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Special folder facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

On Microsoft Windows, a special folder is like a smart shortcut on your computer. It helps you find important files and settings easily, without needing to know their exact location. Think of it as a special label for a place where certain kinds of files should go.

These special folders make it simple for computer programs to save things in the right spot, no matter which version of Windows you are using or what language it's set to. For example, the "Start Menu" folder used to have different names in different languages (like "Startmenü" in German Windows XP). But now, starting with Windows Vista, most Windows versions use the same English names for these folders, even if the display language is different. In Windows 10, you can change the display language, and the names of these special folders will change too!

How Special Folders Work

Windows XP Shell Namespace
Figure 1: This picture shows how Windows Explorer in Windows XP uses virtual folders, starting from the Desktop.

Special folders help your computer organize files and show them to you in a clear way. You don't have to worry about the exact, long path to a file, which can change between different versions of Windows. This idea started with Windows 95 and has grown with every new Windows version.

When a program is designed to work well with Windows, it uses these special folders. This means your documents and settings are always saved in the correct, easy-to-find places.

Some special folders point to real folders on your computer's hard drive. These are like environment variables – special names that stand for specific locations. Other special folders are "virtual" folders. This means they don't actually exist as real folders on your hard drive. Instead, they are like special views that Windows Explorer shows you. This system is called the Windows Shell namespace.

For example, in Windows XP, the main virtual folder is called Desktop. Inside it, you might see My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, and Recycle Bin. Some virtual folders, like Desktop, also have a real folder on your hard drive. Windows Explorer combines what's in the virtual folder with what's in the real folder to show you everything. Figure 1 shows this in Windows XP. You can see the standard virtual folders and a real folder called "a folder on the desktop" that is actually saved in your Desktop directory.

Some other programs you install might also add their own virtual folders to Windows Explorer.

Common Special Folders

Here are some of the most common special folders you might find in Windows, starting from Windows Vista. The tables also show which Windows version first introduced them. Terms like %USERPROFILE% and %windir% are Windows environment variables, which are shortcuts for common paths.

Real Folders on Your Computer

Special folder What it's for Where it's usually found First seen in Windows
Application Data Files for specific programs, unique to each user.
On Windows 98 and Windows Me
%windir%\Application Data
On Windows 2000 and Windows XP
%USERPROFILE%\Application Data
On Windows Vista and later
%APPDATA%
 98
Cookies Internet Explorer browser cookies (small files websites save).
On Windows 98 and Windows Me
%windir%\Cookies
On Windows 2000 and later
%USERPROFILE%\Cookies
On Windows Vista and later
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies
 98
Desktop Directory Files you save directly on your desktop screen.
On Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Me
%windir%\Desktop
On Windows 2000 and later
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop
 95
Favorites Your saved website favorites or bookmarks.
On Windows 98 and Windows Me
%windir%\Favorites
On Windows 2000 and later
%USERPROFILE%\Favorites
 98
Fonts Where your computer stores all the installed fonts. %windir%\Fonts 95
History Your web browser history for your user account. %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\History 98
Internet Cache Temporary files from websites you visit (like images).
On Windows 98 and Windows Me

%windir%\Temporary Internet Files

On Windows 2000 and Windows XP

%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files

On Windows Vista and Windows 7

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files

On Windows 8 and later

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache

 98
Local Application Data Application settings specific to your computer and user.
On Windows 98 and Windows Me
%windir%\Application Data
On Windows 2000 and Windows XP
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data
On Windows Vista and later
%LOCALAPPDATA%
 95
My Documents Your main folder for saving documents.
On Windows 98 and Windows Me
C:\My Documents
On Windows 2000 and Windows XP
%USERPROFILE%\My Documents
On Windows Vista and later
%USERPROFILE%\Documents
 98
My Music Your main folder for saving music files.
On Windows 98 and Windows Me
C:\My Documents\My Music
On Windows 2000 and Windows XP
%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My Music
On Windows Vista and later
%USERPROFILE%\Music
 98
My Pictures Your main folder for saving picture files.
On Windows 98 and Windows Me
C:\My Documents\My Pictures
On Windows 2000 and Windows XP
%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My Pictures
On Windows Vista and later
%USERPROFILE%\Pictures
 98
My Videos Your main folder for saving video files.
On Windows 98 and Windows Me
C:\My Documents\My Videos
On Windows 2000 and Windows XP
%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My Videos
On Windows Vista and later
%USERPROFILE%\Videos
 98
Programs Shortcuts and groups for programs in your Start Menu.
On Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows XP
%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs
On Windows Vista and later
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
 95
Recent A list of documents you've opened recently.
On Windows 98
%USERPROFILE%\Recent
On Windows 2000 and Windows XP
%USERPROFILE%\My Recent Documents
On Windows Vista and later
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent
 98
Send To Items that appear in your "Send To" menu when you right-click a file.
On Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows XP
%USERPROFILE%\SendTo
On Windows Vista and later
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
 98
Start Menu Items that appear in your Start Menu.
On Windows 95
%windir%\Start Menu
On Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows XP
%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu
On Windows Vista and later
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
 95
System Important Windows system files.
On Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Me
For 16-bit and 32-bit programs
%windir%\System
For some other 32-bit programs
%windir%\System32
On Windows 2000 and later (32-bit Windows)
For 32-bit programs
%windir%\system32
For 16-bit programs
%windir%\System
On 64-bit Windows
For 64-bit programs
%windir%\System32
For 32-bit programs
%windir%\SysWOW64
 95
Saved Games Where your computer games save your progress. %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games Vista
Templates Folders for creating new documents from templates.
On Windows 98 and Windows Me
%windir%\ShellNew
On Windows 2000 and Windows XP
%USERPROFILE%\Templates
On Windows Vista and later
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Templates
 98
  • The "Desktop" virtual folder is different from the "Desktop" special folder. The virtual Desktop is the main starting point for many other virtual folders.
  • "Local Application Data" is for program files that should stay on your specific computer, especially if you use a roaming profile (where your settings follow you to different computers).
  • The "My Documents" virtual folder is also different from the "My Documents" special folder. The virtual one appears under the "Desktop" virtual folder, while the special folder points to the actual location on your hard drive.

Virtual Folders

These folders don't exist as real folders on your hard drive. They are special views or collections of items that Windows shows you.

Virtual Folder What it shows you First seen in Windows
Recycle Bin All the files you've deleted from your computer's drives. 95
Control Panel Icons for all the settings and tools in the Control Panel (Windows). 95
Desktop The main screen of your Windows computer. 95
Drives All the drives on your computer (like C: drive) and any network drives you've connected. 95
Internet Resources found on the internet, like web connections. 98
My Documents A virtual view of your My Documents folder, often seen as part of the Desktop. 98
Network All the computers and resources available on your network. 95
Search Results A list of files that match your last search (only appears after you search). 2000
Printers A folder showing all your installed printers. 95
  • Just like with the Desktop, the "My Documents" virtual folder is different from the "My Documents" special folder. The virtual one appears under the "Desktop" virtual folder, while the special folder points to the actual location on your hard drive.

See also

  • Folder redirection
  • Tweak UI
  • Unix directory structure — a similar way of organizing files on Unix computers.
  • Filesystem Hierarchy Standard — a similar way of organizing files on Linux computers.
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