diff --git a/doc/users/customizing.rst b/doc/users/customizing.rst
index 7388224f51d0..6f9e886a7800 100644
--- a/doc/users/customizing.rst
+++ b/doc/users/customizing.rst
@@ -50,13 +50,15 @@ matplotlib uses :file:`matplotlibrc` configuration files to customize all kinds
 of properties, which we call `rc settings` or `rc parameters`. You can control
 the defaults of almost every property in matplotlib: figure size and dpi, line
 width, color and style, axes, axis and grid properties, text and font
-properties and so on. matplotlib looks for :file:`matplotlibrc` in three
+properties and so on. matplotlib looks for :file:`matplotlibrc` in four
 locations, in the following order:
 
 1. :file:`matplotlibrc` in the current working directory, usually used for
    specific customizations that you do not want to apply elsewhere.
 
-2. It next looks in a user-specific place, depending on your platform:
+2. :file:`$MATPLOTLIBRC` if it is a file, else :file:`$MATPLOTLIBRC/matplotlibrc`.
+
+3. It next looks in a user-specific place, depending on your platform:
 
    - On Linux, it looks in :file:`.config/matplotlib/matplotlibrc` (or
      `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/matplotlib/matplotlibrc`) if you've customized
@@ -66,7 +68,7 @@ locations, in the following order:
 
    See :ref:`locating-matplotlib-config-dir`.
 
-3. :file:`{INSTALL}/matplotlib/mpl-data/matplotlibrc`, where
+4. :file:`{INSTALL}/matplotlib/mpl-data/matplotlibrc`, where
    :file:`{INSTALL}` is something like
    :file:`/usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages` on Linux, and maybe
    :file:`C:\\Python25\\Lib\\site-packages` on Windows. Every time you
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/__init__.py b/lib/matplotlib/__init__.py
index 89a2fb1b1222..474f618b95d9 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/__init__.py
@@ -755,9 +755,11 @@ def matplotlib_fname():
 
     - `$PWD/matplotlibrc`
 
-    - environment variable `MATPLOTLIBRC`
+    - `$MATPLOTLIBRC` if it is a file
 
-    - `$MPLCONFIGDIR/matplotlib`
+    - `$MATPLOTLIBRC/matplotlibrc`
+
+    - `$MPLCONFIGDIR/matplotlibrc`
 
     - On Linux,
 
@@ -787,6 +789,8 @@ def matplotlib_fname():
     if 'MATPLOTLIBRC' in os.environ:
         path = os.environ['MATPLOTLIBRC']
         if os.path.exists(path):
+            if os.path.isfile(path):
+                return path
             fname = os.path.join(path, 'matplotlibrc')
             if os.path.exists(fname):
                 return fname