Where is the AppData folder in Windows, can it be deleted

AppData is a folder in the Windows operating system that stores program data and application settings files. The AppData folder (Application Data – Application Data) in Windows is located in the profile of each user of the operating system.

If the computer is used by one user, then there will be only one folder “AppData” on the computer. If there are several users on the PC, then each user in his profile will have his own “AppData” folder with the data of this user.

This is necessary so that each registered user in Windows can have their own individual settings for applications if several people use the same computer.

AppData folder in Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7

On Windows, AppData is used to store application data and operating system files. The AppData folder stores various data of installed programs: configuration files with information about program settings, cache, game saves, logs, etc. This folder contains temporary Windows files, Windows application files and settings, and other service data.

The system folder “AppData” is hidden by default. This is done to protect inexperienced users from corrupting app data by mistake.

Where is AppData located? The hidden folder “AppData” is located along the path (on the vast majority of computers, the system drive is the “C:” drive):

C:\Users\User\AppData

The AppData folder contains three folders that store different types of data:

• Local – local data of this computer
• LocalLow – files with limited integration.
• Roaming – user data.

In general, Windows uses the following distribution of files into folders, adopted in “AppData”:

• The Local folder stores data associated with this computer. This information is not synchronized with other devices even if they are on the same network. This folder contains temporary Windows files.
• The “LocalLow” folder stores application data with limited integration. This data is used with limited security settings. For example, all the information needed to use it in incognito or protected mode is stored in this folder.
• The Roaming folder contains application data and user information. This data can be used by the user on other PCs or mobile devices during synchronization. For example, the “Roaming” folder contains browser data: bookmarks, passwords, certificates, extensions, etc. This folder contains important settings data for system applications and third-party programs.

At the same time, there are exceptions, for example, Google Chrome browser data is stored not in the “AppData” folder, but in the “Local” folder, which is not very logical.

If the application needs to save data for all PC users, another hidden system folder “ProgramData” is used for this, located in the root of the system drive. Other applications store their data in the “Documents” folders in the user profile, in the user profile itself in the “User” (User_Name) folder, or in any other places on the computer, because Windows allows it.

In this article, you will find information on how to find the AppData folder in Windows, and whether you can delete the AppData folder or the contents of this folder.

How to open the Appdata folder – 1 way

Consider the first method for gaining access to the “AppData” folder.

First you need to enable the display of hidden folders and files in the Windows operating system:

• In the Windows 10 or Windows 8 (Windows 1) Explorer window, select the “View” menu, check the box next to the “Hidden Items” item.
• In Windows 7, open the “Control Panel”, go to “Appearance and Personalization”, in the “Folder Options” section, click on “Show hidden files and folders”.

Next, follow these steps:

1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Follow the path (if your PC has a different drive letter, use your drive letter):

C:\Users\UserName\AppData

How to open AppData – 2 way

With the second method, you do not need to enable the display of hidden files and folders in the Windows settings. The “%APPDATA%” environment variable will be used to quickly enter the folder.

The only difference from the previous method: the contents of the “Roaming” folder located in the “AppData” folder along the path will be opened in Explorer:

C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming

Go through the following steps:

1. Enter the variable “%APPDATA%” (without the quotes) in the Explorer address bar.
2. Press the “Enter” key.
3. The contents of the Roaming folder will open in the Explorer window along the path: AppData\Roaming.

You can directly open the “AppData” folder from Explorer by executing another command: “%USERPROFILE%\AppData”.

Opening the AppData folder – 3 way

With this method, there is no need to enable the display of hidden folders and files in the Windows operating system. After executing the command, the “AppData” folder will open in Explorer.

Do the following:

1. Press the keyboard keys “Win” + “R” at the same time.
2. In the Run dialog box, in the Open: field, type “appdata” (without the quotes).
3. The AppData folder will open in File Explorer.

AppData: Is it possible to delete the contents of a folder

The system folder “AppData” can take up quite a lot of space on your computer’s disk. Given this information, users have various questions, such as whether this folder can be deleted from the computer, or whether its contents can be cleared.

Most users don’t need to access the AppData folder unless they’re manually clearing Windows temporary files .

It will not work to completely delete the AppData folder, Windows will not allow it to be done due to the fact that some files from the folder are used for the current operation of the operating system. This should not be done.

To free up disk space, you can delete the contents of the “Temp” folder, which is located in the “Local” folder. To do this, use the tools of the Windows operating system or the services of third-party software.

To delete files of specific programs on your own, you need to understand what this can lead to: due to the deletion of important data, many applications will not be able to work normally.

Third-party software, in particular cleaning programs, removes temporary files and other garbage from the AppData directory. Inexperienced users can use the help of such applications to remove unnecessary files from the PC.

Article Conclusions

Some users have questions about where the AppData folder is located in the Windows operating system, what it is for, and whether the contents of this folder can be deleted. The AppData system folder is used to store application data, temporary files, and system settings. By default, for security purposes, the AppData folder is hidden from the user. You can delete temporary files and some other data from the AppData folder using system tools or third-party programs.