Windows Shell Aliases
What Windows shell aliases are and how to use them.
Shell Aliases
Shell aliases allow you to navigate to special folders on Windows. They can be used in the Windows explorer, the start menu, and the Run dialog. For example, open the run dialog (Win+R) and type shell:personal and hit enter. Windows explorer will open in your Documents directory.
A complete list of these folders can be found in the following registry key:
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HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions
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To enumerate their names and the relative path you can run the following PowerShell script:
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Get-ChildItem HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions |
ForEach-Object {
New-Object `
-TypeName psobject `
-Prop (@{ RelativePath = $_.GetValue('RelativePath'); Name = $_.GetValue('Name') })
} |
Sort-Object -Property Name |
Format-Table Name,RelativePath
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The available commands varies depending on your version of Windows. On my system (Windows 10 Pro) the above script produces the following list:
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Name RelativePath
---- -------
3D Objects 3D Objects
AccountPictures Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures
AddNewProgramsFolder
Administrative Tools Administrative Tools
AppData AppData\Roaming
AppDataDesktop Desktop
AppDataDocuments Documents
AppDataFavorites Favorites
AppDataProgramData ProgramData
Application Shortcuts Microsoft\Windows\Application Shortcuts
AppMods AppMods
AppsFolder
AppUpdatesFolder
Cache Microsoft\Windows\INetCache
Camera Roll Camera Roll
CameraRollLibrary CameraRoll.library-ms
Captures Captures
CD Burning Microsoft\Windows\Burn\Burn
ChangeRemoveProgramsFolder
Common Administrative Tools Administrative Tools
Common AppData
Common Desktop Desktop
Common Documents Documents
Common Programs Programs
Common Start Menu Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
Common Start Menu Places Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu Places
Common Startup StartUp
Common Templates Microsoft\Windows\Templates
CommonDownloads Downloads
CommonMusic Music
CommonPictures Pictures
CommonRingtones Microsoft\Windows\Ringtones
CommonVideo Videos
ConflictFolder
ConnectionsFolder
Contacts Contacts
ControlPanelFolder
Cookies Microsoft\Windows\INetCookies
CredentialManager
CryptoKeys
CSCFolder
Desktop Desktop
Development Files DevelopmentFiles
Device Metadata Store Microsoft\Windows\DeviceMetadataStore
DocumentsLibrary Documents.library-ms
Downloads Downloads
DpapiKeys
Favorites Favorites
Fonts
GameTasks Microsoft\Windows\GameExplorer
History Microsoft\Windows\History
HomeGroupCurrentUserFolder
HomeGroupFolder
ImplicitAppShortcuts ImplicitAppShortcuts
InternetFolder
Libraries Microsoft\Windows\Libraries
Links Links
Local AppData AppData\Local
Local Documents Documents
Local Downloads Downloads
Local Music Music
Local Pictures Pictures
Local Videos Videos
LocalAppDataLow AppData\LocalLow
LocalizedResourcesDir
MAPIFolder
MusicLibrary Music.library-ms
My Music Music
My Pictures Pictures
My Video Videos
MyComputerFolder
NetHood Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts
NetworkPlacesFolder
OEM Links OEM Links
OneDrive OneDrive
OneDriveCameraRoll Camera Roll
OneDriveDocuments Documents
OneDriveMusic Music
OneDrivePictures Pictures
Original Images Microsoft\Windows Photo Gallery\Original Images
Personal Documents
PhotoAlbums Slide Shows
PicturesLibrary Pictures.library-ms
Playlists Playlists
PrintersFolder
PrintHood Microsoft\Windows\Printer Shortcuts
Profile
ProgramFiles
ProgramFilesCommon
ProgramFilesCommonX64
ProgramFilesCommonX86
ProgramFilesX64
ProgramFilesX86
Programs Programs
Public
PublicAccountPictures AccountPictures
PublicGameTasks Microsoft\Windows\GameExplorer
PublicLibraries Libraries
Quick Launch Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch
Recent Microsoft\Windows\Recent
Recorded Calls Recorded Calls
RecordedTVLibrary RecordedTV.library-ms
RecycleBinFolder
ResourceDir
Retail Demo Microsoft\Windows\RetailDemo
Ringtones Microsoft\Windows\Ringtones
Roamed Tile Images Microsoft\Windows\RoamedTileImages
Roaming Tiles Microsoft\Windows\RoamingTiles
SavedGames Saved Games
SavedPictures Saved Pictures
SavedPicturesLibrary SavedPictures.library-ms
Screenshots Screenshots
Searches Searches
SearchHistoryFolder Microsoft\Windows\ConnectedSearch\History
SearchHomeFolder
SearchTemplatesFolder Microsoft\Windows\ConnectedSearch\Templates
SendTo Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
Start Menu Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
Startup StartUp
SyncCenterFolder
SyncResultsFolder
SyncSetupFolder
System
SystemCertificates
SystemX86
Templates Microsoft\Windows\Templates
ThisDeviceFolder
ThisPCDesktopFolder Desktop
User Pinned User Pinned
UserProfiles
UserProgramFiles Programs
UserProgramFilesCommon Common
UsersFilesFolder
UsersLibrariesFolder
VideosLibrary Videos.library-ms
Windows
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The first column gives the name of the shell command, so for example the first entry has name AccountPictures and the corresponding shell command is shell:AccountPictures.
Note that some of the names include a space and this must also be present in the shell command, for example the name My Video becomes the shell command shell:My Video.