Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable Method

Reference

Definition

Namespace:: System

Assembly:: System.Runtime.Extensions.dll

Assembly:: System.Runtime.dll

Assembly:: mscorlib.dll

Assembly:: netstandard.dll

Important

Some information relates to prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it’s released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

Creates, modifies, or deletes an environment variable.

Overloads

SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String)	Creates, modifies, or deletes an environment variable stored in the current process.
SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String, EnvironmentVariableTarget)	Creates, modifies, or deletes an environment variable stored in the current process or in the Windows operating system registry key reserved for the current user or local machine.

SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String)

Source:: Environment.cs

Source:: Environment.cs

Source:: Environment.cs

Creates, modifies, or deletes an environment variable stored in the current process.

public:
 static void SetEnvironmentVariable(System::String ^ variable, System::String ^ value);

public static void SetEnvironmentVariable (string variable, string value);

public static void SetEnvironmentVariable (string variable, string? value);

static member SetEnvironmentVariable : string * string -> unit

Public Shared Sub SetEnvironmentVariable (variable As String, value As String)

Parameters

variable: String

The name of an environment variable.

value: String

A value to assign to variable.

Exceptions

ArgumentNullException

variable is null.

ArgumentException

variable contains a zero-length string, an initial hexadecimal zero character (0x00), or an equal sign ("=").

-or-

The length of variable or value is greater than or equal to 32,767 characters.

-or-

An error occurred during the execution of this operation.

SecurityException

The caller does not have the required permission to perform this operation.

Examples

The following example attempts to retrieve the value of an environment variable named Test1 from the process environment block. If the variable doesn't exist, the example creates the variable and retrieves its value. The example displays the value of the variable. For .NET implementations running on Windows systems, it also calls the GetEnvironmentVariables(EnvironmentVariableTarget) method with each member of the EnvironmentVariableTarget enumeration to establish that the variable can be retrieved only from the current process environment block. (.NET implementations on Unix-like systems only support variables in the process environment block.) Finally, if the example created the variable, it deletes it.

using System;

public class Example
{
   public static void Main()
   {
      string value;
      bool toDelete = false;

      // Check whether the environment variable exists.
      value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("Test1");
      // If necessary, create it.
      if (value == null)
      {
         Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("Test1", "Value1");
         toDelete = true;

         // Now retrieve it.
         value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("Test1");
      }
      // Display the value.
      Console.WriteLine($"Test1: {value}\n");

      // Confirm that the value can only be retrieved from the process
      // environment block if running on a Windows system.
      if (Environment.OSVersion.Platform == PlatformID.Win32NT)
      {
         Console.WriteLine("Attempting to retrieve Test1 from:");
         foreach (EnvironmentVariableTarget enumValue in
                           Enum.GetValues(typeof(EnvironmentVariableTarget))) {
            value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("Test1", enumValue);
            Console.WriteLine($"   {enumValue}: {(value != null ? "found" : "not found")}");
         }
         Console.WriteLine();
      }

      // If we've created it, now delete it.
      if (toDelete) {
         Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("Test1", null);
         // Confirm the deletion.
         if (Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("Test1") == null)
            Console.WriteLine("Test1 has been deleted.");
      }
   }
}
// The example displays the following output if run on a Windows system:
//      Test1: Value1
//
//      Attempting to retrieve Test1 from:
//         Process: found
//         User: not found
//         Machine: not found
//
//      Test1 has been deleted.
//
// The example displays the following output if run on a Unix-based system:
//      Test1: Value1
//
//      Test1 has been deleted.

module Example

open System

let mutable toDelete = false

// Check whether the environment variable exists.
let value = 
    let v = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable "Test1"
    // If necessary, create it.
    if isNull v then
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("Test1", "Value1")
        toDelete <- true
        Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable "Test1"
    else 
        v

// Display the value.
printfn $"Test1: {value}\n"

