FOLDERIDDocuments

FOLDERIDDocuments is a constant in the Windows Shell API that represents the Known Folder Identifier for the user’s Documents folder. It is part of the set of KNOWNFOLDERID values introduced with Windows Vista to provide consistent, per-user locations for common data across applications and user profiles.

In code, FOLDERIDDocuments is used with functions such as SHGetKnownFolderPath or related APIs to retrieve the current path to the user’s Documents directory. This path may vary depending on user configuration, system policies, or redirections such as libraries or OneDrive synchronization, but it is generally mapped to the standard Documents folder within the user profile (for example, C:\Users\<User>\Documents on a typical Windows installation).

The purpose of the Known Folder IDs, including FOLDERIDDocuments, is to offer a stable, user-specific location that applications can rely on regardless of the exact folder path. This enables better compatibility when users move or rename folders, or when blueprints like roaming profiles are in effect. Access to the Documents folder via this identifier respects the user’s permissions and the current system’s file virtualization or redirection settings.

Related concepts include other KNOWNFOLDERID values (such as FOLDERID_Music or FOLDERID_Pictures) and APIs like SHGetKnownFolderPath, which collectively support a coherent approach to locating user data across different Windows environments.