How to get Desktop location?

Question

I'm using Python on Windows and I want a part of my script to copy a file from a certain directory (I know its path) to the Desktop.

I used this:

shutil.copy(txtName, '%HOMEPATH%/desktop')

While txtName is the txt File's name (with full path).

I get the error:

IOError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '%HOMEPATH%/DESKTOP'

Any help?

I want the script to work on any computer.

Ironlike

All answers (except GPCracker) are incorrect, because the desktop folder can be moved outside HOMEPATH. – Sightread

Answer 1

You can use os.environ["HOMEPATH"] to get the path. Right now it's literally trying to find %HOMEPATH%/Desktop without substituting the actual path.

Maybe something like:

shutil.copy(txtName, os.path.join(os.environ["HOMEPATH"], "Desktop"))

Oust

os.path.expanduser("~/Desktop") works on Linux and Windows – Duwe

@dashesy: You should make that an answer - it's better than any of the others. – Kilah

Answer 2

On Unix or Linux:

import os
desktop = os.path.join(os.path.join(os.path.expanduser('~')), 'Desktop') 

on Windows:

import os
desktop = os.path.join(os.path.join(os.environ['USERPROFILE']), 'Desktop') 

and to add in your command:

shutil.copy(txtName, desktop)

Tews

@BenL please vote up or accept if you found it helpful or if it solved your question. – Tews

both you and the one above you had great answers. wish I could accept to you both. voted up now. thank you! – Ironlike

In both Windows and Linux this seems to work: os.path.expanduser("~/Desktop") – Duwe

There is no need for the inner os.path.join() call. Also, the first solution works for Windows too: there is no need for the second solution. – Ioannina

@ChauLoi yes it is, I tested it on Mac, it gives you the parent folder of user – Nondisjunction

This is no longer reliable on Windows 10. The Desktop may be located in OneDrive, either a personal account or business. – Nichani

Answer 3

This works on both Windows and Linux:

import os
desktop = os.path.expanduser("~/Desktop")

# the above is valid on Windows (after 7) but if you want it in os normalized form:
desktop = os.path.normpath(os.path.expanduser("~/Desktop"))

Duwe

Would this work on non-English Windows machines? When I checked back around 2010 this was not the case. – Ioannina

@EricLebigot I do not have non-English Windows machine to test, can you let us know? – Duwe

That will produce 'C:\\Users\\user/Desktop' on Windows ... This will work on Win desktop = os.path.expanduser("~\\Desktop") – Garnet

@Sabrina that is valid, in newer Widows you can use / and it is preferred because you won't have to escape it. You can use os.path.normpath if you care. – Duwe

It does work on non-English (Spanish) machine, and it actually outputs what Sabrina says. – Tumpline

It does not work on non-English Linux machine, because my desktop folder is actually /home/andreymal/Рабочий стол – Sightread

Answer 4

For 3.5+ you can use pathlib:

import pathlib

desktop = pathlib.Path.home() / 'Desktop'

Ensoll

My desktop isn't located on my C:\, and all other options don't work directly. I like this solution! – Peba

This seems to be the modern way to do this. – Bushman

Answer 5

I can not comment yet, but solutions based on joining location to a user path with 'Desktop' have limited appliance because Desktop could and often is being remapped to a non-system drive. To get real location a windows registry should be used... or special functions via ctypes like https://mcmap.net/q/356046/-how-do-i-find-the-windows-common-application-data-folder-using-python

Sfax

Answer 6

All those answers are intrinsecally wrong : they only work for english sessions.

You should check the XDG directories instead of supposing it's always 'Desktop'.

Here's the correct answer: How to get users desktop path in python independent of language install (linux)

Irmgard

This answer is intrinsically wrong: It only works for Linux. :) – Ensoll

True :) I may have been tired and forgot the bit about windows. – Irmgard

Answer 7

Try this:

import os
file1 =os.environ["HOMEPATH"] + "\Desktop\myfile.txt" 

Evacuation

Answer 8

When Windows Explorer is in This PC, user can change the Desktop folder to any location instead of the default C:\Users\username\Desktop, so it's wrong to simply concat home directory's location and Desktop to get Desktop's location. Instead you should get the location from the registry Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders\Desktop.

Extracted string may contain unexpanded environment variables, such as %USERPROFILE%\Desktop. To expand them, use os.path.expandvars().

import winreg
import os

with winreg.OpenKey(winreg.HKEY_CURRENT_USER, r"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders") as key:
    # Extracted string may contain unexpanded environment variables, such as "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop"
    desktop_dir, _ = winreg.QueryValueEx(key, "Desktop")
    # To expand the environment variable in the above string, use this form
    desktop_dir = os.path.expandvars(winreg.QueryValueEx(key, "Desktop")[0])

Krouse

Answer 9

Just an addendum to @tpearse accepted answer:

In an embedded environment (c++ programm calling a python environment)

os.path.join(os.environ["HOMEPATH"], "Desktop")

was the only one that worked. Seems like

os.path.expanduser("~/Desktop")

does not return a usable path for the embedded environment (at least not in my one; But some environmental settings in visual studio could be missing in my setup)

Opinion

Answer 10

Simple and Elegant Try this to access file in Desktop:

import os
import pathlib
import pandas as pd

desktop = pathlib.Path.home() / 'Desktop' / "Panda's" / 'data'
print(desktop) #check you path correct ?
data = pd.read_csv(os.path.joinn(desktop),'survey_results_public.csv')

Congrants!

Immunotherapy

If you clean up your answer (remove pandas / mistyped os.path.joinn that does nothing because of misplaced bracket) you end up with a duplicate answer – Ensoll

Answer 11

def get_desktop_path():
    import platform
    if platform.system() == 'Windows':
        try:
            import winreg
            reg_key = winreg.OpenKey(winreg.HKEY_CURRENT_USER, r'Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders')
            desktop = winreg.QueryValueEx(reg_key, 'Desktop')[0]
            winreg.CloseKey(reg_key)
        except:
            desktop = "None"
    else:
        from pathlib import Path
        desktop = Path.home() / 'Desktop'
        if not os.path.exists(desktop):
            desktop = os.path.normpath(os.path.expanduser("~/Desktop"))
    if not os.path.exists(desktop):
        desktop = os.path.normpath(os.path.expanduser("~"))
        print(f"архив будет сохранен сюда: {desktop}")
    else:
        print(f"архив будет сохранен на рабочий стол")
    return desktop

Cassidy

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