diff --git a/labscript_profile/create.py b/labscript_profile/create.py
index 53bf618..a24fccf 100644
--- a/labscript_profile/create.py
+++ b/labscript_profile/create.py
@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@
 import os
 import shutil
 import configparser
+from pathlib import Path
 from labscript_profile import LABSCRIPT_SUITE_PROFILE, default_labconfig_path
 
-
 _here = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
 DEFAULT_PROFILE_CONTENTS = os.path.join(_here, 'default_profile')
 
@@ -30,14 +30,29 @@ def make_labconfig_file():
         config.set('programs', 'text_editor_arguments', '-a TextEdit {file}')
     if sys.platform != 'win32':
         config.set('programs', 'hdf5_viewer', 'hdfview')
-        config.set('DEFAULT', 'shared_drive', '$HOME/labscript_shared')
+        config.set('DEFAULT', 'shared_drive', str(Path.home() / ' labscript_shared'))
 
     with open(target_path, 'w') as f:
         config.write(f)
 
 
 def create_profile():
-    if os.path.exists(LABSCRIPT_SUITE_PROFILE):
-        raise FileExistsError(LABSCRIPT_SUITE_PROFILE)
-    shutil.copytree(DEFAULT_PROFILE_CONTENTS, LABSCRIPT_SUITE_PROFILE)
+    src = Path(DEFAULT_PROFILE_CONTENTS)
+    dest = Path(LABSCRIPT_SUITE_PROFILE)
+    # Profile directory may exist already, but we will error if it contains any of the
+    # files or directories we want to copy into it:
+    os.makedirs(dest, exist_ok=True)
+    # Preferable to raise errors if anything exists before copying anything, rather than
+    # do a partial copy before hitting an error:
+    for src_file in src.iterdir():
+        dest_file = dest / src_file.name
+        if dest_file.exists():
+            raise FileExistsError(dest_file)
+    for src_file in src.iterdir():
+        dest_file = dest / src_file.name
+        if src_file.is_dir():
+            shutil.copytree(src_file, dest_file)
+        else:
+            shutil.copy2(src_file, dest_file)
+
     make_labconfig_file()