diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/EmuHawkUtil.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/EmuHawkUtil.cs
index c203977a42..7cf66ffed7 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/EmuHawkUtil.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/EmuHawkUtil.cs
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ using System.IO;
 using System.Security.Principal;
 
 using BizHawk.Common;
-using BizHawk.Common.StringExtensions;
 
 namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 {
@@ -16,7 +15,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		/// <remarks>http://stackoverflow.com/questions/139010/how-to-resolve-a-lnk-in-c-sharp</remarks>
 		public static string ResolveShortcut(string filename)
 		{
-			if (OSTailoredCode.IsUnixHost || filename.ContainsOrdinal('|')
+			if (OSTailoredCode.IsUnixHost || HawkFile.PathContainsPipe(filename)
 				|| !".lnk".Equals(Path.GetExtension(filename), StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
 			{
 				return filename; // archive internal files are never shortcuts (and choke when analyzing any further)
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Debug.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Debug.cs
index 330339a622..3726db6495 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Debug.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Debug.cs
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ using System.Windows.Forms;
 using BizHawk.Client.Common;
 using BizHawk.Common;
 using BizHawk.Common.PathExtensions;
-using BizHawk.Common.StringExtensions;
 using BizHawk.Emulation.Common;
 using BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Arcades.MAME;
 using BizHawk.Emulation.DiscSystem;
@@ -311,7 +310,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		{
 			static string ResolvePath(string path)
 			{
-				if (!path.ContainsOrdinal('|') && Disc.IsValidExtension(Path.GetExtension(path)))
+				if (!HawkFile.PathContainsPipe(path) && Disc.IsValidExtension(Path.GetExtension(path)))
 				{
 					return path; // nothing to do in this case
 				}
@@ -343,7 +342,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 
 			static ConsoleID IdentifyConsole(string path)
 			{
-				if (!path.ContainsOrdinal('|') && Disc.IsValidExtension(Path.GetExtension(path)))
+				if (!HawkFile.PathContainsPipe(path) && Disc.IsValidExtension(Path.GetExtension(path)))
 				{
 					using var disc = DiscExtensions.CreateAnyType(path, Console.WriteLine);
 					if (disc is null)
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/tools/MultiDiskBundler/MultiDiskBundler.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/tools/MultiDiskBundler/MultiDiskBundler.cs
index 5e943793c8..dab4325135 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/tools/MultiDiskBundler/MultiDiskBundler.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/tools/MultiDiskBundler/MultiDiskBundler.cs
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 
 			if (!Game.IsNullInstance())
 			{
-				if (MainForm.CurrentlyOpenRom.ContainsOrdinal('|'))
+				if (HawkFile.PathContainsPipe(MainForm.CurrentlyOpenRom))
 				{
 					var pieces = MainForm.CurrentlyOpenRom.Split('|');
 
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Common/HawkFile/HawkFile.cs b/src/BizHawk.Common/HawkFile/HawkFile.cs
index fffdeed224..f096d331a0 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Common/HawkFile/HawkFile.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Common/HawkFile/HawkFile.cs
@@ -2,8 +2,10 @@
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.IO;
 using System.Linq;
+using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
 
 using BizHawk.Common.CollectionExtensions;
+using BizHawk.Common.StringExtensions;
 
 namespace BizHawk.Common
 {
@@ -21,6 +23,10 @@ namespace BizHawk.Common
 	/// </remarks>
 	public sealed class HawkFile : IDisposable
 	{
+		[MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+		public static bool PathContainsPipe(string s)
+			=> s.ContainsOrdinal('|');
+
 		private readonly List<HawkArchiveFileItem>? _archiveItems;
 
 		private Stream? _boundStream;
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Arcades/MAME/MAMEMachineDB.cs b/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Arcades/MAME/MAMEMachineDB.cs
index 55c9946605..94f064d08f 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Arcades/MAME/MAMEMachineDB.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Arcades/MAME/MAMEMachineDB.cs
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ using System.IO;
 using System.Threading;
 
 using BizHawk.Common;
-using BizHawk.Common.StringExtensions;
 
 namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Arcades.MAME
 {
@@ -54,7 +53,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Arcades.MAME
 		public static bool IsMAMEMachine(string path)
 		{
 			if (_acquire == null) throw new InvalidOperationException("MAME Machine DB not initialized. It's a client responsibility because only a client knows where the database is located.");
-			if (path.ContainsOrdinal('|')) return false; // binded archive, can't be a mame zip (note | is not a legal filesystem char, at least on windows)
+			if (HawkFile.PathContainsPipe(path)) return false; // binded archive, can't be a mame zip (note | is not a legal filesystem char, at least on windows)
 			if (Path.GetExtension(path).ToLowerInvariant() is not ".zip" and not ".7z") return false;
 			_acquire.WaitOne();
 			return Instance.MachineDB.Contains(Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(path).ToLowerInvariant());
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/3DS/Encore.cs b/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/3DS/Encore.cs
index fa3d892f2e..4846c5a719 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/3DS/Encore.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/3DS/Encore.cs
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ using System.Text;
 
 using BizHawk.BizInvoke;
 using BizHawk.Common;
-using BizHawk.Common.StringExtensions;
 using BizHawk.Emulation.Common;
 
 namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Consoles.Nintendo.N3DS
@@ -47,7 +46,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Consoles.Nintendo.N3DS
 		[CoreConstructor(VSystemID.Raw.N3DS)]
 		public Encore(CoreLoadParameters<EncoreSettings, EncoreSyncSettings> lp)
 		{
-			if (lp.Roms.Exists(static r => r.RomPath.ContainsOrdinal('|')))
+			if (lp.Roms.Exists(static r => HawkFile.PathContainsPipe(r.RomPath)))
 			{
 				throw new InvalidOperationException("3DS does not support compressed ROMs");
 			}