diff --git a/EliteAPI/Journals/JournalUtils.cs b/EliteAPI/Journals/JournalUtils.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c7a7796a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/EliteAPI/Journals/JournalUtils.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
+
+namespace EliteAPI.Journals;
+
+public static class JournalUtils
+{
+    public static DirectoryInfo GetJournalsDirectory()
+    {
+        if (RuntimeInformation.IsOSPlatform(OSPlatform.Windows))
+        {
+            // on windows, use registry
+            var result = SHGetKnownFolderPath(
+                new Guid("4C5C32FF-BB9D-43B0-B5B4-2D72E54EAAA4"),
+                0,
+                new IntPtr(0),
+                out var path);
+
+            if (result == 0 && path != IntPtr.Zero)
+            {
+                var folderPath = Marshal.PtrToStringUni(path);
+                if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(folderPath))
+                    return new DirectoryInfo(Path.Combine(folderPath, "Frontier Developments", "Elite Dangerous"));
+            }
+        }
+
+        // get through userprofile
+        var userProfile = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("USERPROFILE");
+        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(userProfile))
+            return new DirectoryInfo(Path.Combine(userProfile, "Saved Games", "Frontier Developments", "Elite Dangerous"));
+
+        // last resort, hardcoded with C:\ drive, hopefully we'll never reach this..
+        return new DirectoryInfo(Path.Combine($@"C:\Users\{Environment.UserName}\Saved Games\Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous"));
+    }
+
+    [DllImport("Shell32.dll")]
+    private static extern int SHGetKnownFolderPath([MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStruct)] Guid rfid, uint dwFlags,
+        IntPtr hToken, out IntPtr path);
+}