Adding a directory to the PATH environment variable in Windows
Adding a directory to the PATH environment variable in Windows
Question
I am trying to add C:\xampp\php
to my system PATH
environment variable in Windows.
I have already added it using the Environment Variables dialog box.
But when I type into my console:
C:\>path
it doesn't show the new C:\xampp\php
directory:
PATH=D:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2008\bin;C:\Ruby192\bin;C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;
C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;C:\PROGRA~1\DISKEE~2\DISKEE~1\;c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL
Server\90\Tools\binn\;C:\Program Files\QuickTime\QTSystem\;D:\Program Files\TortoiseSVN\bin
;D:\Program Files\Bazaar;C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\tools;D:\Program Files\
Microsoft Visual Studio\Common\Tools\WinNT;D:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Common
\MSDev98\Bin;D:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Common\Tools;D:\Program Files\
Microsoft Visual Studio\VC98\bin
I have two questions:
- Why did this happen? Is there something I did wrong?
- Also, how do I add directories to my
PATH
variable using the console (and programmatically, with a batch file)?
Accepted Answer
This only modifies the registry. An existing process won't use these values. A new process will do so if it is started after this change and doesn't inherit the old environment from its parent.
You didn't specify how you started the console session. The best way to ensure this is to exit the command shell and run it again. It should then inherit the updated PATH environment variable.
Popular Answer
Option 1
After you change PATH
with the GUI, close and re-open the console window.
This works because only programs started after the change will see the new PATH
.
Option 2
Execute this command in the command window you have open:
set PATH=%PATH%;C:\your\path\here\
This command appends C:\your\path\here\
to the current PATH
.
Breaking it down:
set
– A command that changes cmd's environment variables only for the current cmd session; other programs and the system are unaffected.PATH=
– Signifies thatPATH
is the environment variable to be temporarily changed.%PATH%;C:\your\path\here\
– The%PATH%
part expands to the current value ofPATH
, and;C:\your\path\here\
is then concatenated to it. This becomes the newPATH
.
Read more… Read less…
WARNING: This solution may be destructive to your PATH, and the stability of your system. As a side effect, it will merge your user and system PATH, and truncate PATH to 1024 characters. The effect of this command is irreversible. Make a backup of PATH first. See the comments for more information.
Don't blindly copy-and-paste this. Use with caution.
You can permanently add a path to PATH
with the setx
command:
setx /M path "%path%;C:\your\path\here\"
Remove the /M
flag if you want to set the user PATH
instead of the system PATH
.
Notes:
- The
setx
command is only available in Windows 7 and later. You should run this command from an elevated command prompt.
If you only want to change it for the current session, use set.
You don't need any set
or setx
command. Simply open the terminal and type:
PATH
This shows the current value of PATH variable. Now you want to add directory to it? Simply type:
PATH %PATH%;C:\xampp\php
If for any reason you want to clear the PATH variable (no paths at all or delete all paths in it), type:
PATH ;
Update
Like Danial Wilson noted in comment below, it sets the path only in the current session. To set the path permanently, use setx
but be aware, although that sets the path permanently, but not in the current session, so you have to start a new command line to see the changes. More information is here.
To check if an environmental variable exist or see its value, use the ECHO command:
echo %YOUR_ENV_VARIABLE%
I would use PowerShell instead!
To add a directory to PATH using PowerShell, do the following:
$PATH = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("PATH")
$xampp_path = "C:\xampp\php"
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", "$PATH;$xampp_path")
To set the variable for all users, machine-wide, the last line should be like:
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", "$PATH;$xampp_path", "Machine")
In a PowerShell script, you might want to check for the presence of your C:\xampp\php
before adding to PATH (in case it has been previously added). You can wrap it in an if
conditional.
So putting it all together:
$PATH = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("PATH")
$xampp_path = "C:\xampp\php"
if( $PATH -notlike "*"+$xampp_path+"*" ){
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", "$PATH;$xampp_path", "Machine")
}
Better still, one could create a generic function. Just supply the directory you wish to add:
function AddTo-Path{
param(
[string]$Dir
)
if( !(Test-Path $Dir) ){
Write-warning "Supplied directory was not found!"
return
}
$PATH = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("PATH")
if( $PATH -notlike "*"+$Dir+"*" ){
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", "$PATH;$Dir", "Machine")
}
}
You could make things better by doing some polishing. For example, using Test-Path
to confirm that your directory actually exists.
Safer SETX
Nod to all the comments on the @Nafscript's initial SETX
answer.
SETX
by default will update your user path.SETX ... /M
will update your system path.%PATH%
contains the system path with the user path appended
Warnings
- Backup your
PATH
-SETX
will truncate your junk longer than 1024 characters - Don't call
SETX %PATH%;xxx
- adds the system path into the user path - Don't call
SETX %PATH%;xxx /M
- adds the user path into the system path - Excessive batch file use can cause blindness1
The ss64 SETX page has some very good examples. Importantly it points to where the registry keys are for SETX
vs SETX /M
User Variables:
HKCU\Environment
System Variables:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
Usage instructions
Append to User PATH
append_user_path.cmd
@ECHO OFF
REM usage: append_user_path "path"
SET Key="HKCU\Environment"
FOR /F "usebackq tokens=2*" %%A IN (`REG QUERY %Key% /v PATH`) DO Set CurrPath=%%B
ECHO %CurrPath% > user_path_bak.txt
SETX PATH "%CurrPath%";%1
Append to System PATH
append_system_path.cmd
. Must be run as administrator.
(It's basically the same except with a different Key
and the SETX /M
modifier.)
@ECHO OFF
REM usage: append_system_path "path"
SET Key="HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment"
FOR /F "usebackq tokens=2*" %%A IN (`REG QUERY %Key% /v PATH`) DO Set CurrPath=%%B
ECHO %CurrPath% > system_path_bak.txt
SETX PATH "%CurrPath%";%1 /M
Alternatives
Finally there's potentially an improved version called SETENV recommended by the ss64 SETX page that splits out setting the user or system environment variables.
1. Not strictly true
Handy if you are already in the directory you want to add to PATH:
set PATH=%PATH%;%CD%
It works with the standard Windows cmd, but not in PowerShell.
For PowerShell, the %CD%
equivalent is [System.Environment]::CurrentDirectory
.