Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Finding the Path to the Desktop.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 9, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
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: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier 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 (8236) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Finding the Path to the Desktop.
Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!
Does your macro need to allow the user to specify a particular file name that should be used by the macro? Here's a quick ...
Discover MoreKnowing if a workbook is already open can be a prerequisite to your macro working correctly. Here's how to check it out.
Discover MoreGot a workbook that has lots and lots of macros associated with it? Here's a way you can get a list of all of those ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2026-04-06 12:04:12
J. Woolley
@sandeep kothari
This macro will open a PowerShell window and prompt to empty the recycle bin for all drives:
Sub ClearRecycleBin()
Shell "powershell.exe -Command ""Clear-RecycleBin""", 1
End Sub
The prompt will look like this:
Confirm
Are you sure you want to perform this action?
Performing the operation "Clear-RecycleBin" on
target "All of the contents of the Recycle Bin".
[Y] Yes [A] Yes to All [N] No [L] No to All
[S] Suspend [?] Help (default is "Y"):
To empty the recycle bin for drive C only, use this:
Sub ClearRecycleBinDriveC()
Shell "powershell.exe -Command ""Clear-RecycleBin -DriveLetter C""", 1
End Sub
2026-04-05 05:58:00
sandeep kothari
Is there a similar macro way to reach the Recycle Bin?
And then to empty by the macro?
2023-09-09 10:56:20
J. Woolley
My Excel Toolbox's NameOf function can return the value of an environment variable. For example, this cell formula will return the path to your desktop as indicated in the Tip:
=NameOf("UserProfile")&"\Desktop"
For more about the NameOf function, see my earliest comment here:
https://excelribbon.tips.net/T013432_Inserting_the_Workbook_Name.html
For more about environment variables, see my earliest comment here:
https://excelribbon.tips.net/T013227_Adjusting_a_Path_Based_on_System_and_User.html
My Excel Toolbox's ListSpecialFolders dynamic array function will return 7 Excel special folders plus 48 Windows special folders, including the desktop's path:
=ListSpecialFolders([SkipHeader])
Expect 2 columns (Acronym, Folder) and 55 rows plus the optional header row.
In older versions of Excel that do not support dynamic arrays, you can preselect an appropriate 2x55 (plus header) range and enter the formula as a CSE (Ctrl+Shift+Enter) array. Or you can use My Excel Toolbox's SpillArray function to simulate a dynamic array:
=SpillArray(ListSpecialFolders())
If you only want the path to your desktop, use the following cell formula:
=VLOOKUP("Windows MyDesktop",ListSpecialFolders(),2,FALSE)
See https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments