Microsoft blog explains why Windows has both TMP and TEMP variables
Fast facts
- Category: Technology
- Language: EN
- Published: 2026-05-02 04:23 UTC
- Sources: Hacker News
An article linked from Microsoft’s “The Old New Thing” blog explains the historical reasons for the existence of both TMP and TEMP environment variables in Windows. The post clarifies that TMP was introduced for temporary file storage in early versions, while TEMP later became the preferred variable for compatibility with various software. The discussion on Hacker News highlighted the distinction and its relevance for developers.