Name: AutoHotkey v1 and v2 Built-In Variable Viewer
Brand: the-Automator
SKU: 93362
Price: 4.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Every AutoHotkey v2 Built-in Variable, Explained in Plain English

AutoHotkey hands you a pile of FREE information about the computer, the clock, and your script. Here’s what all of it means, grouped so it actually sticks.

How to Search and Examining Built-in Variables in AutoHotkey

▶ Watch the quick walkthrough of the Built-in Variable Viewer

Get the AHK v2 script here:

Here’s a little secret that took me way too long to appreciate: AutoHotkey is quietly keeping track of a ton of useful stuff for you, all the time. The date. The time. Where the user’s Desktop lives. Whether the script is running as admin. The screen size. All of it, sitting right there in built-in variables, ready to use.

You don’t have to fetch any of it. You don’t have to call an API. You just type the variable name and AHK fills in the value. That’s it.

The cool thing is, once you know these exist, you stop writing code the hard way. Need today’s date in a filename? It’s one variable. Need to save a file to the user’s Documents folder no matter whose machine it’s on? One variable. This is the kind of small stuff that saves you HUGE amounts of time over a year.

I built a little tool called the Built-in Variable Viewer that shows every one of these live, with its current value, so you can search and explore them. This page walks through all of them, grouped into 6 buckets so your brain has somewhere to put them. Now on with the show. 🚀

The 6 Groups

Script & Environment (who am I, where am I running?)
Date & Time (the clock, sliced every way you’d want)
System & User Folders (the machine and the person using it)
Input, Send & Coordinate Settings (how AHK types and clicks)
Hotkeys & the Running Script (what just fired, and idle time)
Loops, Windows & Text Matching (the workhorse variables)

1. Script & Environment

These answer a simple question: “Who am I and where am I running?” Any time your script needs to know something about ITSELF, this is where you look. I use these constantly for logging and for building file paths relative to the script.

Variable	What it gives you
A_ScriptDir	The folder your script lives in. Build every path off this and your script works no matter where it’s saved.
A_ScriptName	Just the filename (e.g. MyTool.ahk).
A_ScriptFullPath	The full path to the script file.
A_ScriptHwnd	The window handle of the script’s hidden main window.
A_AhkPath	Where the AutoHotkey.exe running your script actually lives.
A_AhkVersion	The version of AHK running (handy for “are you on v2?” checks).
A_IsCompiled	1 if the script is a compiled .exe, blank otherwise.
A_Args	An array of command-line parameters passed to the script.
A_WorkingDir	The current working directory (can change while running).
A_InitialWorkingDir	The working directory the script STARTED in.
A_LineFile	The file containing the currently executing line.
A_LineNumber	The line number currently running. Gold for debugging.
A_ThisFunc	The name of the function currently executing.
A_AllowMainWindow	Whether the main script window is allowed to open.
A_IsCritical	Whether the current thread is Critical.
A_IsPaused / A_IsSuspended	Is the underlying thread paused, or are hotkeys suspended?
A_ListLines	Whether line logging (ListLines) is on.

💡 The one that changed how I write scripts: A_ScriptDir. Stop hardcoding C:\Users\Joe\… paths. Build everything off A_ScriptDir and your script just works when you move it or share it.

; Save a log right next to the script, no hardcoded paths
 LogFile := A_ScriptDir “\log.txt”
 FileAppend(“Started `n”, LogFile)
; A quick “which version am I on?” guard
 if A_AhkVersion < “2.0”
 MsgBox(“This script needs AHK v2!”)

2. Date & Time

This is the group I reach for the most. AHK slices the current date and time into every piece you could want, already zero-padded and ready to drop into a filename or a report. No date library, no formatting headaches.

Variable	What it gives you
A_Now	Current local date+time as YYYYMMDDHH24MISS. The Swiss Army knife of timestamps.
A_NowUTC	Same idea, but in UTC.
A_YYYY / A_Year	4-digit year. Two names, same value.
A_MM / A_Mon	2-digit month (01-12).
A_MMM	Short month name (Jan, Feb…).
A_MMMM	Full month name (January…).
A_DD / A_MDay	2-digit day of the month (01-31).
A_DDD	Short weekday (Mon, Tue…).
A_DDDD	Full weekday (Monday…).
A_WDay	Day of the week as a number (1 = Sunday).
A_YDay	Day of the year (1-366).
A_YWeek	Year and ISO week number.
A_Hour	Hour in 24-hour format (00-23).
A_Min / A_Sec	Minutes and seconds, 2 digits each.
A_MSec	Milliseconds (000-999).
A_TickCount	Milliseconds since the PC booted. Perfect for timing how long something takes.

💡 Notice A_YYYY and A_Year are the same thing, and so are A_DD/A_MDay and A_MM/A_Mon. AHK gives you both names so your code reads however feels natural to you.

; A sortable, filename-safe timestamp, zero external code
 Stamp := A_YYYY “-“ A_MM “-“ A_DD “_” A_Hour A_Min A_Sec
 MsgBox(“Backup_” Stamp “.txt”)   ; Backup_2026-07-13_172742.txt
; Time how long a chunk of code takes
 Start := A_TickCount
 Sleep(250)
 MsgBox(“That took “ (A_TickCount – Start) ” ms”)

3. System & User Folders

This group is about the machine and the person sitting at it. The folder variables are the real heroes here. They let you write ONE script that saves files to the right place on ANY Windows machine, no matter the username or drive letter.

Variable	What it gives you
A_AppData / A_AppDataCommon	The per-user (and all-users) AppData folder. Great for settings files.
A_Desktop / A_DesktopCommon	The current user’s Desktop (and the shared one).
A_MyDocuments	The user’s Documents folder.
A_ProgramFiles	The Program Files folder.
A_Programs / A_ProgramsCommon	The Programs folder in the Start Menu.
A_StartMenu / A_StartMenuCommon	The Start Menu folder.
A_Startup / A_StartupCommon	The Startup folder. Drop a shortcut here to launch at login.
A_Temp	The temp folder. Perfect for scratch files.
A_WinDir	The Windows directory (usually C:\Windows).
A_ComSpec	Path to the command processor (cmd.exe).
A_ComputerName / A_UserName	The PC name and the logged-in user’s name.
A_OSVersion	The Windows version.
A_Is64bitOS	1 on 64-bit Windows.
A_IsAdmin	1 if the script is running with admin rights.
A_Language	The system’s default language code.
A_ScreenWidth / A_ScreenHeight	The primary monitor’s size in pixels.
A_ScreenDPI	Screen DPI. Matters for positioning on scaled displays.
A_PtrSize	4 or 8, telling you if you’re in a 32- or 64-bit process.

💡 Real-world win: I share tools with people all over. If I saved settings to a hardcoded path, they’d break instantly on someone else’s PC. Using A_AppData means the file lands in the right spot for whoever runs it. Zero support tickets.

; Settings file that works on ANY user’s machine
 Config := A_AppData “\MyTool\settings.ini”
; Only do the admin-only stuff if we actually have rights
 if A_IsAdmin
 MsgBox(“Running as admin, full power!”)
 else
 MsgBox(“Hi “ A_UserName “, we’re running normal.”)

4. Input, Send & Coordinate Settings

These control HOW AutoHotkey types, clicks, and measures the screen. Most of them are set by commands like SendMode or CoordMode, and the variable just lets you read back the current setting. Handy when a script “works on my machine” but you need to check why it’s misbehaving somewhere else.

Variable	What it controls / reports
A_CoordModeMouse	Whether mouse coordinates are relative to the window, client, or screen.
A_CoordModePixel	Coordinate mode for pixel/image searches.
A_CoordModeCaret / Menu / ToolTip	Coordinate modes for the caret, menus, and tooltips.
A_SendMode	The current Send method (Input, Event, Play).
A_SendLevel	The send level, which controls whether sent input can trigger other hotkeys.
A_KeyDelay / A_KeyDelayPlay	Delay between simulated keystrokes.
A_KeyDuration / A_KeyDurationPlay	How long each simulated key is held down.
A_MouseDelay / A_MouseDelayPlay	Delay between mouse actions.
A_DefaultMouseSpeed	The default speed for mouse movement (0-100).
A_Cursor	The type of mouse cursor currently showing (IBeam, Arrow, etc.).
A_MenuMaskKey	The key AHK uses to mask Win/Alt from triggering menus.
A_StoreCapsLockMode	Whether CapsLock state is restored after a Send.

💡 A_Cursor is a sneaky-useful one. You can check what the mouse cursor looks like to figure out if the page is still loading (a “wait” cursor) before your script charges ahead and clicks something that isn’t there yet.

; Wait until the busy cursor goes away before continuing
 while (A_Cursor = “Wait” || A_Cursor = “AppStarting”)
 Sleep(100)
 MsgBox(“Cursor is idle, safe to click now.”)

5. Hotkeys & the Running Script

This group is about what’s happening RIGHT NOW. Which hotkey just fired? How long has the user been idle? What’s on the clipboard? These are the variables that make your scripts feel smart and responsive.

