Windows Path to My Documents

[jstevens]

Over the years Microsoft may have changed the full path to "My Documents" folder with the release of various Operating Systems such as Windows 1.0, Windows 3.0, Windows 95 and etc..

I'm looking for a list of the Windows Operating Systems and the full path to "My Documents" for each OS.

Example:
Windows 10 C:\Users\YourProfile\Documents

[HansV]

%documents% should take you to the correct folder

[jstevens]

%documents% should take you to the correct folder

Hans,

I only have Windows 10 so I can't get the path on the other OS.

[John Gray]

As far as I am aware, Windows 7 was the first Windows OS to move to
C:\Users\<username>\Documents.

Here's something from 2010...

User Profiles - where Documents and Settings folders are now located in Win7 and WS2008.doc

[HansV]

The actual path in Windows Vista and later is C:\Users\<username>\Documents
Under Windows 95, 98, ME and XP, it was C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents
Windows 95 was the first Windows version to have a default path for documents, it didn't exist in Windows 3.1 and earlier.

[John Gray]

Ah - I went straight from XP to Windows 7, thankfully bypassing Vista...!

[jstevens]

John Gray/Hans,

Thank you!

[Argus]

The actual path in Windows Vista and later is C:\Users\<username>\Documents
Under Windows 95, 98, ME and XP, it was C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents
Windows 95 was the first Windows version to have a default path for documents, it didn't exist in Windows 3.1 and earlier.

It's also linked to the introduction and evolution of user profiles. (The environment variable %USERPROFILE% was introduced in NT4, I think.)
Documents and Settings came with Windows 2000, before that it was WINNT\Profiles\. And with Vista it, as mentioned, went from %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Documents and Settings to %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Users.

So, NT4 had user profiles, Windows 95/98 didn't by default.
I think they added My Documents in an update, 95 SR2. A directory in the root.

As for "my" or not:
Windows 2000 & XP.
%USERPROFILE%\My Documents
Vista and onwards (and My Pictures and My Music moved out of docs).
%USERPROFILE%\Documents

On the other hand, you can have folder called "Documents" designated as the special folder My documents and show up as that in Explorer.

Here's something from 2010...

Why the Word docs, John? Why not a normal file.

[AlanMiller]

I'm amazed you can remember all this stuff Argus! Or did you look it up?

I always thought that apps able to deal with the the .MIUAIW* file format would be the holy grail.

Alan

* MIUAIW = Made It Up As I Went

[John Gray]

Here's something from 2010...

Why the Word docs, John? Why not a normal file. [/quote]
Different sizes and weights of fonts, tables in boxes!

[Argus]

I'm amazed you can remember all this stuff Argus! Or did you look it up?

Well, nobody mentioned Win 2000 (and XP was pretty much the same), so that's a start; and then a thought "hmm Win95, I can't remember docs & settings", or anything but "My computer" (and similar to hiding file extensions, the annoyance of hidden path in Explorer, and multiple windows, by default). Then a thought or two about NT, and introduction of user profiles. A mix of both, Alan; I had to check the SP2-thing. (I've still got my Windows 95 SP1 floppy, my copy didn't go further than that, might explain. )