diff --git a/example/example.cpp b/example/example.cpp
index ebcdc35a..9ff70b10 100644
--- a/example/example.cpp
+++ b/example/example.cpp
@@ -25,9 +25,8 @@ void syslog_example();
 
 int main(int args, char *argv[])
 {
-    spdlog::cfg::init_from_env();
+    //spdlog::cfg::init_from_env();
     spdlog::cfg::init_from_argv(args, argv);
-    spdlog::debug("HELLO DEBUG");
     spdlog::info("HELLO INFO");
 
     auto l1 = spdlog::stderr_color_st("l1");
diff --git a/include/spdlog/cfg/argv_loader.h b/include/spdlog/cfg/argv_loader.h
index 51ee9773..4a9ed1de 100644
--- a/include/spdlog/cfg/argv_loader.h
+++ b/include/spdlog/cfg/argv_loader.h
@@ -6,32 +6,17 @@
 #include <spdlog/details/os.h>
 
 //
-// Init levels and patterns from env variables SPDLOG_LEVEL
-// Inspired from Rust's "env_logger" crate (https://crates.io/crates/env_logger).
-// Note - fallback to "info" level on unrecognized levels
-//
-// Examples:
-//
-// set global level to debug:
-// export SPDLOG_LEVEL=debug
-//
-// turn off all logging except for logger1:
-// export SPDLOG_LEVEL="off,logger1=debug"
-//
-// turn off all logging except for logger1 and logger2:
-// export SPDLOG_LEVEL="off,logger1=debug,logger2=info"
+// Init levels from argv SPDLOG_LEVEL
+// Example: my_program.exe "SPDLOG_LEVEL=trace"
+
 
 namespace spdlog {
 namespace cfg {
 // search for SPDLOG_LEVEL= in the args and use it to init the levels
 void init_from_argv(int args, char *argv[])
 {
-    if (args < 2)
-    {
-        return;
-    }
     const std::string spdlog_level_prefix = "SPDLOG_LEVEL=";
-    for (int i = 0; i < args; i++)
+    for (int i = 1; i < args; i++)
     {
         std::string arg = argv[i];
         if (arg.find(spdlog_level_prefix) == 0)
@@ -39,7 +24,6 @@ void init_from_argv(int args, char *argv[])
             auto cfg_string = arg.substr(spdlog_level_prefix.size());
             auto levels = text_loader::load_levels(cfg_string);
             spdlog::details::registry::instance().set_levels(levels);
-            return;
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/include/spdlog/cfg/cfg.h b/include/spdlog/cfg/cfg.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9f9d3c5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/spdlog/cfg/cfg.h
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+// Copyright(c) 2015-present, Gabi Melman & spdlog contributors.
+// Distributed under the MIT License (http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include <spdlog/common.h>
+#include <string>
+#include <unordered_map>
+
+namespace spdlog {
+    namespace cfg {
+        class log_levels
+        {
+
+        public:
+            using levels_map = std::unordered_map<std::string, spdlog::level::level_enum>;
+
+            void set(const std::string& logger_name, level::level_enum lvl)
+            {
+                if (logger_name.empty())
+                {
+                    default_level_ = lvl;
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    levels_[logger_name] = lvl;
+                }
+            }
+
+            level::level_enum get(const std::string &logger_name)
+            {
+                auto it = levels_.find(logger_name);
+                return it != levels_.end() ? it->second : default_level_;
+            }
+
+            level::level_enum get()
+            {
+                return default_level_;
+            }
+
+        private:
+            std::unordered_map<std::string, spdlog::level::level_enum> levels_;
+            spdlog::level::level_enum default_level_ = level::info;
+
+        };
+    } // namespace cfg
+} // namespace spdlog
+
+
diff --git a/include/spdlog/cfg/text_loader-inl.h b/include/spdlog/cfg/text_loader-inl.h
index de586a17..5ceb3fc5 100644
--- a/include/spdlog/cfg/text_loader-inl.h
+++ b/include/spdlog/cfg/text_loader-inl.h
@@ -79,10 +79,10 @@ SPDLOG_INLINE std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string> extract_key_vals_(con
     return rv;
 }
 
-inline details::registry::logger_levels extract_levels_(const std::string &input)
+inline log_levels extract_levels_(const std::string &input)
 {
     auto key_vals = extract_key_vals_(input);
-    details::registry::logger_levels rv;
+    log_levels rv;
 
     for (auto &name_level : key_vals)
     {
@@ -94,22 +94,15 @@ inline details::registry::logger_levels extract_levels_(const std::string &input
         {
             level = level::info;
         }
+        rv.set(logger_name, level);
 