Variable	What it gives you
A_ThisHotkey	The hotkey that’s currently running. Lets one function handle many hotkeys.
A_PriorHotkey	The hotkey that fired just before this one.
A_PriorKey	The last physical key pressed.
A_TimeSinceThisHotkey / PriorHotkey	Milliseconds since those hotkeys fired. Great for double-tap detection.
A_EndChar	The ending character that triggered the last hotstring.
A_MaxHotkeysPerInterval / A_HotkeyInterval	The anti-runaway-hotkey throttle settings.
A_HotkeyModifierTimeout	Timing for modifier keys during sends.
A_TimeIdle	Milliseconds since the user last touched keyboard or mouse.
A_TimeIdleKeyboard / A_TimeIdleMouse	Idle time for just the keyboard, or just the mouse.
A_TimeIdlePhysical	Idle time ignoring simulated input (real human activity only).
A_TrayMenu	The tray menu object, so you can add your own items.
A_IconFile / A_IconNumber	The file and index of the current tray icon.
A_IconHidden / A_IconTip	Whether the tray icon is hidden, and its hover tooltip text.
A_EventInfo	Extra info about the event that launched the current thread.
A_Index	The current iteration number inside a Loop. You’ll use this ALL the time.
A_Clipboard	The Windows clipboard. Read it or write to it directly.
A_LastError	The last Windows error code. Your first stop when a DllCall misbehaves.

💡 A_TimeIdlePhysical is brilliant for “am I still here?” automations. It ignores input your own script sends, so it only resets when a REAL human moves the mouse. Perfect for pausing a task when you step away.

; Detect a double-tap of a hotkey using the time-since variable
 ~Ctrl::{
 if (A_PriorHotkey = A_ThisHotkey && A_TimeSincePriorHotkey < 400)
 MsgBox(“Double-tap detected!”)
 }
; Grab whatever is on the clipboard
 MsgBox(“You copied: “ A_Clipboard)

6. Loops, Windows & Text Matching

Last group, and it’s a workhorse. The A_LoopFile* variables are how you process folders full of files with almost no code, and the window/text settings control how AHK finds windows and reads them. If you automate file cleanup or app control, you’ll live here.

Variable	What it gives you (inside the matching loop)
A_LoopFileName	The current file’s name (in a Files loop).
A_LoopFileExt	Just the extension (txt, jpg…).
A_LoopFilePath / A_LoopFileFullPath	The relative and absolute path to the file.
A_LoopFileDir	The folder the file sits in.
A_LoopFileShortName / ShortPath	The old-school 8.3 short name and path.
A_LoopFileSize / SizeKB / SizeMB	File size in bytes, KB, or MB.
A_LoopFileTimeModified / Created / Accessed	The file’s timestamps.
A_LoopFileAttrib	The file’s attributes (Hidden, ReadOnly, etc.).
A_LoopField	The current field in a Parse loop (splitting text by a delimiter).
A_LoopReadLine	The current line in a Read-file loop.
A_LoopRegName / RegKey / RegType / RegTimeModified	Details about the current item in a Registry loop.
A_TitleMatchMode / A_TitleMatchModeSpeed	How AHK matches window titles (exact, contains, regex) and how fast.
A_DetectHiddenWindows / A_DetectHiddenText	Whether AHK “sees” hidden windows and hidden text.
A_WinDelay / A_ControlDelay	Delays after window and control operations.
A_FileEncoding	The default text encoding for file reads and writes.
A_RegView	Which registry view (32- or 64-bit) you’re looking at.

💡 This is where automation gets FUN. A few lines of a Files loop using these variables can rename, sort, or clean up thousands of files while you go get coffee. That’s the whole point: let the computer do the boring, repetitive work.

; Print the name and size of every .jpg in a folder
 Loop Files, A_MyDocuments “\*.jpg” {
 Total := A_LoopFileSizeMB
 MsgBox(A_LoopFileName ” is “ Total ” MB”)
 }
; Split a comma list and act on each piece
 Loop Parse, “apple,banana,cherry”, “,”
 MsgBox(“Fruit #” A_Index “: “ A_LoopField)

So there you have it, every built-in variable AutoHotkey v2 hands you, sorted into buckets that hopefully make them easier to remember.

Here’s my honest advice: don’t try to memorize this list. Just skim it once so you know roughly WHAT exists, then come back when you need something. The magic isn’t knowing all 130 by heart. It’s knowing that when you think “AHK probably already tracks that”, you’re usually right. 😊

The best way to really get comfortable with these is to watch them change live. That’s exactly why I built the Built-in Variable Viewer, so you can search, filter, and see the real current value of every one of these on YOUR machine.

Discover Our AutoHotkey Courses

Want a clear, structured path for learning AutoHotkey? Take a look at our courses at the-Automator.com/Discover. They come with a 200% money-back guarantee, so you have NOTHING to risk.

Related tools

List of AutoHotkey v1 and v2 Variables

AutoHotkey v1 and v2 Built-In Variable Viewer