Environment Variables: shortcuts to Windows folders

Oooo! How's this for a handy shortcut by Ed Bott, of TechRepublic?

Ed advises that you can save at least half a dozen keystrokes by using - what he calls - Windows "environment variables".

Ed provides the example that, if we wanted to go to our user profile in File Explorer, we might start typing the path C:\Users\[our user name], but if we use environment variables, we can shortcut that. The environment variables contain a 'reserved name', bracketed by percentages, which provide a shortcut to specific system folders. We access them by keying the name into the address bar or search box, and hitting Enter. For example:

%userprofile%

...and that takes us to our profile.

Ed is kind enough to provide a list of some useful examples:

• %localappdata% The hidden folder in your user profile where Windows apps store your data
• %windir% The folder containing Windows system files; usually C:Windows
• %public% A special user profile that contains folders for Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos, intended for sharing on a home network
• %temp% or %tmp% The normally hidden folder where Windows and apps can store files necessary for one-time tasks

Ed finishes up by saying "Some people write these variables using mixed case (%ProgramFiles%, for example) to make them easier to read. But they're not case sensitive, so skip the Shift key if you want".

Sam

• Reference: Bott, Ed (2 March 2016). Windows tip of the week: How to save time with environment variables. Retrieved 3 March 2016 from http://enews.techrepublic.com/hostedemail/email.htm?CID=33023177696&ch=F7187AE9A93D577764159724DB8B4518&h=8c182ce3a053ea5a2a1fd71e31ed2d75&ei=s9JnrGCNB