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Special folder
Concept in Microsoft Windows

On Microsoft Windows, a special folder is a folder that is presented to the user through an interface as an abstract concept instead of an absolute folder path. (The synonymous term shell folder is sometimes used instead.) Special folders make it possible for any application to ask the operating system where an appropriate location for certain kinds of files can be found; independently of which version or user language of Windows is being used.

In Windows Server 2003 and earlier, a folder like the "Start Menu" had a different name on non-English versions of Windows. For example, on German versions of Windows XP it is "Startmenü". However, starting with Windows Vista, all versions of Windows use the same English named folders and only display different names in the Windows Explorer. In Windows 10 the user can switch to another display language and the names of the special folders will change.

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Overview

Windows uses the concept of special folders to present the contents of the storage devices connected to the computer in a fairly consistent way that frees the user from having to deal with absolute file paths, which can (and often do) change between operating system versions, and even individual installations. The idea has evolved over time, with new special folders being added in every version of Windows after their introduction in Windows 95.

Microsoft's "Compatible with Windows" software logo2 requires that an application make use of special folder locations to locate the appropriate folders in which documents and application settings should be stored.

A special folder can either be a reference to a physical file system directory, or a reference to a "virtual" folder. In the former case, they are analogous to environment variables—in fact, many of the environment variables that are set in a user's session are defined by where the special folders are set to point to.

Virtual folders do not actually exist on the file system; they are instead presented through Windows Explorer as a tree of folders that the user can navigate. This is known as the Shell namespace. On Windows XP systems, the root of this namespace is the Desktop virtual folder, which contains the My Documents, My Computer (Computer from Windows Vista to 8.1 and This PC from Windows 10), My Network Places (Network Neighbourhood in Windows 95 and 98) and Recycle Bin virtual folders. Some virtual folders (like Desktop) have an accompanying special folder that is a reference to a directory on the physical file system. Windows Explorer displays the combined contents of a virtual folder and its associated file system folder to the user. This can be seen in Figure 1, which shows the Folder view in Windows XP's Explorer; in the Desktop virtual folder, the four standard virtual folders can be seen, as well as an additional folder, "a folder on the desktop", which is a real folder located in the Desktop directory in the user's profile.

Some third-party programs add their own virtual folders to Windows Explorer.

List of special folders

The following tables list most of the file system and virtual folders that are available as of Windows Vista. The OS version in which each special folder was introduced is given as well. Items like %USERPROFILE% and %windir% are Windows environment variables.

File system directories

Special folderIntended purposeDefault Location(in English. Non-English versions of Windows XP or earlier will use directory names appropriate to that language.)First appeared in OS
AppDataPer-user application-specific filesOn Windows 98 and Windows Me<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\Application DataOn Windows 2000 and Windows XP<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Application DataOn Windows Vista and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%APPDATA% 98
BriefcaseFiles that need to be kept in syncOn Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Me<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\DesktopOn Windows 2000 and later, not created by default but can be created in any folder. The Desktop.ini hidden system file inside the Briefcase and the Briefcase Explorer shell extension (SyncUI.dll) contained its functionality. Removed in Windows 10 Version 1703 and later. 95
ContactsUser's contactsOn Windows Vista and later

<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Contacts

 Vista
CookiesInternet Explorer browser cookiesOn Windows 98 and Windows Me<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\CookiesOn Windows 2000 and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\CookiesOn Windows Vista and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies 98
Desktop DirectoryFiles stored on the user's desktopOn Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Me<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\DesktopOn Windows 2000 and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Desktop 95
FavoritesUser's FavoritesOn Windows 98 and Windows Me<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\FavoritesOn Windows 2000 and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Favorites 98
FontsContainer folder for installed fonts<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\Fonts 95
HistoryUser-specific browser history<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\History 98
Internet CacheUser-specific Temporary Internet FilesOn Windows 98 and Windows Me

