diff --git a/Sofa/framework/Helper/src/sofa/helper/Utils.cpp b/Sofa/framework/Helper/src/sofa/helper/Utils.cpp
index 9bb99fc101c..27158f42202 100644
--- a/Sofa/framework/Helper/src/sofa/helper/Utils.cpp
+++ b/Sofa/framework/Helper/src/sofa/helper/Utils.cpp
@@ -234,42 +234,28 @@ std::map<std::string, std::string> Utils::readBasicIniFile(const std::string& pa
 }
 
 // no standard/portable way
-const std::string& Utils::getUserLocalDirectory()
+const std::string& Utils::getUserHomeDirectory()
 {
-
     auto computeUserHomeDirectory = []()
     {
-// Windows: "LocalAppData" directory i.e ${HOME}\AppData\Local
-#ifdef WIN32
-        std::wstring wresult;
-        wchar_t* path = nullptr;
-        const auto hr = SHGetKnownFolderPath(FOLDERID_LocalAppData, 0, nullptr, &path);
-        if (SUCCEEDED(hr))
-        {
-            wresult = std::wstring(path);
-        }
-        if (path)
-        {
-            CoTaskMemFree(path);
-        }
-
-        return Utils::narrowString(wresult);
-
+#ifdef WIN32 // Windows: ${HOME}
+        const char* homeDir = std::getenv("USERPROFILE");
+        return std::string(homeDir);
 #elif defined(__APPLE__) // macOS : ${HOME}/Library/Application Support
-        // https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5123361/finding-library-application-support-from-c
-        
+       // https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5123361/finding-library-application-support-from-c
+
         char path[PATH_MAX];
         auto state = sysdir_start_search_path_enumeration(SYSDIR_DIRECTORY_APPLICATION_SUPPORT,
                                                           SYSDIR_DOMAIN_MASK_USER);
         if ((state = sysdir_get_next_search_path_enumeration(state, path)))
         {
             glob_t globbuf;
-            if (glob(path, GLOB_TILDE, nullptr, &globbuf) == 0) 
+            if (glob(path, GLOB_TILDE, nullptr, &globbuf) == 0)
             {
                 std::string result(globbuf.gl_pathv[0]);
                 globfree(&globbuf);
                 return result;
-            } 
+            }
             else
             {
                 // "Unable to expand tilde"
@@ -281,34 +267,76 @@ const std::string& Utils::getUserLocalDirectory()
             // "Failed to get settings folder"
             return std::string("");
         }
-        
+
+#else // Linux: ${HOME}
+
+    const char* homeDir;
+
+    // if HOME is defined
+    if ((homeDir = std::getenv("HOME")) == nullptr)
+    {
+        // else system calls are used
+        homeDir = getpwuid(getuid())->pw_dir;
+    }
+
+    return std::string(homeDir);
+
+#endif
+    };
+
+    static std::string homeDir = FileSystem::cleanPath(computeUserHomeDirectory());
+    return homeDir;
+}
+
+const std::string& Utils::getSofaDataDirectory()
+{
+    constexpr std::string_view sofaDataDirSuffix = "SOFAData";
+
+    static std::string sofaDataDirectory = FileSystem::cleanPath(FileSystem::findOrCreateAValidPath(
+        FileSystem::append(getUserHomeDirectory(), sofaDataDirSuffix)));
+
+    return sofaDataDirectory;
+}
+
+
+// no standard/portable way
+const std::string& Utils::getUserLocalDirectory()
+{
+    auto computeUserLocalDirectory = []()
+    {
+#ifdef WIN32 // Windows: "LocalAppData" directory i.e ${HOME}\AppData\Local
+        std::wstring wresult;
+        wchar_t* path = nullptr;
+        const auto hr = SHGetKnownFolderPath(FOLDERID_LocalAppData, 0, nullptr, &path);
+        if (SUCCEEDED(hr))
+        {
+            wresult = std::wstring(path);
+        }
+        if (path)
+        {
+            CoTaskMemFree(path);
+        }
+
+        return Utils::narrowString(wresult);
+#elif defined(__APPLE__) // macOS : ${HOME}/Library/Application Support
+        return getUserHomeDirectory();
 #else // Linux: either ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME} if defined, or ${HOME}/.config (should be equivalent)
         const char* configDir;
 
         // if env.var XDG_CONFIG_HOME is defined
         if ((configDir = std::getenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME")) == nullptr)
         {
-            const char* homeDir;
-
-            // else if HOME is defined
-            if ((homeDir = std::getenv("HOME")) == nullptr)
-            {
-                // else system calls are used
-                homeDir = getpwuid(getuid())->pw_dir;
-            }
-
-            return std::string(homeDir) + std::string("/.config");
+            return getUserHomeDirectory() + std::string("/.config");
         }
         else
         {
             return std::string(configDir);
         }
-
 #endif
     };
 
-    static std::string homeDir = FileSystem::cleanPath(computeUserHomeDirectory());
-    return homeDir;
+    static std::string userLocalDir = FileSystem::cleanPath(computeUserLocalDirectory());
+    return userLocalDir;
 }
 
 const std::string& Utils::getSofaUserLocalDirectory()
diff --git a/Sofa/framework/Helper/src/sofa/helper/Utils.h b/Sofa/framework/Helper/src/sofa/helper/Utils.h
index 388c09e5d40..816ce6051b3 100644
--- a/Sofa/framework/Helper/src/sofa/helper/Utils.h
+++ b/Sofa/framework/Helper/src/sofa/helper/Utils.h
@@ -75,6 +75,12 @@ static const std::string& getExecutablePath();
 /// @brief Get the path to the directory of the executable that is currently running.
 static const std::string& getExecutableDirectory();
 
+/// @brief Get the path to the current user home directory.
+static const std::string& getUserHomeDirectory();
+
+/// @brief Get the path to the SOFA data directory into the current user home directory.
+static const std::string& getSofaDataDirectory();
+
 /// @brief Get the path to the current user local config directory.
 static const std::string& getUserLocalDirectory();
 
diff --git a/applications/projects/runSofa/Main.cpp b/applications/projects/runSofa/Main.cpp
index 6688d961f1e..5e272e43fd7 100644
--- a/applications/projects/runSofa/Main.cpp
+++ b/applications/projects/runSofa/Main.cpp
@@ -374,8 +374,8 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv)
     msg_info(appName) << "GuiDataRepository paths = " << GuiDataRepository.getPathsJoined();
 
     // Initialise paths
-    BaseGUI::setConfigDirectoryPath(Utils::getSofaPathPrefix() + "/config", true);
-    BaseGUI::setScreenshotDirectoryPath(Utils::getSofaPathPrefix() + "/screenshots", true);
+    BaseGUI::setConfigDirectoryPath(Utils::getSofaUserLocalDirectory() + "/config", true);
+    BaseGUI::setScreenshotDirectoryPath(Utils::getSofaDataDirectory() + "/screenshots", true);
 
     // Add Batch GUI (runSofa without any GUIs won't be useful)
     sofa::gui::batch::init();