// Confirm that the value can only be retrieved from the process
// environment block if running on a Windows system.
if Environment.OSVersion.Platform = PlatformID.Win32NT then
    printfn "Attempting to retrieve Test1 from:"
    for enumValue in Enum.GetValues typeof<EnvironmentVariableTarget> do
        let value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("Test1", enumValue :?> EnvironmentVariableTarget)
        printfn $"""   {enumValue}: {if value <> null then "found" else "not found"}"""
    printfn ""

// If we've created it, now delete it.
if toDelete then
    Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("Test1", null)
    // Confirm the deletion.
    if Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable "Test1" |> isNull then
        printfn "Test1 has been deleted."
// The example displays the following output if run on a Windows system:
//      Test1: Value1
//
//      Attempting to retrieve Test1 from:
//         Process: found
//         User: not found
//         Machine: not found
//
//      Test1 has been deleted.
//
// The example displays the following output if run on a Unix-based system:
//      Test1: Value1
//
//      Test1 has been deleted.

Module Example
   Public Sub Main()
      Dim value As String 
      Dim toDelete As Boolean = False
      
      ' Check whether the environment variable exists.
      value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("Test1")
      ' If necessary, create it.
      If value Is Nothing Then
         Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("Test1", "Value1")
         toDelete = True
         
         ' Now retrieve it.
         value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("Test1")
      End If
      ' Display the value.
      Console.WriteLine($"Test1: {value}")
      Console.WriteLine()
      
      ' Confirm that the value can only be retrieved from the process
      ' environment block if running on a Windows system.
      If Environment.OSVersion.Platform = PlatformID.Win32NT Then
         Console.WriteLine("Attempting to retrieve Test1 from:")
         For Each enumValue As EnvironmentVariableTarget In 
                           [Enum].GetValues(GetType(EnvironmentVariableTarget))
            value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("Test1", enumValue)
            Console.WriteLine($"   {enumValue}: {If(value IsNot Nothing, "found", "not found")}")
         Next
         Console.WriteLine()
      End If

      ' If we've created it, now delete it.
      If toDelete Then 
         Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("Test1", Nothing)
         ' Confirm the deletion.
         If Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("Test1") = Nothing Then
            Console.WriteLine("Test1 has been deleted.")
         End If
      End If         
   End Sub
End Module
' The example displays the following output if run on a Windows system:
'      Test1: Value1
'
'      Attempting to retrieve Test1 from:
'         Process: found
'         User: not found
'         Machine: not found
'
'      Test1 has been deleted.
'
' The example displays the following output if run on a Unix-based system:
'      Test1: Value1
'
'      Test1 has been deleted.

Remarks

Calling this method is equivalent to calling the SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String, EnvironmentVariableTarget) overload with a value of EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process for the target argument.

On Unix-like systems, calls to the SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String) method have no effect on any native libraries that are, or will be, loaded. (Conversely, in-process environment modifications made by native libraries aren't seen by managed callers.)

If the value argument is not null and the environment variable named by the variable parameter doesn't exist, the environment variable is created and assigned the contents of value. If it does exist, its value is modified. Because the environment variable is defined in the environment block of the current process only, it does not persist after the process has ended.

If variable contains a non-initial hexadecimal zero character, the characters before the zero character are considered the environment variable name and all subsequent characters are ignored.

If value contains a non-initial hexadecimal zero character, the characters before the zero character are assigned to the environment variable and all subsequent characters are ignored.

If value is null (or empty in versions prior to .NET 9) and the environment variable named by variable exists, the environment variable is deleted. If variable doesn't exist, no error occurs even though the operation cannot be performed. value is considered empty under any of the following conditions:

It is String.Empty.
It consists of a single character whose value is U+0000.

