diff --git a/pkg/app/app.go b/pkg/app/app.go
index ffd8807f0..fa2415fc3 100644
--- a/pkg/app/app.go
+++ b/pkg/app/app.go
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ func NewApp(config config.AppConfigurer) (*App, error) {
 	}
 	var err error
 	app.Log = newLogger(config)
-	app.OSCommand = commands.NewOSCommand(app.Log)
+	app.OSCommand = commands.NewOSCommand(app.Log, config)
 
 	app.Tr = i18n.NewLocalizer(app.Log)
 
diff --git a/pkg/commands/os.go b/pkg/commands/os.go
index 0fa92f724..fd27d39da 100644
--- a/pkg/commands/os.go
+++ b/pkg/commands/os.go
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ import (
 	"os/exec"
 	"strings"
 
-	"github.com/davecgh/go-spew/spew"
+	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/config"
+	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/utils"
 
 	"github.com/mgutz/str"
 
@@ -20,22 +21,25 @@ type Platform struct {
 	shell        string
 	shellArg     string
 	escapedQuote string
+	openCommand  string
 }
 
 // OSCommand holds all the os commands
 type OSCommand struct {
 	Log                *logrus.Entry
 	Platform           *Platform
+	Config             config.AppConfigurer
 	command            func(string, ...string) *exec.Cmd
 	getGlobalGitConfig func(string) (string, error)
 	getenv             func(string) string
 }
 
 // NewOSCommand os command runner
-func NewOSCommand(log *logrus.Entry) *OSCommand {
+func NewOSCommand(log *logrus.Entry, config config.AppConfigurer) *OSCommand {
 	return &OSCommand{
 		Log:                log,
 		Platform:           getPlatform(),
+		Config:             config,
 		command:            exec.Command,
 		getGlobalGitConfig: gitconfig.Global,
 		getenv:             os.Getenv,
@@ -74,12 +78,10 @@ func (c *OSCommand) FileType(path string) string {
 // RunDirectCommand wrapper around direct commands
 func (c *OSCommand) RunDirectCommand(command string) (string, error) {
 	c.Log.WithField("command", command).Info("RunDirectCommand")
-	args := str.ToArgv(c.Platform.shellArg + " " + command)
-	c.Log.Info(spew.Sdump(args))
 
 	return sanitisedCommandOutput(
 		exec.
-			Command(c.Platform.shell, args...).
+			Command(c.Platform.shell, c.Platform.shellArg, command).
 			CombinedOutput(),
 	)
 }
@@ -95,45 +97,23 @@ func sanitisedCommandOutput(output []byte, err error) (string, error) {
 }
 
 // getOpenCommand get open command
-func (c *OSCommand) getOpenCommand() (string, string, error) {
-	//NextStep open equivalents: xdg-open (linux), cygstart (cygwin), open (OSX)
-	trailMap := map[string]string{
-		"xdg-open": " &>/dev/null &",
-		"cygstart": "",
-		"open":     "",
+func (c *OSCommand) getOpenCommand() string {
+	if c.Config.GetUserConfig().IsSet("os.openCommand") {
+		return c.Config.GetUserConfig().GetString("os.openCommand")
 	}
-
-	for name, trail := range trailMap {
-		if err := c.RunCommand("which " + name); err == nil {
-			return name, trail, nil
-		}
-	}
-	return "", "", errors.New("Unsure what command to use to open this file")
-}
-
-// VsCodeOpenFile opens the file in code, with the -r flag to open in the
-// current window
-// each of these open files needs to have the same function signature because
-// they're being passed as arguments into another function,
-// but only editFile actually returns a *exec.Cmd
-func (c *OSCommand) VsCodeOpenFile(filename string) (*exec.Cmd, error) {
-	return nil, c.RunCommand("code -r " + filename)
-}
-
-// SublimeOpenFile opens the filein sublime
-// may be deprecated in the future
-func (c *OSCommand) SublimeOpenFile(filename string) (*exec.Cmd, error) {
-	return nil, c.RunCommand("subl " + filename)
+	return c.Platform.openCommand
 }
 
 // OpenFile opens a file with the given
 func (c *OSCommand) OpenFile(filename string) error {
-	cmdName, cmdTrail, err := c.getOpenCommand()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+	commandTemplate := c.getOpenCommand()
+	templateValues := map[string]string{
+		"filename": c.Quote(filename),
 	}
 
-	return c.RunCommand(cmdName + " " + c.Quote(filename) + cmdTrail) // TODO: test on linux
+	command := utils.ResolvePlaceholderString(commandTemplate, templateValues)
+	_, err := c.RunDirectCommand(command)
+	return err
 }
 
