diff --git a/audio/xaudio-c/xaudio.h b/audio/xaudio-c/xaudio.h
index 3992d559a1..64a5dd9360 100644
--- a/audio/xaudio-c/xaudio.h
+++ b/audio/xaudio-c/xaudio.h
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
    authors: OV2, Themaister
 */
 
-// Kinda stripped down. Only contains the bare essentials used in SSNES.
+// Kinda stripped down. Only contains the bare essentials used in RetroArch.
 
 #ifndef XAUDIO2_MINGW_H
 #define XAUDIO2_MINGW_H
diff --git a/file.h b/file.h
index 308f74a127..305b9fafae 100644
--- a/file.h
+++ b/file.h
@@ -99,6 +99,9 @@ void fill_pathname_base(char *out_path, const char *in_path, size_t size);
 // If in_path is a path without any slashes (relative current directory), out_path will get path ".".
 void fill_pathname_basedir(char *out_path, const char *in_path, size_t size);
 
+// Copies string, and attempts to replace magic like ~/, etc with proper paths, like a shell would.
+void fill_pathname_shell(char *out_path, const char *in_path, size_t size);
+
 size_t convert_char_to_wchar(wchar_t *out_wchar, const char *in_char, size_t size);
 size_t convert_wchar_to_char(char *out_char, const wchar_t *in_wchar, size_t size);
 
diff --git a/file_path.c b/file_path.c
index c7dbdd08e9..558f1d2e47 100644
--- a/file_path.c
+++ b/file_path.c
@@ -424,6 +424,27 @@ void fill_pathname_basedir(char *out_dir, const char *in_path, size_t size)
    }
 }
 
+void fill_pathname_shell(char *out_path, const char *in_path, size_t size)
+{
+#if !defined(_WIN32) && !defined(RARCH_CONSOLE)
+   if (*in_path == '~')
+   {
+      const char *home = getenv("HOME");
+      if (home)
+      {
+         size_t src_size = strlcpy(out_path, home, size);
+         rarch_assert(src_size < size);
+
+         out_path += src_size;
+         size -= src_size;
+         in_path++;
+      }
+   }
+#endif
+
+   rarch_assert(strlcpy(out_path, in_path, size) < size);
+}
+
 size_t convert_char_to_wchar(wchar_t *out_wchar, const char *in_char, size_t size)
 {
    return mbstowcs(out_wchar, in_char, size / sizeof(wchar_t));
@@ -433,3 +454,4 @@ size_t convert_wchar_to_char(char *out_char, const wchar_t *in_wchar, size_t siz
 {
    return wcstombs(out_char, in_wchar, size);
 }
+
diff --git a/settings.c b/settings.c
index 02386242f3..ff1810aa17 100644
--- a/settings.c
+++ b/settings.c
@@ -416,7 +416,8 @@ bool config_load_file(const char *path)
 #endif
 
 #if defined(HAVE_XML)
-   CONFIG_GET_STRING(video.shader_dir, "video_shader_dir");
+   if (config_get_array(conf, "video_shader_dir", tmp_str, sizeof(tmp_str)))
+      fill_pathname_shell(g_settings.video.shader_dir, tmp_str, sizeof(g_settings.video.shader_dir));
 #endif
 
    CONFIG_GET_FLOAT(input.axis_threshold, "input_axis_threshold");
@@ -447,7 +448,9 @@ bool config_load_file(const char *path)
    if (!*g_settings.libretro)
       CONFIG_GET_STRING(libretro, "libretro_path");
 
-   CONFIG_GET_STRING(screenshot_directory, "screenshot_directory");
+   if (config_get_array(conf, "screenshot_directory", tmp_str, sizeof(tmp_str)))
+      fill_pathname_shell(g_settings.screenshot_directory, tmp_str, sizeof(g_settings.screenshot_directory));
+
    if (*g_settings.screenshot_directory && !path_is_directory(g_settings.screenshot_directory))
    {
       RARCH_WARN("screenshot_directory is not an existing directory, ignoring ...\n");
@@ -493,9 +496,12 @@ bool config_load_file(const char *path)
 
    if (!g_extern.has_set_save_path && config_get_array(conf, "savefile_directory", tmp_str, sizeof(tmp_str)))
    {
-      if (path_is_directory(tmp_str))
+      char tmp[PATH_MAX];
+      fill_pathname_shell(tmp, tmp_str, sizeof(tmp));
+
+      if (path_is_directory(tmp))
       {
-         strlcpy(g_extern.savefile_name_srm, tmp_str, sizeof(g_extern.savefile_name_srm));
+         strlcpy(g_extern.savefile_name_srm, tmp, sizeof(g_extern.savefile_name_srm));
          fill_pathname_dir(g_extern.savefile_name_srm, g_extern.basename, ".srm", sizeof(g_extern.savefile_name_srm));
       }
       else
@@ -504,16 +510,20 @@ bool config_load_file(const char *path)
 
    if (!g_extern.has_set_state_path && config_get_array(conf, "savestate_directory", tmp_str, sizeof(tmp_str)))
    {
-      if (path_is_directory(tmp_str))
+      char tmp[PATH_MAX];
+      fill_pathname_shell(tmp, tmp_str, sizeof(tmp));
+
+      if (path_is_directory(tmp))
       {
-         strlcpy(g_extern.savestate_name, tmp_str, sizeof(g_extern.savestate_name));
+         strlcpy(g_extern.savestate_name, tmp, sizeof(g_extern.savestate_name));
          fill_pathname_dir(g_extern.savestate_name, g_extern.basename, ".state", sizeof(g_extern.savestate_name));
       }
       else
          RARCH_WARN("savestate_directory is not a directory, ignoring ...\n");
    }
 
-   CONFIG_GET_STRING(system_directory, "system_directory");
+   if (config_get_array(conf, "system_directory", tmp_str, sizeof(tmp_str)))
+      fill_pathname_shell(g_settings.system_directory, tmp_str, sizeof(g_settings.system_directory));
 
    config_read_keybinds_conf(conf);