How do I Get and Set Environment Variables in C#?

Working with Environment Variables in C#

The System.Environment class in C# simplifies accessing and modifying environment variables. Two core methods facilitate this:

• GetEnvironmentVariable(variableName [, targetScope]): This retrieves the value associated with a specified environment variable. The optional targetScope argument defines the variable's scope (Machine, Process, or User).
• SetEnvironmentVariable(variableName, value [, targetScope]): This sets or updates the value of an environment variable. Similar to GetEnvironmentVariable, targetScope determines the variable's reach.

Practical Examples:

Retrieving the "PATH" environment variable:

string pathVariable = System.Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("PATH");

Setting the "MyVar" environment variable to "MyValue" within the current process:

System.Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("MyVar", "MyValue", EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process);

Understanding Variable Scope:

The targetScope parameter is crucial:

• EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine: Modifies the system-wide environment variable. Requires administrator privileges.
• EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process: Changes the variable only for the current application's process.
• EnvironmentVariableTarget.User: Alters the environment variable for the currently logged-in user. Requires administrator privileges.

If targetScope is omitted, the default scope is the current process.

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