diff --git a/src/libstore/profiles.cc b/src/libstore/profiles.cc
index 239047dd6..d8717ab8b 100644
--- a/src/libstore/profiles.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/profiles.cc
@@ -320,6 +320,17 @@ Path rootProfilesDir()
     return settings.nixStateDir + "/profiles/per-user/root";
 }
 
+Path getDefaultProfileLink()
+{
+    if (getuid() == 0) {
+        return settings.nixStateDir + "/profiles/default";
+    }
+
+    if (settings.useXDGBaseDirectories) {
+        return createNixStateDir() + "/profile";
+    }
+    return getHome() + "/.nix-profile";
+}
 
 Path getDefaultProfile()
 {
diff --git a/src/libstore/profiles.hh b/src/libstore/profiles.hh
index 193c0bf21..bed8bf527 100644
--- a/src/libstore/profiles.hh
+++ b/src/libstore/profiles.hh
@@ -227,6 +227,12 @@ Path defaultChannelsDir();
  */
 Path rootChannelsDir();
 
+/**
+ * Get the symlink that is used as the default profile, but do not resolve it.
+ * (see getDefaultProfile() for where that link is.)
+ */
+Path getDefaultProfileLink();
+
 /**
  * Resolve the default profile (~/.nix-profile by default,
  * $XDG_STATE_HOME/nix/profile if XDG Base Directory Support is enabled),
diff --git a/src/nix-channel/nix-channel.cc b/src/nix-channel/nix-channel.cc
index 26003f021..c7d951d0b 100644
--- a/src/nix-channel/nix-channel.cc
+++ b/src/nix-channel/nix-channel.cc
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ static int main_nix_channel(int argc, char ** argv)
         nixDefExpr = getNixDefExpr();
 
         // Figure out the name of the channels profile.
-        profile = profilesDir() +  "/channels";
+        profile = defaultChannelsDir();
         createDirs(dirOf(profile));
 
         enum {
diff --git a/src/nix-env/nix-env.cc b/src/nix-env/nix-env.cc
index ad255a1e1..eb33020e0 100644
--- a/src/nix-env/nix-env.cc
+++ b/src/nix-env/nix-env.cc
@@ -1297,7 +1297,7 @@ static void opSwitchProfile(Globals & globals, Strings opFlags, Strings opArgs)
         throw UsageError("exactly one argument expected");
 
     Path profile = absPath(opArgs.front());
-    Path profileLink = settings.useXDGBaseDirectories ? createNixStateDir() + "/profile" : getHome() + "/.nix-profile";
+    Path profileLink = getDefaultProfileLink();
 
     switchLink(profileLink, profile);
 }
@@ -1531,8 +1531,9 @@ static int main_nix_env(int argc, char * * argv)
         if (globals.profile == "")
             globals.profile = getEnv("NIX_PROFILE").value_or("");
 
-        if (globals.profile == "")
-            globals.profile = getDefaultProfile();
+        if (globals.profile == "") {
+            globals.profile = ensureDefaultProfile();
+        }
 
         op(globals, std::move(opFlags), std::move(opArgs));