Applies to

SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String, EnvironmentVariableTarget)

Source:: Environment.cs

Source:: Environment.cs

Source:: Environment.cs

Creates, modifies, or deletes an environment variable stored in the current process or in the Windows operating system registry key reserved for the current user or local machine.

public:
 static void SetEnvironmentVariable(System::String ^ variable, System::String ^ value, EnvironmentVariableTarget target);

public static void SetEnvironmentVariable (string variable, string? value, EnvironmentVariableTarget target);

public static void SetEnvironmentVariable (string variable, string value, EnvironmentVariableTarget target);

static member SetEnvironmentVariable : string * string * EnvironmentVariableTarget -> unit

Public Shared Sub SetEnvironmentVariable (variable As String, value As String, target As EnvironmentVariableTarget)

Parameters

variable: String

The name of an environment variable.

value: String

A value to assign to variable.

target: EnvironmentVariableTarget

One of the enumeration values that specifies the location of the environment variable.

Exceptions

ArgumentNullException

variable is null.

ArgumentException

variable contains a zero-length string, an initial hexadecimal zero character (0x00), or an equal sign ("=").

-or-

The length of variable is greater than or equal to 32,767 characters.

-or-

target is not a member of the EnvironmentVariableTarget enumeration.

-or-

target is Machine or User, and the length of variable is greater than or equal to 255.

-or-

target is Process and the length of value is greater than or equal to 32,767 characters.

-or-

An error occurred during the execution of this operation.

SecurityException

The caller does not have the required permission to perform this operation.

Examples

The following example creates environment variables for the EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process, EnvironmentVariableTarget.User, and Machine targets, checks whether the operating system registry contains the user and machine environment variables, then deletes the environment variables. Because .NET on Unix-like systems does not support per-user and per-machine environment variables, only SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String) and SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String, EnvironmentVariableTarget) with a value of EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process successfully store an environment variable to the process environment block.

using System;
using System.Collections;
using Microsoft.Win32;

class Sample
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        // Environment variable names for default, process, user, and machine targets.
        string defaultEnvVar = nameof(defaultEnvVar);
        string processEnvVar = nameof(processEnvVar);
        string userEnvVar = nameof(userEnvVar);
        string machineEnvVar = nameof(machineEnvVar);

        string dft = nameof(dft);
        string process = nameof(process);
        string user = nameof(user);
        string machine = nameof(machine);

        // Set the environment variable for each target.
        Console.WriteLine("Setting environment variables for each target...\n");
        // The default target (the current process).
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(defaultEnvVar, dft);
        // The current process.
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(processEnvVar, process,
                                           EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process);
        // The current user.
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(userEnvVar, user,
                                           EnvironmentVariableTarget.User);
        // The local machine.
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(machineEnvVar, machine,
                                           EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine);

        // Define an array of environment variables.
        string[] envVars = { defaultEnvVar,processEnvVar, userEnvVar, machineEnvVar };

        // Try to get the environment variables from each target.
        // The default (no specified target).
        Console.WriteLine("Retrieving environment variables from the default target:");
        foreach (var envVar in envVars)
        {
          var value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(envVar) ?? "(none)";
          Console.WriteLine($"   {envVar}: {value}");
        }
        // The process block.
        Console.WriteLine("\nRetrieving environment variables from the Process target:");
        foreach (var envVar in envVars)
        {
          var value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(envVar, EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process) ?? "(none)";
          Console.WriteLine($"   {envVar}: {value}");
        }
        // The user block.
        Console.WriteLine("\nRetrieving environment variables from the User target:");
        foreach (var envVar in envVars)
        {
          var value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(envVar, EnvironmentVariableTarget.User) ?? "(none)";
          Console.WriteLine($"   {envVar}: {value}");
        }
        // The machine block.
        Console.WriteLine("\nRetrieving environment variables from the Machine target:");
        foreach (var envVar in envVars)
        {
          var value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(envVar, EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine) ?? "(none)";
          Console.WriteLine($"   {envVar}: {value}");
        }

