Profiles Directory
The system stores user profile information in a specific directory, which has different names in different versions of Windows: "Documents and Settings" in Windows XP and "Users" in Windows Vista and later. To obtain the path of the profiles directory, use the GetProfilesDirectory function.
The profiles directory contains the following subdirectories for user profiles.
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
| ProgramData (Windows Vista or later)/All Users | Program information that applies to all users. The All Users directory still exists in Windows Vista or later, for backward compatibility. |
| Default | Profile information that applies to the default user. |
| User | Profile information that applies to the specified user. Each user has their own profile subdirectory. |
To obtain the location of the ProgramData/All Users directory, call the GetAllUsersProfileDirectory function. This directory contains the following subdirectories:
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
| Desktop | Shortcuts to display on the desktop. |
| Start Menu | Menu items for the Start menu. |
To obtain the location of the default user's directory, call the GetDefaultUserProfileDirectory function. To obtain the location of a particular user's directory, call the GetUserProfileDirectory function. Both the default user and specific user directories contain the following subdirectories. Directories in italics indicate directories that are hidden by default. You can view these directories by selecting the Show hidden files, folders, and drives option in the Folder Options control panel item.
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
| Application Data | Application-specific data. |
| Cookies | Windows Internet Explorer cookies. |
| Desktop | Shortcuts to display on the desktop. |
| Favorites | Links to favorite websites. |
| Local Settings | Application settings and data that do not roam with the profile. Usually the settings or data in this directory are computer-specific, or they are too large to roam effectively. This directory contains the following subfolders:
|
| My Documents | The default location for documents that the user creates. Applications should save document files to this directory by default. |
| NetHood | Shortcuts to Network Neighborhood items. |
| PrintHood | Shortcuts to printer folder items. |
| Recent | Shortcuts to the most recently used documents. |
| SendTo | Shortcuts to locations to which the user often sends files. |
| Start Menu | Menu items for the Start menu. |
| Templates | Shortcuts to template items. |
To obtain the location of subdirectories of these directories, use the SHGetFolderPath or SHGetKnownFolderPath functions.