Microsoft Windows 11 Simplifies AppData Access with "~" Shortcut
A new shortcut for accessing AppData directories has been introduced in a preview build of Windows 11. Users can now utilize the "~" character to shorten path entries.
Microsoft has introduced a new feature in the Windows 11 Insider Preview build 26340.9596, simplifying the way users access certain directories. The File Explorer now supports the tilde character "~" as a shortcut to the user's profile directory.
This change allows users to type paths like "~\AppData" to directly access subdirectories within their profile, eliminating the need to type the full path, such as "C:\Users\Username". This syntax is a long-standing convention in Linux, WSL, and other Unix-like shells where "~" represents the home directory.
Previously, Windows users could achieve a similar result using the environment variable "%USERPROFILE%\AppData". The new "~" shortcut is shorter and remains universal across different user accounts, removing the need to remember specific usernames.
This functionality is currently limited to the Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26340.9596. If the feature is successfully rolled out to the stable version, it is expected to become a frequently used shortcut for developers, system administrators, and power users.