        // Delete the environment variable for each target.
        Console.WriteLine("\nDeleting environment variables for each target...\n");
        // The default target (the current process).
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(defaultEnvVar, null);
        // The current process.
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(processEnvVar, null,
                                           EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process);
        // The current user.
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(userEnvVar, null,
                                           EnvironmentVariableTarget.User);
        // The local machine.
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(machineEnvVar, null,
                                           EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine);
    }
}
// The example displays the following output if run on a Windows system:
//      Setting environment variables for each target...
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the default target:
//        defaultEnvVar: dft
//        processEnvVar: process
//        userEnvVar: user
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the Process target:
//        defaultEnvVar: dft
//        processEnvVar: process
//        userEnvVar: user
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the User target:
//        defaultEnvVar: (none)
//        processEnvVar: (none)
//        userEnvVar: user
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the Machine target:
//        defaultEnvVar: (none)
//        processEnvVar: (none)
//        userEnvVar: (none)
//        machineEnvVar: machine
//
//      Deleting environment variables for each target...
//
// The example displays the following output if run on a Unix-based system:
//
//      Setting environment variables for each target...
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the default target:
//        defaultEnvVar: dft
//        processEnvVar: process
//        userEnvVar: (none)
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the Process target:
//        defaultEnvVar: dft
//        processEnvVar: process
//        userEnvVar: (none)
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the User target:
//        defaultEnvVar: (none)
//        processEnvVar: (none)
//        userEnvVar: (none)
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the Machine target:
//        defaultEnvVar: (none)
//        processEnvVar: (none)
//        userEnvVar: (none)
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Deleting environment variables for each target...

module Sample

open System

// Environment variable names for default, process, user, and machine targets.
let rec defaultEnvVar = nameof defaultEnvVar
let rec processEnvVar = nameof processEnvVar
let rec userEnvVar = nameof userEnvVar
let rec machineEnvVar = nameof machineEnvVar

let rec dft = nameof dft
let rec proc = nameof proc
let rec user = nameof user
let rec machine = nameof machine

// Set the environment variable for each target.
printfn "Setting environment variables for each target...\n"
// The default target (the current process).
Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(defaultEnvVar, dft)
// The current process.
Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(processEnvVar, proc, EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process)
// The current user.
Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(userEnvVar, user, EnvironmentVariableTarget.User)
// The local machine.
Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(machineEnvVar, machine, EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine)

// Define a list of environment variables.
let envVars = [ defaultEnvVar; processEnvVar; userEnvVar; machineEnvVar ]

// Try to get the environment variables from each target.
// The default (no specified target).
printfn "Retrieving environment variables from the default target:"
for envVar in envVars do
    let value = 
        match Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable envVar with
        | null -> "(none)"
        | v -> v
    printfn $"   {envVar}: {value}"

// The process block.
printfn "\nRetrieving environment variables from the Process target:"
for envVar in envVars do
    let value = 
        match Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(envVar, EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process) with
        | null -> "(none)"
        | v -> v
    printfn $"   {envVar}: {value}"

// The user block.
printfn "\nRetrieving environment variables from the User target:"
for envVar in envVars do
    let value = 
        match Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(envVar, EnvironmentVariableTarget.User) with
        | null -> "(none)"
        | v -> v
    printfn $"   {envVar}: {value}"

// The machine block.
printfn "\nRetrieving environment variables from the Machine target:"
for envVar in envVars do
    let value = 
        match Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(envVar, EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine) with
        | null -> "(none)"
        | v -> v
    printfn $"   {envVar}: {value}"

// Delete the environment variable for each target.
printfn "\nDeleting environment variables for each target...\n"
// The default target (the current process).
Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(defaultEnvVar, null)
// The current process.
Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(processEnvVar, null, EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process)
// The current user.
Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(userEnvVar, null, EnvironmentVariableTarget.User)
// The local machine.
Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(machineEnvVar, null, EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine)

