# Installing Custom Tags

Custom tags are just like other .cfm files except that they must be installed in a specific location to be accessible from the calling template. Because ColdFusion loads the first instance it finds of the custom tag called by a template, you should avoid placing copies of a custom tag in different locations.

## Local tags

The ColdFusion engine first searches for a custom tag in the directory of the calling template. This allows you to keep a custom tag file in the same directory as the page that uses it.

## Shared tags

To share a custom tag among applications in multiple directories, place it in the Custom Tags folder under your ColdFusion installation directory, for example `C:\CFUSION\CustomTags`. You can create sub-folders to organize custom tags. ColdFusion searches recursively for the Custom Tags directory, stepping down through any existing subdirectories until the custom tag is found.