diff --git a/crates/engine/src/file_cmds/tests.rs b/crates/engine/src/file_cmds/tests.rs
index 42313d368e..306e5e4035 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/file_cmds/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/file_cmds/tests.rs
@@ -1532,11 +1532,25 @@ fn reveal_in_finder_on_windows_passes_the_clicked_tabs_saved_path() {
 
     let r = s.execute("file.revealInFinder", json!({"document": 0, "dryRun": true})).unwrap();
     // The Windows Explorer by full path: a bare name would first find an explorer.exe in the app's folder.
-    let explorer = std::path::Path::new(&std::env::var_os("SystemRoot").unwrap()).join("explorer.exe");
+    let explorer = crate::layer_menu_cmds::windows_root(std::env::var_os("SystemRoot")).join("explorer.exe");
     assert_eq!(r["program"], json!(explorer.to_string_lossy()));
     assert_eq!(r["args"], json!(["/select,", r"C:\项目 图片\海报 🖼.png"]));
 }
 
+/// Windows tools run from the Windows folder `SystemRoot` names, and from `C:\Windows` when it is
+/// unset or relative (which would resolve against the working directory).
+#[cfg(windows)]
+#[test]
+fn the_windows_folder_falls_back_when_system_root_is_unset_or_relative() {
+    use crate::layer_menu_cmds::windows_root;
+    use std::path::PathBuf;
+    assert_eq!(windows_root(Some(r"D:\WinNT".into())), PathBuf::from(r"D:\WinNT"));
+    assert_eq!(windows_root(None), PathBuf::from(r"C:\Windows"));
+    assert_eq!(windows_root(Some(r"Windows".into())), PathBuf::from(r"C:\Windows"));
+    assert_eq!(windows_root(Some(r"\Windows".into())), PathBuf::from(r"C:\Windows"));
+    assert_eq!(windows_root(Some("".into())), PathBuf::from(r"C:\Windows"));
+}
+
 /// "Include All Subfolders" (AUTO-219-5, #3753): Batch and Image Processor take the images in
 /// subfolders too, each result keeping its subfolder under the output folder (so same-named files
 /// don't collide), and skip the output folder when it sits inside the input folder.
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/layer_menu_cmds.rs b/crates/engine/src/layer_menu_cmds.rs
index 0a29fc1c83..d17ba674e4 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/layer_menu_cmds.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/layer_menu_cmds.rs
@@ -420,9 +420,14 @@ pub fn reveal_command(path: &str) -> Result<(String, Vec<String>)> {
 /// an `explorer.exe` lying next to a portable PhotoCraft would start instead (#9666).
 #[cfg(windows)]
 fn system_program(program: &str) -> String {
-    let root = std::env::var_os("SystemRoot").map(std::path::PathBuf::from).filter(|p| p.is_absolute());
-    let root = root.unwrap_or_else(|| std::path::PathBuf::from(r"C:\Windows"));
-    root.join(format!("{program}.exe")).to_string_lossy().into_owned()
+    windows_root(std::env::var_os("SystemRoot")).join(format!("{program}.exe")).to_string_lossy().into_owned()
+}
+
+/// The Windows folder for the `SystemRoot` value `system_root`: `C:\Windows` when it is unset or
+/// not an absolute path (a relative one would resolve against the working directory).
+#[cfg(windows)]
+pub(crate) fn windows_root(system_root: Option<std::ffi::OsString>) -> std::path::PathBuf {
+    system_root.map(std::path::PathBuf::from).filter(|p| p.is_absolute()).unwrap_or_else(|| std::path::PathBuf::from(r"C:\Windows"))
 }
 
 #[cfg(not(windows))]
diff --git a/crates/text/src/cjk.rs b/crates/text/src/cjk.rs
index c5e5ac795e..185aa2f846 100644
--- a/crates/text/src/cjk.rs
+++ b/crates/text/src/cjk.rs
@@ -128,13 +128,18 @@ fn os_locale() -> Option<String> {
 fn locale_query() -> std::process::Command {
     use std::os::windows::process::CommandExt;
     const CREATE_NO_WINDOW: u32 = 0x0800_0000;
-    let root = std::env::var_os("SystemRoot").map(std::path::PathBuf::from).filter(|p| p.is_absolute());
-    let root = root.unwrap_or_else(|| std::path::PathBuf::from(r"C:\Windows"));
-    let mut cmd = std::process::Command::new(root.join("System32").join("reg.exe"));
+    let mut cmd = std::process::Command::new(windows_root(std::env::var_os("SystemRoot")).join("System32").join("reg.exe"));
     cmd.args(["query", "HKCU\\Control Panel\\International", "/v", "LocaleName"]).creation_flags(CREATE_NO_WINDOW);
     cmd
 }
 
+/// The Windows folder for the `SystemRoot` value `system_root`: `C:\Windows` when it is unset or
+/// not an absolute path (a relative one would resolve against the working directory).
+#[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
+fn windows_root(system_root: Option<std::ffi::OsString>) -> std::path::PathBuf {
+    system_root.map(std::path::PathBuf::from).filter(|p| p.is_absolute()).unwrap_or_else(|| std::path::PathBuf::from(r"C:\Windows"))
+}
+
 #[cfg(not(any(target_os = "macos", target_os = "windows")))]
 fn os_locale() -> Option<String> {
     None
@@ -574,11 +579,24 @@ mod tests {
     #[test]
     fn locale_query_runs_the_system_reg() {
         let cmd = locale_query();
-        let system = std::path::Path::new(&std::env::var_os("SystemRoot").unwrap()).join("System32").join("reg.exe");
+        let system = windows_root(std::env::var_os("SystemRoot")).join("System32").join("reg.exe");
         assert_eq!(std::path::Path::new(cmd.get_program()), system);
         assert!(os_locale().is_some_and(|l| !l.is_empty()));
     }
 
+    /// `SystemRoot` unset or relative (which would resolve against the working directory) falls
+    /// back to `C:\Windows`.
+    #[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
+    #[test]
+    fn the_windows_folder_falls_back_when_system_root_is_unset_or_relative() {
+        use std::path::PathBuf;
+        assert_eq!(windows_root(Some(r"D:\WinNT".into())), PathBuf::from(r"D:\WinNT"));
+        assert_eq!(windows_root(None), PathBuf::from(r"C:\Windows"));
+        assert_eq!(windows_root(Some(r"Windows".into())), PathBuf::from(r"C:\Windows"));
+        assert_eq!(windows_root(Some(r"\Windows".into())), PathBuf::from(r"C:\Windows"));
+        assert_eq!(windows_root(Some("".into())), PathBuf::from(r"C:\Windows"));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn locale_orders() {
         assert_eq!(script_order(Some("ja_JP.UTF-8"))[0], Japanese);