// The example displays the following output if run on a Windows system:
//      Setting environment variables for each target...
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the default target:
//        defaultEnvVar: dft
//        processEnvVar: process
//        userEnvVar: user
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the Process target:
//        defaultEnvVar: dft
//        processEnvVar: process
//        userEnvVar: user
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the User target:
//        defaultEnvVar: (none)
//        processEnvVar: (none)
//        userEnvVar: user
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the Machine target:
//        defaultEnvVar: (none)
//        processEnvVar: (none)
//        userEnvVar: (none)
//        machineEnvVar: machine
//
//      Deleting environment variables for each target...
//
// The example displays the following output if run on a Unix-based system:
//
//      Setting environment variables for each target...
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the default target:
//        defaultEnvVar: dft
//        processEnvVar: process
//        userEnvVar: (none)
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the Process target:
//        defaultEnvVar: dft
//        processEnvVar: process
//        userEnvVar: (none)
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the User target:
//        defaultEnvVar: (none)
//        processEnvVar: (none)
//        userEnvVar: (none)
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Retrieving environment variables from the Machine target:
//        defaultEnvVar: (none)
//        processEnvVar: (none)
//        userEnvVar: (none)
//        machineEnvVar: (none)
//
//      Deleting environment variables for each target...

Imports System.Collections
Imports Microsoft.Win32

Module Sample 
    Public Sub Main() 
        ' Environment variable names for default, process, user, and machine targets.
        Dim defaultEnvVar As String = NameOf(defaultEnvVar)
        Dim processEnvVar As String = NameOf(processEnvVar)
        Dim userEnvVar As String = NameOf(userEnvVar)
        Dim machineEnvVar As String = NameOf(machineEnvVar)

        Dim dft As String = NameOf(dft)
        Dim process As String = NameOf(process)
        Dim user As String = NameOf(user)
        Dim machine As String = NameOf(machine)

        ' Set the environment variable for each target.
        Console.WriteLine("Setting environment variables for each target...")
        ' The default target (the current process).
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(defaultEnvVar, dft)
        ' The current process.
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(processEnvVar, process, 
                                           EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process)
        ' The current user.
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(userEnvVar, user, 
                                           EnvironmentVariableTarget.User)
        ' The local machine.
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(machineEnvVar, machine, 
                                           EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine)
        Console.WriteLine()

        ' Define an array of environment variables.
        Dim envVars As String() = { defaultEnvVar, processEnvVar, userEnvVar, machineEnvVar }
        
        ' Try to get the environment variables from each target.
        ' The default (no specified target).
        Console.WriteLine("Retrieving environment variables from the default target:")
        For Each envVar in envVars
          Dim value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(envVar)
          Console.WriteLine($"   {envVar}: {If(value IsNot Nothing, value, "(none)")}")
        Next
        Console.WriteLine()
        ' The process block.
        Console.WriteLine("Retrieving environment variables from the Process target:")
        For Each envVar in envVars
          Dim value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(envVar, EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process)
          Console.WriteLine($"   {envVar}: {If(value IsNot Nothing, value, "(none)")}")
        Next
        Console.WriteLine()
        ' The user block.
        Console.WriteLine("Retrieving environment variables from the User target:")
        For Each envVar in envVars
          Dim value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(envVar, EnvironmentVariableTarget.User)
          Console.WriteLine($"   {envVar}: {value}")
        Next
        Console.WriteLine()
        ' The machine block.
        Console.WriteLine("Retrieving environment variables from the Machine target:")
        For Each envVar in envVars
          Dim value = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(envVar, EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine)
          Console.WriteLine($"   {envVar}: {value}")
        Next
        Console.WriteLine()

