Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Finding the Path to the Desktop.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 11, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Donald is writing a macro in which he needs to reference a user's desktop. However, the path to the desktop necessarily varies from system to system and user to user. He wonders what coding he can use to determine the path to the desktop regardless of system.
There are several ways to find the path to the desktop in VBA. One way is to call the Windows scripting host, in this manner:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here:
Function GetDesktop() As String
Dim oWSHShell As Object
Set oWSHShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
GetDesktop = oWSHShell.SpecialFolders("Desktop")
Set oWSHShell = Nothing
End Function
Note that this is a user-defined macro that you can use either from the worksheet or from another macro. The use from the worksheet would be as follows:
=GetDesktop()
Another way to determine the path to the desktop is to use the following line in your code:
sPath = Environ("USERPROFILE") & "\Desktop"
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8233) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Finding the Path to the Desktop.
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2023-05-11 05:17:42
@ Michael
I will take a guess that special folders will always be referred to in English in VBA coding.
For example, I have German Excel, and I see my document folder written as
Dokumente
in the windows explorer window. But that will not work in the function from Allen Wyatt. However, if I use MyDocuments, then it does work and returns me
C:\Users\acer\Documents
That is an intersting result since if I use
Documents
in the function from Allen Wyatt, then that does not work either.
Strange. - In this case I have 3 different names for the same folder
Alan Elston
Incidentally, a quick google tells me that these are the so called "special folders", but they may apparantly vary a bit....
AllUsersDesktop
AllUsersStartMenu
AllUsersPrograms
AllUsersStartup
Desktop
Favorites
Fonts
MyDocuments
NetHood
PrintHood
Programs
Recent
SendTo
StartMenu
Startup
Templates
When used for the Desktop, I have so far got consistant results in various language versions of Excel using
Desktop
in the function from Allen Wyatt.
I don't know about the other folders.
2023-05-10 16:14:12
Michael
Would a user with a different language require a reworked version of this? i.e. French as an example...would it require 'Bureau' instead of 'Desktop', or is the language for the lookup defaulted to use english?
2023-03-29 10:42:02
Arnaud
Thanks a lot, I needed that because the Desktop folder is moved on some of my customer workstations (OneDrive sync) and the other method I had based on username didn't work.
2023-02-17 06:53:36
Tom
i used Environ("USERPROFILE") & "\Desktop" all the time, but with the introduction of onedrive and the Desktop moved there that doesn't work anymore.
so your 'GetDesktop' is a nice function that always works!
2020-07-21 07:37:24
Mike D
I think I am missing something. The code makes sense and works only, sometimes.
When I copy the line =GetDesktop() from above and paste it into a sheet it works perfectly.
When I type it or paste matching 'Destination Formatting' it only pastes the text and does not execute the function.
What am I missing?
Thank you,
Mike D.
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