-        if (logger_name.empty() || logger_name == "*")
-        {
-            rv.default_level = level;
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            rv.levels[logger_name] = level;
-        }
     }
     return rv;
 }
 
-SPDLOG_INLINE details::registry::logger_levels load_levels(const std::string &cfg)
+SPDLOG_INLINE log_levels load_levels(const std::string &txt)
 {
-    return extract_levels_(cfg);
+    return extract_levels_(txt);
 }
 
 } // namespace text_loader
diff --git a/include/spdlog/cfg/text_loader.h b/include/spdlog/cfg/text_loader.h
index ade7eb25..a0c8cd3f 100644
--- a/include/spdlog/cfg/text_loader.h
+++ b/include/spdlog/cfg/text_loader.h
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 #pragma once
 
+#include <spdlog/cfg/cfg.h>
 #include <spdlog/common.h>
 #include <string>
 #include <unordered_map>
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@
 namespace spdlog {
 namespace cfg {
 namespace text_loader {
-details::registry::logger_levels load_levels(const std::string &cfg);
+log_levels load_levels(const std::string &txt);
 }
 
 } // namespace cfg
diff --git a/include/spdlog/details/registry-inl.h b/include/spdlog/details/registry-inl.h
index 7d4fa746..2697f070 100644
--- a/include/spdlog/details/registry-inl.h
+++ b/include/spdlog/details/registry-inl.h
@@ -30,11 +30,6 @@
 namespace spdlog {
 namespace details {
 
-SPDLOG_INLINE level::level_enum registry::logger_levels::get_or_default(const std::string &name)
-{
-    auto it = levels.find(name);
-    return it != levels.end() ? it->second : default_level;
-}
 
 SPDLOG_INLINE registry::registry()
     : formatter_(new pattern_formatter())
@@ -70,7 +65,7 @@ SPDLOG_INLINE void registry::initialize_logger(std::shared_ptr<logger> new_logge
         new_logger->set_error_handler(err_handler_);
     }
 
-    new_logger->set_level(levels_.get_or_default(new_logger->name()));
+    new_logger->set_level(levels_.get(new_logger->name()));
     new_logger->flush_on(flush_level_);
 
     if (backtrace_n_messages_ > 0)
@@ -174,7 +169,7 @@ SPDLOG_INLINE void registry::set_level(level::level_enum log_level)
     {
         l.second->set_level(log_level);
     }
-    levels_.default_level = log_level;
+    levels_.set("*", log_level);
 }
 
 SPDLOG_INLINE void registry::flush_on(level::level_enum log_level)
@@ -266,14 +261,14 @@ SPDLOG_INLINE void registry::set_automatic_registration(bool automatic_registrat
     automatic_registration_ = automatic_registration;
 }
 
-SPDLOG_INLINE void registry::set_levels(logger_levels levels)
+SPDLOG_INLINE void registry::set_levels(cfg::log_levels levels)
 {
     std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(logger_map_mutex_);
     levels_ = std::move(levels);
     for (auto &l : loggers_)
     {
         auto &logger = l.second;
-        logger->set_level(levels_.get_or_default(logger->name()));
+        logger->set_level(levels_.get(logger->name()));
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/include/spdlog/details/registry.h b/include/spdlog/details/registry.h
index 4590c5b8..1f7dcde8 100644
--- a/include/spdlog/details/registry.h
+++ b/include/spdlog/details/registry.h
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 // This class is thread safe
 
 #include <spdlog/common.h>
+#include <spdlog/cfg/cfg.h>
 
 #include <chrono>
 #include <functional>
@@ -27,12 +28,6 @@ class periodic_worker;
 class registry
 {
 public:
-    struct logger_levels
-    {
-        std::unordered_map<std::string, spdlog::level::level_enum> levels;
-        spdlog::level::level_enum default_level = level::info;
-        spdlog::level::level_enum get_or_default(const std::string &name);
-    };
 
     registry(const registry &) = delete;
     registry &operator=(const registry &) = delete;
@@ -86,7 +81,7 @@ public:
 
     void set_automatic_registration(bool automatic_registration);
 
-    void set_levels(logger_levels levels);
+    void set_levels(cfg::log_levels levels);
 
     static registry &instance();
 
@@ -99,7 +94,7 @@ private:
     std::mutex logger_map_mutex_, flusher_mutex_;
     std::recursive_mutex tp_mutex_;
     std::unordered_map<std::string, std::shared_ptr<logger>> loggers_;
-    logger_levels levels_;
+    cfg::log_levels levels_;
     std::unique_ptr<formatter> formatter_;
     level::level_enum flush_level_ = level::off;
     void (*err_handler_)(const std::string &msg);