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What are `$BaseDirectory` and `$UserBaseDirectory`?

Application packages that are not part of a standard Mathematica distribution are installed by default into the location specified by $BaseDirectory. Application packages installed in this location will be accessible to all users. Application packages intended for one particular user should be installed in the user-specific location specified by $UserBaseDirectory.

To see the exact location of these directories on your machine, evaluate the command $BaseDirectory or $UserBaseDirectory in a Mathematica notebook. The default locations for the three main operating system classes are shown below:

Windows

•	`$BaseDirectory` in Vista.

C:\ProgramData\Mathematica\

•	`$UserBaseDirectory` in Vista.

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Mathematica\

•	`$BaseDirectory` in XP.

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Mathematica

•	`$UserBaseDirectory` in XP.

C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data\Mathematica

Note that the Application Data folder is usually hidden. To see it, in a Windows Explorer click Tools > Options and make sure the “Show hidden files” option is enabled.

Macintosh

•	`$BaseDirectory`

/Library/Mathematica

•	`$UserBaseDirectory`

~/Library/Mathematica

Note that ~ is your home directory.

Unix/Linux

•	`$BaseDirectory`

/usr/share/Mathematica/

•	`$UserBaseDirectory`

~/.Mathematica

Note that ~ is your home directory and .Mathematica is a hidden directory.

To find additional information about installing and using application packages in Mathematica 6, see the following documentation.

http://reference.wolfram.com/mathematica/tutorial/MathematicaFileOrganization.html

For additional information on installing and using application packages in versions of Mathematica prior to 6, see Add-ons → Working With Add-ons in the Mathematica Help Browser or see the following webpage.

http://documents.wolfram.com/mathematica/Add-onsLinks/WorkingWithAdd-ons/index.en.html

Download this FAQ as a Mathematica 5.2 Notebook

Questions or comments? Send email to support@wolfram.com.

What are $BaseDirectory and $UserBaseDirectory?

What are `$BaseDirectory` and `$UserBaseDirectory`?