 // EditFile opens a file in a subprocess using whatever editor is available,
diff --git a/pkg/commands/os_default_platform.go b/pkg/commands/os_default_platform.go
index f6ac1b515..f106bbd62 100644
--- a/pkg/commands/os_default_platform.go
+++ b/pkg/commands/os_default_platform.go
@@ -12,5 +12,6 @@ func getPlatform() *Platform {
 		shell:        "bash",
 		shellArg:     "-c",
 		escapedQuote: "\"",
+		openCommand:  "open {{filename}}",
 	}
 }
diff --git a/pkg/commands/os_linux.go b/pkg/commands/os_linux.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cbd037139
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/commands/os_linux.go
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+package commands
+
+import (
+	"runtime"
+)
+
+func getPlatform() *Platform {
+	return &Platform{
+		os:           runtime.GOOS,
+		shell:        "bash",
+		shellArg:     "-c",
+		escapedQuote: "\"",
+		openCommand:  "xdg-open {{filename}} &>/dev/null &",
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/commands/os_windows.go b/pkg/commands/os_windows.go
index 28dd7a982..5b50d2c38 100644
--- a/pkg/commands/os_windows.go
+++ b/pkg/commands/os_windows.go
@@ -6,5 +6,6 @@ func getPlatform() *Platform {
 		shell:        "cmd",
 		shellArg:     "/c",
 		escapedQuote: "\\\"",
+		openCommand:  "cygstart {{filename}}",
 	}
 }
diff --git a/pkg/config/app_config.go b/pkg/config/app_config.go
index c85b8e5eb..dce027c8a 100644
--- a/pkg/config/app_config.go
+++ b/pkg/config/app_config.go
@@ -218,9 +218,9 @@ func GetDefaultConfig() []byte {
       - white
     optionsTextColor:
       - blue
-git:
+# git:
   # stuff relating to git
-os:
+# os:
   # stuff relating to the OS
 update:
   method: prompt # can be: prompt | background | never
diff --git a/pkg/gui/files_panel.go b/pkg/gui/files_panel.go
index e7fbc5baf..a4c187c9c 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/files_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/files_panel.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 
 	// "strings"
 
-	"os/exec"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/fatih/color"
@@ -250,11 +249,10 @@ func (gui *Gui) PrepareSubProcess(g *gocui.Gui, commands ...string) {
 	})
 }
 
-func (gui *Gui) genericFileOpen(g *gocui.Gui, v *gocui.View, filename string, open func(string) (*exec.Cmd, error)) error {
-
-	sub, err := open(filename)
+func (gui *Gui) editFile(filename string) error {
+	sub, err := gui.OSCommand.EditFile(filename)
 	if err != nil {
-		return gui.createErrorPanel(g, err.Error())
+		return gui.createErrorPanel(gui.g, err.Error())
 	}
 	if sub != nil {
 		gui.SubProcess = sub
@@ -268,7 +266,8 @@ func (gui *Gui) handleFileEdit(g *gocui.Gui, v *gocui.View) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	return gui.genericFileOpen(g, v, file.Name, gui.OSCommand.EditFile)
+
+	return gui.editFile(file.Name)
 }
 
 func (gui *Gui) handleFileOpen(g *gocui.Gui, v *gocui.View) error {
@@ -279,22 +278,6 @@ func (gui *Gui) handleFileOpen(g *gocui.Gui, v *gocui.View) error {
 	return gui.openFile(file.Name)
 }
 
-func (gui *Gui) handleSublimeFileOpen(g *gocui.Gui, v *gocui.View) error {
-	file, err := gui.getSelectedFile(g)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	return gui.genericFileOpen(g, v, file.Name, gui.OSCommand.SublimeOpenFile)
-}
-
-func (gui *Gui) handleVsCodeFileOpen(g *gocui.Gui, v *gocui.View) error {
-	file, err := gui.getSelectedFile(g)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	return gui.genericFileOpen(g, v, file.Name, gui.OSCommand.VsCodeOpenFile)
-}
-
 func (gui *Gui) handleRefreshFiles(g *gocui.Gui, v *gocui.View) error {
 	return gui.refreshFiles(g)
 }
diff --git a/pkg/gui/keybindings.go b/pkg/gui/keybindings.go
index 52496b918..975f5c299 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/keybindings.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/keybindings.go
@@ -34,8 +34,6 @@ func (gui *Gui) keybindings(g *gocui.Gui) error {
 		{ViewName: "files", Key: 'm', Modifier: gocui.ModNone, Handler: gui.handleSwitchToMerge},
 		{ViewName: "files", Key: 'e', Modifier: gocui.ModNone, Handler: gui.handleFileEdit},
 		{ViewName: "files", Key: 'o', Modifier: gocui.ModNone, Handler: gui.handleFileOpen},
-		{ViewName: "files", Key: 's', Modifier: gocui.ModNone, Handler: gui.handleSublimeFileOpen},
-		{ViewName: "files", Key: 'v', Modifier: gocui.ModNone, Handler: gui.handleVsCodeFileOpen},
 		{ViewName: "files", Key: 'i', Modifier: gocui.ModNone, Handler: gui.handleIgnoreFile},
 		{ViewName: "files", Key: 'r', Modifier: gocui.ModNone, Handler: gui.handleRefreshFiles},
 		{ViewName: "files", Key: 'S', Modifier: gocui.ModNone, Handler: gui.handleStashSave},
diff --git a/pkg/gui/status_panel.go b/pkg/gui/status_panel.go
index a9dee6a7f..583d7805a 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/status_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/status_panel.go
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) handleOpenConfig(g *gocui.Gui, v *gocui.View) error {
 
 func (gui *Gui) handleEditConfig(g *gocui.Gui, v *gocui.View) error {
 	filename := gui.Config.GetUserConfig().ConfigFileUsed()
-	return gui.genericFileOpen(g, v, filename, gui.OSCommand.EditFile)
+	return gui.editFile(filename)
 }
 
 func lazygitTitle() string {
diff --git a/pkg/utils/utils.go b/pkg/utils/utils.go
index 62706559e..1d5f0f273 100644
--- a/pkg/utils/utils.go
+++ b/pkg/utils/utils.go
@@ -90,3 +90,11 @@ func Loader() string {
 	index := nanos / 50000000 % int64(len(characters))
 	return characters[index : index+1]
 }
+
+// ResolvePlaceholderString populates a template with values
+func ResolvePlaceholderString(str string, arguments map[string]string) string {
+	for key, value := range arguments {
+		str = strings.Replace(str, "{{"+key+"}}", value, -1)
+	}
+	return str
+}