<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\Temporary Internet Files

On Windows 2000 and Windows XP

<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files

On Windows Vista and Windows 7

<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files

On Windows 8 and later

<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache

 98
Local Application DataUser-specific and computer-specific application settingsOn Windows 98 and Windows Me<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\Application DataOn Windows 2000 and Windows XP<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application DataOn Windows Vista and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%LOCALAPPDATA% 95
My DocumentsUser's documentsOn Windows 98 and Windows Me<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>C:\My DocumentsOn Windows 2000 and Windows XP<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\My DocumentsOn Windows Vista and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Documents 98
My MusicUser's musicOn Windows 98 and Windows Me<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>C:\My Documents\My MusicOn Windows 2000 and Windows XP<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My MusicOn Windows Vista and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Music 98
My PicturesUser's picturesOn Windows 98 and Windows Me<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>C:\My Documents\My PicturesOn Windows 2000 and Windows XP<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My PicturesOn Windows Vista and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Pictures 98
My VideosUser's video filesOn Windows 98 and Windows Me<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>C:\My Documents\My VideosOn Windows 2000 and Windows XP<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My VideosOn Windows Vista and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Videos 98
ProgramsUser-specific "(All) Programs" groups and iconsOn Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows XP<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\ProgramsOn Windows Vista and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs 95
RecentUser-specific "My Recent Documents"On Windows 98<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\RecentOn Windows 2000 and Windows XP<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\My Recent DocumentsOn Windows Vista and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent 98
Send ToUser-specific "Send To" menu itemsOn Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows XP<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\SendToOn Windows Vista and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo 98
Start MenuUser-specific "Start Menu" itemsOn Windows 95<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\Start MenuOn Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows XP<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Start MenuOn Windows Vista and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu 95
SystemThe Windows system directoryOn Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Me16-bit and 32-bit libraries and executables<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\SystemSome other 32-bit libraries and executables<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\System32On Windows 2000 and later 32-bit Windows editions32-bit libraries and executables<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\system3216-bit libraries and executables<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\SystemOn 64-bit Windows editions64-bit libraries and executables<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\System32332-bit libraries and executables<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\SysWOW644 95
Saved GamesUser's Saved Games<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\Saved Games Vista
TemplatesUser-specific document templatesOn Windows 98 and Windows Me<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%windir%\ShellNewOn Windows 2000 and Windows XP<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%USERPROFILE%\TemplatesOn Windows Vista and later<23x15px|border_|alt=|link=_municipalities_of_ceará292>%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Templates 98

Notes:

  1. The "Desktop" virtual folder is not the same thing as the "Desktop" special folder. The Desktop virtual folder is the root of the Windows Shell namespace, which contains other virtual folders.5
  2. "Local Application Data" differs from "Application Data" in that files located in the "Local" variant are also intended to be specific to the machine it is on. This only has relevance if the user's profile is a Roaming Profile in a Windows Server domain environment.6
  3. As with Desktop, the "My Documents" virtual folder differs from the "My Documents" special folder. If the virtual folder variant is asked for, it will appear in a file dialog as a sub-directory of the "Desktop" virtual folder, instead of the user's profile directory as it physically exists on the hard drive.
  4. If the "My Documents" folder is moved (e.g., to a network drive), attempting to access it via the shell variable will go to the original, default location.

Virtual folders

Virtual FolderRepresentsOS
Recycle BinThe aggregated contents of the Recycle Bin on all drives for the current user 95
Control PanelIcons for Control Panel (Windows) applets 95
DesktopThe Windows Desktop 95
DrivesMy Computer; contains virtual folders representing everything on the local machine, as well as mapped network drives 95
InternetResources located on the Internet; WebDAV connections, etc. 98
My DocumentsVirtual folder of the user's My Documents folder; used as a child of the Desktop virtual folder 98
NetworkNetwork Neighborhood (Windows 95 and 98) or My Network Places (Windows 2000 and later); contains virtual folders for representing all network resources 95
Search ResultsListing of the results of the last search of the computer (appears only after a search) 20007
PrintersContainer folder for installed printers 95
ApplicationsListing of all installed Applications, including Universal Windows Platform apps.10

Notes:

  1. The "Desktop" virtual folder is not the same thing as the "Desktop" special folder. The Desktop virtual folder is the root of the Windows Shell namespace, which contains other virtual folders.8
  2. As with Desktop, the "My Documents" virtual folder differs from the "My Documents" special folder. If the virtual folder variant is asked for, it will appear in a file dialog as a sub-directory of the "Desktop" virtual folder, instead of the user's profile directory as it logically exists on the hard drive.

See also

  • CSIDL Values — MSDN documentation containing a complete list of all available special folders and virtual folders
  • [1] — knownfolderid: An extended list of (Win7 and later) special folders with their virtual folder IDs.

References

  1. "How to Change the Display Language in Windows 10". How-To Geek. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. https://www.howtogeek.com/232659/how-to-change-the-display-language-in-windows-10/ ↩

  2. Windows Software Logo Program http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd203105.aspx ↩

  3. The use of %windir%\System32 for 64-bit libraries and executables in a 64-bit Windows OS is intended to not break existing 32-bit programs (already using %windir%\System32) that are recompiled without modifications as a 64-bit executable. ↩

  4. 32-bit executables have this directory mapped as %windir%\System32. ↩

  5. The Shell Namespace http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/shellcc/platform/shell/programmersguide/shell_basics/namespace.asp ↩

  6. Chen, Raymond (2006). "Taxes". The Old New Thing (1st ed.). Pearson Education. p. 451. ISBN 0-321-44030-7. 0-321-44030-7 ↩

  7. Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: Windows 2000 Professional Beta 3 Reviewed http://winsupersite.com/reviews/win2k_pro_b3.asp ↩

  8. The Shell Namespace http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/shellcc/platform/shell/programmersguide/shell_basics/namespace.asp ↩