diff --git a/lib/core/common.py b/lib/core/common.py
index 872b949fd..dc3b6cbfc 100755
--- a/lib/core/common.py
+++ b/lib/core/common.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import hashlib
 import httplib
 import inspect
 import json
+import locale
 import logging
 import ntpath
 import os
@@ -1558,6 +1559,22 @@ def normalizePath(filepath):
 
     return retVal
 
+def safeExpandUser(filepath):
+    """
+    Patch for a Python Issue18171 (http://bugs.python.org/issue18171)
+    """
+
+    retVal = filepath
+
+    try:
+        retVal = os.path.expanduser(filepath)
+    except UnicodeDecodeError:
+        _ = locale.getdefaultlocale()
+        retVal = getUnicode(os.path.expanduser(filepath.encode(_[1] if _ and len(_) > 1 else UNICODE_ENCODING)))
+
+    print retVal
+    return retVal
+
 def safeStringFormat(format_, params):
     """
     Avoids problems with inappropriate string format strings
diff --git a/lib/core/option.py b/lib/core/option.py
index eb42dc8d5..860eddddd 100644
--- a/lib/core/option.py
+++ b/lib/core/option.py
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ from lib.core.common import readCachedFileContent
 from lib.core.common import readInput
 from lib.core.common import resetCookieJar
 from lib.core.common import runningAsAdmin
+from lib.core.common import safeExpandUser
 from lib.core.common import sanitizeStr
 from lib.core.common import setOptimize
 from lib.core.common import setPaths
@@ -496,7 +497,7 @@ def _setRequestFromFile():
 
     addedTargetUrls = set()
 
-    conf.requestFile = os.path.expanduser(conf.requestFile)
+    conf.requestFile = safeExpandUser(conf.requestFile)
 
     infoMsg = "parsing HTTP request from '%s'" % conf.requestFile
     logger.info(infoMsg)
@@ -619,7 +620,7 @@ def _setBulkMultipleTargets():
     if not conf.bulkFile:
         return
 
-    conf.bulkFile = os.path.expanduser(conf.bulkFile)
+    conf.bulkFile = safeExpandUser(conf.bulkFile)
 
     infoMsg = "parsing multiple targets list from '%s'" % conf.bulkFile
     logger.info(infoMsg)
@@ -1268,7 +1269,7 @@ def _setHTTPAuthentication():
         debugMsg = "setting the HTTP(s) authentication PEM private key"
         logger.debug(debugMsg)
 
-        _ = os.path.expanduser(conf.authPrivate)
+        _ = safeExpandUser(conf.authPrivate)
         checkFile(_)
         authHandler = HTTPSPKIAuthHandler(_)
 
@@ -1475,7 +1476,7 @@ def _cleanupOptions():
 
     for key, value in conf.items():
         if value and any(key.endswith(_) for _ in ("Path", "File")):
-            conf[key] = os.path.expanduser(value)
+            conf[key] = safeExpandUser(value)
 
     if conf.testParameter:
         conf.testParameter = urldecode(conf.testParameter)