        ' Delete the environment variable for each target.
        Console.WriteLine("Deleting environment variables for each target...")
        ' The default target (the current process).
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(defaultEnvVar, Nothing)
        ' The current process.
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(processEnvVar, Nothing, 
                                           EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process)
        ' The current user.
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(userEnvVar, Nothing, 
                                           EnvironmentVariableTarget.User)
        ' The local machine.
        Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable(machineEnvVar, Nothing, 
                                           EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine)
    End Sub
End Module
' The example displays the following output if run on a Windows system:
'      Setting environment variables for each target...
'
'      Retrieving environment variables from the default target:
'        defaultEnvVar: dft
'        processEnvVar: process
'        userEnvVar: user
'        machineEnvVar: (none)
'
'      Retrieving environment variables from the Process target:
'        defaultEnvVar: dft
'        processEnvVar: process
'        userEnvVar: user
'        machineEnvVar: (none)
'
'      Retrieving environment variables from the User target:
'        defaultEnvVar: (none)
'        processEnvVar: (none)
'        userEnvVar: user
'        machineEnvVar: (none)
'
'      Retrieving environment variables from the Machine target:
'        defaultEnvVar: (none)
'        processEnvVar: (none)
'        userEnvVar: (none)
'        machineEnvVar: machine
'
'      Deleting environment variables for each target...
'
' The example displays the following output if run on a Unix-based system:
'
'      Setting environment variables for each target...
'
'      Retrieving environment variables from the default target:
'        defaultEnvVar: dft
'        processEnvVar: process
'        userEnvVar: (none)
'        machineEnvVar: (none)
'
'      Retrieving environment variables from the Process target:
'        defaultEnvVar: dft
'        processEnvVar: process
'        userEnvVar: (none)
'        machineEnvVar: (none)
'
'      Retrieving environment variables from the User target:
'        defaultEnvVar: (none)
'        processEnvVar: (none)
'        userEnvVar: (none)
'        machineEnvVar: (none)
'
'      Retrieving environment variables from the Machine target:
'        defaultEnvVar: (none)
'        processEnvVar: (none)
'        userEnvVar: (none)
'        machineEnvVar: (none)
'
'      Deleting environment variables for each target...

Remarks

The SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String, EnvironmentVariableTarget) method lets you define an environment variable that is available to the current process (the Process value). Environment variables that are unique to the current process environment block persist only until the process ends.

In addition, on Windows systems only, the SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String, EnvironmentVariableTarget) method lets you define an environment variable that is available to all processes that run on a machine (the EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine value) and to all processes run by a user (the EnvironmentVariableTarget.User value). Per-machine and per-user environment variables are copied into the environment block of the current process.

On Unix-like systems, calls to the SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String, EnvironmentVariableTarget) method with a value of EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine or EnvironmentVariableTarget.User are ignored.

On Unix-like systems, calls to the SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String, EnvironmentVariableTarget) method with a value of EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process have no effect on any native libraries that are, or will be, loaded. (Conversely, in-process environment modifications made by native libraries aren't seen by managed callers.)

If the value argument is not null and the environment variable named by the variable argument doesn't exist, the environment variable is created and assigned the contents of value. If it does exist, its value is modified.

If variable contains a non-initial hexadecimal zero character, the characters before the zero character are considered the environment variable name and all subsequent characters are ignored.

If value contains a non-initial hexadecimal zero character, the characters before the zero character are assigned to the environment variable and all subsequent characters are ignored.

If value is null (or empty in versions prior to .NET 9) and the environment variable named by variable exists, the environment variable is deleted. value is considered empty under any of the following conditions:

It is String.Empty.
It consists of a single character whose value is U+0000.

If variable doesn't exist, no error occurs although the operation can't be performed. Be careful when target is Machine, because you can accidentally delete an environment variable that affects your entire local machine, not just the current process or user.

EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine and EnvironmentVariableTarget.User on Windows systems

If target is EnvironmentVariableTarget.User, the environment variable is stored in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment key of the local computer's registry. It is also copied to instances of File Explorer that are running as the current user. The environment variable is then inherited by any new processes that the user launches from File Explorer.

Similarly, if target is EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine, the environment variable is stored in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Session Manager\Environment key of the local computer's registry. It is also copied to all instances of File Explorer. The environment variable is then inherited by any new processes that are launched from File Explorer.

If target is User or Machine, other applications are notified of the set operation by a Windows WM_SETTINGCHANGE message.

If target is EnvironmentVariableTarget.User or EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine, we recommend that the length of value be less than 2048 characters.

Applies to

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Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable Method

Definition

Overloads

SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String)

Parameters

Exceptions

Examples

Remarks

See also

Applies to

SetEnvironmentVariable(String, String, EnvironmentVariableTarget)

Parameters

Exceptions

Examples

Remarks

EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine and EnvironmentVariableTarget.User on Windows systems

See also

Applies to

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