How do I open this Applications Directory in Windows? I use this folder to write AutoHotKey shortcuts which work on any one of my computers regardless of where an application has been installed, but then I forgot how to open it. Typing "Applications" into the url-esque bar of File Explorer does nothing. Does anyone know how to open it?
16.2k 24 24 gold badges 51 51 silver badges 66 66 bronze badges asked Jan 2, 2017 at 16:47 kwaalaateimaa kwaalaateimaa 289 1 1 gold badge 2 2 silver badges 7 7 bronze badgesActually I found the solution: open the run dialog, and use the command "Shell:AppsFolder"
answered Jan 2, 2017 at 17:44 kwaalaateimaa kwaalaateimaa 289 1 1 gold badge 2 2 silver badges 7 7 bronze badgesIt looks like a flattened version of your start menu and the system start menu. %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu and C:\programdata\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu . Quite cool, thanks :)
Commented Jan 2, 2017 at 22:09shell:appsfolder is a shortcut for explorer.exe shell.
is called the CLSID Key, it's a GUID to access special folders.
I found a list of other valid GUID : here
answered Apr 18, 2019 at 12:13 Florian Talour Florian Talour 171 1 1 silver badge 2 2 bronze badgesYou can run explorer.exe shell.
131k 52 52 gold badges 273 273 silver badges 444 444 bronze badges answered Sep 24, 2017 at 11:46 51 1 1 silver badge 1 1 bronze badge Works in windows 10 for me Commented Sep 24, 2017 at 12:38While this may answer the question, it would be a better answer if you could provide some references.
Commented Sep 24, 2017 at 12:41More as an academic answer than anything else, but it's somewhat like your desktop, in that it is a combination of multiple locations. As is well known, your desktop shows the union of the contents of C:\Users\\Desktop and C:\Users\Public\Desktop
shell:appsfolder is likewise a union: it shows both your "regular" installed apps, i.e. those things found in C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86) together with any Windows Store Apps you have installed.
Windows Store Apps do not show in either of the C:\Program Files* directories, they are instead placed in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps .
So in effect, it is the combination of all three of those locations.
It's trivial to show that normal installed files, seen in the Programs and Features page of the old style control panel are visible there, showing that Store Apps are installed where they are takes a little more effort.
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps is not directly visible, it requires an elevated command prompt to look inside (*). If you type command dir there, you can see the full name of the installed store apps you have, and empirically, it appears that even apps that have been uninstalled, e.g. Zune Music and Zune Video in my case, still leave a small footprint behind. This presumably makes it easier to reinstall them if so desired.
(*) Note that it is possible in a Domain environment for a group policy to lock this folder down even more tightly such that only a command prompt with TrustedInstaller credentials can view it. Overall a smart move on the part of the IT department involved IMEHO, since it's possible to do damage in there if you don't know what you're up to.
To demonstrate that Store Apps are located there, by far the easiest method is to download Sysinternal's Process Explorer, start it up, then start a Store App, and find it in the Process Explorer. Display the Image Path, and it will show that it's in a subfolder of C:\Program Files\WindowsApps . You can also see this information in the built-in Task Manager by enabling the "Command line" column.
TL;DR it's not one single location, but a combination of several locations combined into a unified view.
