path - Set location of Special Folders with PowerShell

Question

As administrator, I want to change the default location of special folders (Documents, Music, Downloads…) to a different path. I can do this manually, but I would like to have a PowerShell script to do that.

Is there any PS Object that provides functions to do this? How can I do it? Thanks.

Answer 1

PowerShell doesn't have a cmdlet that lets you do it out of the box (as far as I know), but you can use P/Invoke to call the SHSetKnownFolderPath shell function. I created a wrapper function called Set-KnownFolderPath that does it:

<#
.SYNOPSIS
    Sets a known folder's path using SHSetKnownFolderPath.
.PARAMETER Folder
    The known folder whose path to set.
.PARAMETER Path
    The path.
#>
function Set-KnownFolderPath {
    Param (
            [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
            [ValidateSet('3DObjects', 'AddNewPrograms', 'AdminTools', 'AppUpdates', 'CDBurning', 'ChangeRemovePrograms', 'CommonAdminTools', 'CommonOEMLinks', 'CommonPrograms', 'CommonStartMenu', 'CommonStartup', 'CommonTemplates', 'ComputerFolder', 'ConflictFolder', 'ConnectionsFolder', 'Contacts', 'ControlPanelFolder', 'Cookies', 'Desktop', 'Documents', 'Downloads', 'Favorites', 'Fonts', 'Games', 'GameTasks', 'History', 'InternetCache', 'InternetFolder', 'Links', 'LocalAppData', 'LocalAppDataLow', 'LocalizedResourcesDir', 'Music', 'NetHood', 'NetworkFolder', 'OriginalImages', 'PhotoAlbums', 'Pictures', 'Playlists', 'PrintersFolder', 'PrintHood', 'Profile', 'ProgramData', 'ProgramFiles', 'ProgramFilesX64', 'ProgramFilesX86', 'ProgramFilesCommon', 'ProgramFilesCommonX64', 'ProgramFilesCommonX86', 'Programs', 'Public', 'PublicDesktop', 'PublicDocuments', 'PublicDownloads', 'PublicGameTasks', 'PublicMusic', 'PublicPictures', 'PublicVideos', 'QuickLaunch', 'Recent', 'RecycleBinFolder', 'ResourceDir', 'RoamingAppData', 'SampleMusic', 'SamplePictures', 'SamplePlaylists', 'SampleVideos', 'SavedGames', 'SavedSearches', 'SEARCH_CSC', 'SEARCH_MAPI', 'SearchHome', 'SendTo', 'SidebarDefaultParts', 'SidebarParts', 'StartMenu', 'Startup', 'SyncManagerFolder', 'SyncResultsFolder', 'SyncSetupFolder', 'System', 'SystemX86', 'Templates', 'TreeProperties', 'UserProfiles', 'UsersFiles', 'Videos', 'Windows')]
            [string]$KnownFolder,
            
            [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
            [string]$Path
    )
    
    # Define known folder GUIDs
    $KnownFolders = @{
        '3DObjects' = '31C0DD25-9439-4F12-BF41-7FF4EDA38722';
        'AddNewPrograms' = 'de61d971-5ebc-4f02-a3a9-6c82895e5c04';
        'AdminTools' = '724EF170-A42D-4FEF-9F26-B60E846FBA4F';
        'AppUpdates' = 'a305ce99-f527-492b-8b1a-7e76fa98d6e4';
        'CDBurning' = '9E52AB10-F80D-49DF-ACB8-4330F5687855';
        'ChangeRemovePrograms' = 'df7266ac-9274-4867-8d55-3bd661de872d';
        'CommonAdminTools' = 'D0384E7D-BAC3-4797-8F14-CBA229B392B5';
        'CommonOEMLinks' = 'C1BAE2D0-10DF-4334-BEDD-7AA20B227A9D';
        'CommonPrograms' = '0139D44E-6AFE-49F2-8690-3DAFCAE6FFB8';
        'CommonStartMenu' = 'A4115719-D62E-491D-AA7C-E74B8BE3B067';
        'CommonStartup' = '82A5EA35-D9CD-47C5-9629-E15D2F714E6E';
        'CommonTemplates' = 'B94237E7-57AC-4347-9151-B08C6C32D1F7';
        'ComputerFolder' = '0AC0837C-BBF8-452A-850D-79D08E667CA7';
        'ConflictFolder' = '4bfefb45-347d-4006-a5be-ac0cb0567192';
        'ConnectionsFolder' = '6F0CD92B-2E97-45D1-88FF-B0D186B8DEDD';
        'Contacts' = '56784854-C6CB-462b-8169-88E350ACB882';
        'ControlPanelFolder' = '82A74AEB-AEB4-465C-A014-D097EE346D63';
        'Cookies' = '2B0F765D-C0E9-4171-908E-08A611B84FF6';
        'Desktop' = 'B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641';
        'Documents' = 'FDD39AD0-238F-46AF-ADB4-6C85480369C7';
        'Downloads' = '374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B';
        'Favorites' = '1777F761-68AD-4D8A-87BD-30B759FA33DD';
        'Fonts' = 'FD228CB7-AE11-4AE3-864C-16F3910AB8FE';
        'Games' = 'CAC52C1A-B53D-4edc-92D7-6B2E8AC19434';
        'GameTasks' = '054FAE61-4DD8-4787-80B6-090220C4B700';
        'History' = 'D9DC8A3B-B784-432E-A781-5A1130A75963';
        'InternetCache' = '352481E8-33BE-4251-BA85-6007CAEDCF9D';
        'InternetFolder' = '4D9F7874-4E0C-4904-967B-40B0D20C3E4B';
        'Links' = 'bfb9d5e0-c6a9-404c-b2b2-ae6db6af4968';
        'LocalAppData' = 'F1B32785-6FBA-4FCF-9D55-7B8E7F157091';
        'LocalAppDataLow' = 'A520A1A4-1780-4FF6-BD18-167343C5AF16';
        'LocalizedResourcesDir' = '2A00375E-224C-49DE-B8D1-440DF7EF3DDC';
        'Music' = '4BD8D571-6D19-48D3-BE97-422220080E43';
        'NetHood' = 'C5ABBF53-E17F-4121-8900-86626FC2C973';
        'NetworkFolder' = 'D20BEEC4-5CA8-4905-AE3B-BF251EA09B53';
        'OriginalImages' = '2C36C0AA-5812-4b87-BFD0-4CD0DFB19B39';
        'PhotoAlbums' = '69D2CF90-FC33-4FB7-9A0C-EBB0F0FCB43C';
        'Pictures' = '33E28130-4E1E-4676-835A-98395C3BC3BB';
        'Playlists' = 'DE92C1C7-837F-4F69-A3BB-86E631204A23';
        'PrintersFolder' = '76FC4E2D-D6AD-4519-A663-37BD56068185';
        'PrintHood' = '9274BD8D-CFD1-41C3-B35E-B13F55A758F4';
        'Profile' = '5E6C858F-0E22-4760-9AFE-EA3317B67173';
        'ProgramData' = '62AB5D82-FDC1-4DC3-A9DD-070D1D495D97';
        'ProgramFiles' = '905e63b6-c1bf-494e-b29c-65b732d3d21a';
        'ProgramFilesX64' = '6D809377-6AF0-444b-8957-A3773F02200E';
        'ProgramFilesX86' = '7C5A40EF-A0FB-4BFC-874A-C0F2E0B9FA8E';
        'ProgramFilesCommon' = 'F7F1ED05-9F6D-47A2-AAAE-29D317C6F066';
        'ProgramFilesCommonX64' = '6365D5A7-0F0D-45E5-87F6-0DA56B6A4F7D';
        'ProgramFilesCommonX86' = 'DE974D24-D9C6-4D3E-BF91-F4455120B917';
        'Programs' = 'A77F5D77-2E2B-44C3-A6A2-ABA601054A51';
