Use [Environment]::GetFolderPath() to retrieve a Windows special-folder path at runtime instead of building one from a drive letter or user name. For PowerShell-specific locations, use $Env:PSModulePath to inspect module search directories and the properties of $PROFILE to locate profile scripts.
Get a Windows special-folder path
Pass a member of Environment.SpecialFolder to the .NET Environment.GetFolderPath method. The enum form is explicit; the string form is also accepted.
[Environment]::GetFolderPath([Environment+SpecialFolder]::MyDocuments)
[Environment]::GetFolderPath('MyDocuments')For example, the first command returns the current user’s Documents location as Windows resolves it. Microsoft notes that the location can vary with Windows version, folder redirection, and OneDrive, so avoid assuming it is always C:UsersnameDocuments. See Microsoft’s Environment.SpecialFolder reference and Environment.GetFolderPath reference.
The argument must identify a supported special folder. An invalid value raises ArgumentException; an unsupported platform can raise PlatformNotSupportedException.
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Common folder identifiers
| Identifier | Use |
|---|---|
MyDocuments (also known as Personal) |
The current user’s Documents folder; it may be redirected or moved. |
ApplicationData |
Per-user application data intended to roam with the user. |
LocalApplicationData |
Per-user application data that is local rather than roaming. |
CommonApplicationData |
Application data shared among users; on Windows this commonly maps to C:ProgramData. |
UserProfile |
The user’s profile root. Microsoft advises applications to place data under ApplicationData rather than creating files directly at the profile root. |
Windows and System |
The Windows directory and system directory. |
ProgramFiles and ProgramFilesX86 |
Architecture-specific program-file roots. |
Choose the folder by purpose: roaming user settings belong under ApplicationData, machine-local user data under LocalApplicationData, and shared application data under CommonApplicationData. A known-folder lookup is a runtime result, not a promise that every machine uses the same literal path.
Find PowerShell module directories
Inspect $Env:PSModulePath to see the directories PowerShell searches for module manifests (.psd1) and module files (.psm1). On Windows, the value is a semicolon-separated list. Use the environment variable rather than constructing a module directory from assumptions:
$Env:PSModulePath -split ';'Default locations differ between Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7. The following are the documented defaults; the actual search path can vary with configuration.
| Scope | PowerShell 7 | Windows PowerShell 5.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Current user | $HOMEDocumentsPowerShellModules |
$HOMEDocumentsWindowsPowerShellModules |
| All users | $Env:ProgramFilesPowerShellModules |
$Env:ProgramFilesWindowsPowerShellModules |
| Bundled with the installation | $PSHOMEModules |
$PSHOMEModules |
The user module path uses Documents, which can be redirected or backed by OneDrive. To check the resolved location, run [Environment]::GetFolderPath('MyDocuments'). Microsoft documents the search-path behavior and version-specific defaults in about_PSModulePath.
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Get the correct PowerShell profile path
$PROFILE identifies profile script locations for the current PowerShell installation and host. Its four properties distinguish current-user from all-user profiles and the current host from all hosts:
$PROFILE.CurrentUserCurrentHost
$PROFILE.CurrentUserAllHosts
$PROFILE.AllUsersCurrentHost
$PROFILE.AllUsersAllHostsUse the property that matches who should receive the settings and whether they should apply only to this host or every host. Current-user profiles are under the user’s home path; all-user profiles are under the PowerShell installation path. The resolved paths vary by host, operating system, and PowerShell version, so use these properties rather than assembling a profile path manually. See Microsoft’s PowerShell profiles documentation.
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Make path lookups portable
- Resolve known folders when the script runs; do not assume a system drive, user name, or localized folder name.
- Choose a data scope deliberately: roaming, local per-user, or shared among users.
- Use
$Env:PSModulePathfor module discovery and$PROFILEproperties for profile scripts. - Treat familiar paths as common mappings, not guarantees. Windows documents
%windir%for the Windows folder,%LOCALAPPDATA%Programsfor per-user Programs, andC:ProgramDataas a typical common-application-data location. - Account for Windows PowerShell 5.1 versus PowerShell 7 and for redirected or OneDrive-backed Documents folders.
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