor_history(
diff --git a/crates/nu-protocol/src/config/history.rs b/crates/nu-protocol/src/config/history.rs
index 8f7af7c4a5..288bfda6f2 100644
--- a/crates/nu-protocol/src/config/history.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-protocol/src/config/history.rs
@@ -37,20 +37,54 @@ impl UpdateFromValue for HistoryFileFormat {
     }
 }
 
-#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, IntoValue, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[derive(Clone, Debug, IntoValue, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct HistoryConfig {
     pub max_size: i64,
     pub sync_on_enter: bool,
     pub file_format: HistoryFileFormat,
     pub isolation: bool,
+    pub path: Option<String>,
 }
 
 impl HistoryConfig {
-    pub fn file_path(&self) -> Option<std::path::PathBuf> {
-        nu_path::nu_config_dir().map(|mut history_path| {
+    pub fn file_path(&self, call_head: Option<Span>) -> Result<std::path::PathBuf, ShellError> {
+        match self.path.clone() {
+            None => self.system_defined_file_path(call_head),
+            Some(path) => self.user_defined_file_path(path, call_head),
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn system_defined_file_path(
+        &self,
+        call_head: Option<Span>,
+    ) -> Result<std::path::PathBuf, ShellError> {
+        let system_path = nu_path::nu_config_dir().map(|mut history_path| {
             history_path.push(self.file_format.default_file_name());
             history_path.into()
-        })
+        });
+        match system_path {
+            Some(path) => Ok(path),
+            None => Err(ShellError::ConfigDirNotFound { span: call_head }),
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn user_defined_file_path(
+        &self,
+        path_from_config: String,
+        call_head: Option<Span>,
+    ) -> Result<std::path::PathBuf, ShellError> {
+        let error = Err(ShellError::HistoryDirNotFound { span: call_head });
+
+        let user_path = std::path::Path::new(&path_from_config);
+        let dir_path = match user_path.parent() {
+            Some(path) => path,
+            None => return error,
+        };
+
+        match dir_path.exists() {
+            true => Ok(user_path.into()),
+            false => error,
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -61,6 +95,7 @@ impl Default for HistoryConfig {
             sync_on_enter: true,
             file_format: HistoryFileFormat::Plaintext,
             isolation: false,
+            path: None,
         }
     }
 }
@@ -84,6 +119,11 @@ impl UpdateFromValue for HistoryConfig {
                 "sync_on_enter" => self.sync_on_enter.update(val, path, errors),
                 "max_size" => self.max_size.update(val, path, errors),
                 "file_format" => self.file_format.update(val, path, errors),
+                "path" => match val {
+                    Value::Nothing { .. } => self.path = None,
+                    Value::String { val, .. } => self.path = Some(val.clone()),
+                    _ => errors.type_mismatch(path, Type::custom("path or nothing"), val),
+                },
                 _ => errors.unknown_option(path, val),
             }
         }
diff --git a/crates/nu-protocol/src/engine/engine_state.rs b/crates/nu-protocol/src/engine/engine_state.rs
index 626033f915..ab1888d3cd 100644
--- a/crates/nu-protocol/src/engine/engine_state.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-protocol/src/engine/engine_state.rs
@@ -762,7 +762,7 @@ impl EngineState {
 
     /// Returns the configuration settings for command history or `None` if history is disabled
     pub fn history_config(&self) -> Option<HistoryConfig> {
-        self.history_enabled.then(|| self.config.history)
+        self.history_enabled.then(|| self.config.history.clone())
     }
 
     pub fn get_var(&self, var_id: VarId) -> &Variable {
diff --git a/crates/nu-protocol/src/errors/shell_error.rs b/crates/nu-protocol/src/errors/shell_error.rs
index b4b6c29cee..ed1fcf14e4 100644
--- a/crates/nu-protocol/src/errors/shell_error.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-protocol/src/errors/shell_error.rs
@@ -1434,6 +1434,20 @@ On Windows, this would be %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming"#
         span: Option<Span>,
     },
 
+    /// The config directory could not be found
+    #[error("The base directory for the history file could not be found")]
+    #[diagnostic(
+        code(nu::shell::history_dir_not_found),
+        help(
+            r#"A user-defined path for the history file was given in the config, but the base directory for the path does not exist.
+Please create it."#
+        )
+    )]
+    HistoryDirNotFound {
+        #[label = "Could not find history directory"]
+        span: Option<Span>,
+    },
+
     /// XDG_CONFIG_HOME was set to an invalid path
     #[error("$env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME ({xdg}) is invalid, using default config directory instead: {default}")]
     #[diagnostic(
diff --git a/crates/nu-utils/src/default_files/sample_config.nu b/crates/nu-utils/src/default_files/sample_config.nu
index 5a8181506c..dd1f398e5e 100644
--- a/crates/nu-utils/src/default_files/sample_config.nu
+++ b/crates/nu-utils/src/default_files/sample_config.nu
@@ -63,6 +63,19 @@ $env.config.history.sync_on_enter = true
 # This setting only applies to SQLite-backed history
 $env.config.history.isolation = true
 
+# path (string):
+# The absolute path to the history file.
+#
+# When this config doesn't exist or is set to null, then a default path is used
+# based on the OS and ENV.
+#
+# You will likely want to match the file extension to the `file_format` setting,
+# therefore ".txt" or ".sqlite".
+#
+# Nushell will create the file if it doesn't exist. However it won't create the
+# directory path, and will error if it doesn't exist.
+$env.config.history.path = null
+
 # ----------------------
 # Miscellaneous Settings
 # ----------------------