        'Public' = 'DFDF76A2-C82A-4D63-906A-5644AC457385';
        'PublicDesktop' = 'C4AA340D-F20F-4863-AFEF-F87EF2E6BA25';
        'PublicDocuments' = 'ED4824AF-DCE4-45A8-81E2-FC7965083634';
        'PublicDownloads' = '3D644C9B-1FB8-4f30-9B45-F670235F79C0';
        'PublicGameTasks' = 'DEBF2536-E1A8-4c59-B6A2-414586476AEA';
        'PublicMusic' = '3214FAB5-9757-4298-BB61-92A9DEAA44FF';
        'PublicPictures' = 'B6EBFB86-6907-413C-9AF7-4FC2ABF07CC5';
        'PublicVideos' = '2400183A-6185-49FB-A2D8-4A392A602BA3';
        'QuickLaunch' = '52a4f021-7b75-48a9-9f6b-4b87a210bc8f';
        'Recent' = 'AE50C081-EBD2-438A-8655-8A092E34987A';
        'RecycleBinFolder' = 'B7534046-3ECB-4C18-BE4E-64CD4CB7D6AC';
        'ResourceDir' = '8AD10C31-2ADB-4296-A8F7-E4701232C972';
        'RoamingAppData' = '3EB685DB-65F9-4CF6-A03A-E3EF65729F3D';
        'SampleMusic' = 'B250C668-F57D-4EE1-A63C-290EE7D1AA1F';
        'SamplePictures' = 'C4900540-2379-4C75-844B-64E6FAF8716B';
        'SamplePlaylists' = '15CA69B3-30EE-49C1-ACE1-6B5EC372AFB5';
        'SampleVideos' = '859EAD94-2E85-48AD-A71A-0969CB56A6CD';
        'SavedGames' = '4C5C32FF-BB9D-43b0-B5B4-2D72E54EAAA4';
        'SavedSearches' = '7d1d3a04-debb-4115-95cf-2f29da2920da';
        'SEARCH_CSC' = 'ee32e446-31ca-4aba-814f-a5ebd2fd6d5e';
        'SEARCH_MAPI' = '98ec0e18-2098-4d44-8644-66979315a281';
        'SearchHome' = '190337d1-b8ca-4121-a639-6d472d16972a';
        'SendTo' = '8983036C-27C0-404B-8F08-102D10DCFD74';
        'SidebarDefaultParts' = '7B396E54-9EC5-4300-BE0A-2482EBAE1A26';
        'SidebarParts' = 'A75D362E-50FC-4fb7-AC2C-A8BEAA314493';
        'StartMenu' = '625B53C3-AB48-4EC1-BA1F-A1EF4146FC19';
        'Startup' = 'B97D20BB-F46A-4C97-BA10-5E3608430854';
        'SyncManagerFolder' = '43668BF8-C14E-49B2-97C9-747784D784B7';
        'SyncResultsFolder' = '289a9a43-be44-4057-a41b-587a76d7e7f9';
        'SyncSetupFolder' = '0F214138-B1D3-4a90-BBA9-27CBC0C5389A';
        'System' = '1AC14E77-02E7-4E5D-B744-2EB1AE5198B7';
        'SystemX86' = 'D65231B0-B2F1-4857-A4CE-A8E7C6EA7D27';
        'Templates' = 'A63293E8-664E-48DB-A079-DF759E0509F7';
        'TreeProperties' = '5b3749ad-b49f-49c1-83eb-15370fbd4882';
        'UserProfiles' = '0762D272-C50A-4BB0-A382-697DCD729B80';
        'UsersFiles' = 'f3ce0f7c-4901-4acc-8648-d5d44b04ef8f';
        'Videos' = '18989B1D-99B5-455B-841C-AB7C74E4DDFC';
        'Windows' = 'F38BF404-1D43-42F2-9305-67DE0B28FC23';
    }
    
    # Define SHSetKnownFolderPath if it hasn't been defined already
    $Type = ([System.Management.Automation.PSTypeName]'KnownFolders').Type
    if (-not $Type) {
        $Signature = @'
[DllImport("shell32.dll")]
public extern static int SHSetKnownFolderPath(ref Guid folderId, uint flags, IntPtr token, [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] string path);
'@
        $Type = Add-Type -MemberDefinition $Signature -Name 'KnownFolders' -Namespace 'SHSetKnownFolderPath' -PassThru
    }
    
    # Validate the path
    if (Test-Path $Path -PathType Container) {
        # Call SHSetKnownFolderPath
        return $Type::SHSetKnownFolderPath([ref]$KnownFolders[$KnownFolder], 0, 0, $Path)
    } else {
        throw New-Object System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException "Could not find part of the path $Path."
    }
}

Use it like this:

Set-KnownFolderPath -KnownFolder 'Desktop' -Path 'C:'