Windows 7: Windows 7 Environment Variables List

Environment Variable Path
%ALLUSERSPROFILE% C:\ProgramData
%APPDATA% C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming
%COMMONPROGRAMFILES% C:\Program Files\Common Files
%COMMONPROGRAMFILES(x86)% C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files
%COMSPEC% C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe
%HOMEDRIVE% C:
%HOMEPATH% C:\Users\{username}
%LOCALAPPDATA% C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local
%PROGRAMDATA% C:\ProgramData
%PROGRAMFILES% C:\Program Files
%PROGRAMFILES(X86)% C:\Program Files (x86) (only in 64-bit version)
%PUBLIC% C:\Users\Public
%SystemDrive% C:
%SystemRoot% C:\Windows
%TEMP% and %TMP% C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Temp
%USERPROFILE% C:\Users\{username}
%WINDIR% C:\Windows

NOTE: C:\ is the system drive (ie, where Windows is installed). It will differ if you installed Windows to a different drive.

This list is of course valid only if, as you mentioned, Windows is installed in C: AND you have not moved or relocated any of the folders created by Windows installation. For instance in my case I have Windows installed in C: but I have relocated both Users and ProgramData to D:, so half of those variables in your list are wrong in all my computers.

Variable	Refers to folder or drive
%SYSTEMDRIVE%	The drive / partition where Windows is installed, default = C:
%PROFILESDIRECTORY%	Users, default = %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Users
%WINDIR%	Windows, default = %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Windows
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%	ProgramData, default = %SYSTEMDRIVE%\ProgramData
%APPDATA%	%PROFILESDIRECTORY%\{username}\AppData\Roaming
%COMMONPROGRAMFILES%	%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Common Files
%COMMONPROGRAMFILES(x86)%	%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Program Files (x86)\Common Files
%COMSPEC%	%WINDIR%\System32\cmd.exe
%HOMEDRIVE%	The drive where Users is located, default = C:
%HOMEPATH%	%PROFILESDIRECTORY%\{username}
%LOCALAPPDATA%	%PROFILESDIRECTORY%\{username}\AppData\Local
%PROGRAMDATA%	ProgramData, default = %SYSTEMDRIVE%\ProgramData
%PROGRAMFILES%	%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Program Files
%PROGRAMFILES(X86)%	%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Program Files (x86) (only in 64-bit version)
%PUBLIC%	%PROFILESDIRECTORY%\Public
%SYSTEMROOT%	%WINDIR%
%TEMP% and %TMP%	%PROFILESDIRECTORY%\{username}\AppData\Local\Temp
%USERPROFILE%	%PROFILESDIRECTORY%\{username}

Kari

All right- let me ask you this:
When you move those folders, doesn't Windows update those associated paths?

Depending on how you do it. Normally yes.

I just wanted to point out that saying that for instance %APPDATA% is C:\Users\{username}\AppData is not necessarily true, even if C: is your system drive. That's why a list of variables is more truthfully presented when we first establish location of %SYSTEMDRIVE%, %PROFILESDIRECTORY% and %WINDIR%, and then present other locations in relation to these.

Kari

Point taken...
Thanks for clearing that up for me...