diff --git a/src/gui/src/initgui.js b/src/gui/src/initgui.js
index 94eb5acfe..cbcf765f7 100644
--- a/src/gui/src/initgui.js
+++ b/src/gui/src/initgui.js
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ import { AntiCSRFService } from './services/AntiCSRFService.js';
 import { IPCService } from './services/IPCService.js';
 import { ExecService } from './services/ExecService.js';
 import { DebugService } from './services/DebugService.js';
+import { privacy_aware_path } from './util/desktop.js';
 
 const launch_services = async function (options) {
     // === Services Data Structures ===
@@ -1461,35 +1462,5 @@ $(document).on('contextmenu', '.disable-context-menu', function(e){
     }
 })
 
-/**
- * Converts a file system path to a privacy-aware path.
- * - Paths starting with `~/` are returned unchanged.
- * - Paths starting with the user's home path are replaced with `~`.
- * - Absolute paths not starting with the user's home path are returned unchanged.
- * - Relative paths are prefixed with `~/`.
- * - Other paths are returned unchanged.
- *
- * @param {string} fspath - The file system path to be converted.
- * @returns {string} The privacy-aware path.
- */
-window.privacy_aware_path = function(fspath){
-    // e.g. /my_username/test.txt -> ~/test.txt
-    if(fspath.startsWith('~/'))
-        return fspath;
-    // e.g. /my_username/test.txt -> ~/test.txt
-    else if(fspath.startsWith(
-        window.home_path.endsWith('/')
-            ? window.home_path
-            : window.home_path + '/'
-    ))
-        return fspath.replace(window.home_path, '~');
-    // e.g. /other_username/test.txt -> /other_username/test.txt
-    else if(fspath.startsWith('/') && !fspath.startsWith(window.home_path))
-        return fspath;
-    // e.g. test.txt -> ~/test.txt
-    else if(!fspath.startsWith('/'))
-        return '~/' + fspath;
-    // e.g. /username/path/to/item -> /username/path/to/item
-    else
-        return fspath;
-};
\ No newline at end of file
+// util/desktop.js
+window.privacy_aware_path = privacy_aware_path({ window });
diff --git a/src/gui/src/util/desktop.js b/src/gui/src/util/desktop.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3f3bf1ee1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gui/src/util/desktop.js
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+/**
+ * This file contains functions that are used by Puter's desktop GUI.
+ * Functions moved here are not bound to the `window` object, making it
+ * easier to write unit tests for them.
+ * 
+ * Functions here may be bound to `window` at any of the following locations:
+ * - src/gui/src/initgui.js
+ * 
+ * ^ Please add to the above list as necessary when moving functions here.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Converts a file system path to a privacy-aware path.
+ * - Paths starting with `~/` are returned unchanged.
+ * - Paths starting with the user's home path are replaced with `~`.
+ * - Absolute paths not starting with the user's home path are returned unchanged.
+ * - Relative paths are prefixed with `~/`.
+ * - Other paths are returned unchanged.
+ *
+ * @param {string} fspath - The file system path to be converted.
+ * @returns {string} The privacy-aware path.
+ */
+export const privacy_aware_path = world => function privacy_aware_path (fspath) {
+    // e.g. /my_username/test.txt -> ~/test.txt
+    if(fspath.startsWith('~/'))
+        return fspath;
+    // e.g. /my_username/test.txt -> ~/test.txt
+    else if(fspath.startsWith(
+        world.window.home_path.endsWith('/')
+            ? world.window.home_path
+            : world.window.home_path + '/'
+    ))
+        return fspath.replace(world.window.home_path, '~');
+    // e.g. /other_username/test.txt -> /other_username/test.txt
+    else if(fspath.startsWith('/') && !fspath.startsWith(world.window.home_path))
+        return fspath;
+    // e.g. test.txt -> ~/test.txt
+    else if(!fspath.startsWith('/'))
+        return '~/' + fspath;
+    // e.g. /username/path/to/item -> /username/path/to/item
+    else
+        return fspath;
+};
diff --git a/src/gui/test/privacy_aware_path.test.js b/src/gui/test/privacy_aware_path.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..30b628a40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gui/test/privacy_aware_path.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+import assert from 'assert';
+import { privacy_aware_path } from '../src/util/desktop.js';
+
+const cases = [
+    {
+        title: 'path in user home',
+        username: 'user',
+        input: '/home/user/test.txt',
+        expected: '~/test.txt',
+    },
+    {
+        title: 'path on user desktop',
+        username: 'user',
+        input: '/home/user/Desktop/test.txt',
+        expected: '~/Desktop/test.txt',
+    },
+    {
+        title: 'prefix (ed3/ed) bug',
+        username: 'ed',
+        input: '/home/ed3/Desktop/test.txt',
+        expected: '/home/ed3/Desktop/test.txt',
+    },
+];
+
+describe('window.privacy_aware_path', () => {
+    for (const { title, username, input, expected } of cases) {
+        it(title, () => {
+            assert.equal(privacy_aware_path({
+                window: { home_path: `/home/${username}` },
+            })(input), expected);
+        });
+    }
+});
\ No newline at end of file