Appdata – what is this folder and what is stored in it

The content of the article

• What is stored in the Appdata folder
• What is needed for
• How to find Appdata on Windows
• System Location
• How to make a hidden folder visible
• System folder structure
• Local Directory
• Folder roaming
• LocalLow Directory
• Scanning a structure using WinDirStat
• What to do if the Appdata folder takes up a lot of space
• Is it possible to delete completely
• How to clean Appdata
• Built-in Windows 10 Disk Cleanup Utility
• Manual removal of temporary files with the .temp extension
• Using CCleaner

Inexperienced users are strongly discouraged from deleting anything from the Windows system folders, because important files are stored there. Application data is a special section that is hidden from the owner of the PC, but part of the data in it only takes up space and does not carry an important function, so you need to know how to access this directory and clean it from “garbage”. Below are ways to analyze this folder, what can be deleted and how to do it.

What is stored in the Appdata folder

The Application Data directory is by default inaccessible for viewing; it belongs to the system group; it is contained in subdirectories called User. Hidden folder Appdata contains personal data of all users who are registered on this computer. It stores documentation created by software from a PC; developers made it hidden. Her files should not be of interest to the average user. So, at least, the creators of Windows argue.

In reality, the practice of using the system shows that over time a large amount of data accumulates and they take up space on the hard drive. This is especially noticeable if you are using an SSD drive that does not have a large amount of memory. However, part of the files will not be used at all. The data is stored in the following folders:

• Local
• LocalLow;
• Roaming.

What is needed for

Windows writes to AppData files of programs that are installed on the computer: cache, configuration documents, temporary files, application logs, saved sessions, etc. The software from your computer has a personal folder for storing data, this applies to antivirus, and printer, and games. For example, browsers save profile data in AppData, which includes cookies, cache, extensions, browsing history.

How to find Appdata on Windows

The default folder is hidden from the user (even with administrator rights), this is done taking into account the fact that the ordinary user does not need to delete anything from this directory. Some programs do not support the function of importing and exporting settings, projects, and other parameters if you reinstall Windows again. If you copy this folder and after reinstalling the operating system copy it, then the program is easier to restore to its previous state. To do this, you need to know how to find AppData. There are two ways to do this:

• using the command line;
• change the display of content and make hidden directories visible.

System Location

There is a path through directories that will lead to AppData. To do this, you need to do the following:

1. Open My Computer.
2. Go to drive C.
3. Find the “Users” or “Users” directory.
4. Click on the appropriate username.
5. Here is the cherished daddy.

There is another way that will help you quickly move to the directory even without the need to make it visible. You can use the following instructions:

1. Click on the “Start” quick access item.
2. Find the Run function.
3. Write the following command% appdata%.
4. Click OK and you will be taken to the Roaming subcategory. Just go up one level and you’ll find yourself inside AppData.

How to make a hidden folder visible

You can get to the standard path to the AppData directory if you enable the display of invisible directories. This is a system setting that can be easily changed in Windows 10 according to the following algorithm:

1. Open any folder in Explorer.
2. Find the “View” tab in the top menu.
3. In the additional menu on the right there will be a section called “Parameters”.
4. Click on it and click on “Change Folder and Search Options”.
5. An additional window will open, go to the “View” tab.
6. Scroll down the list, here you need to activate the option “Show hidden files, folders and drives”.

If another version of the operating system is installed (7 or 8), then you can change the settings using the following algorithm:

1. Open the “Control Panel”.
2. Go to the menu “Design and personalization”.
3. Click on “Folder Options”.
4. Click on the “View” tab here..
5. Scroll down the list of options and check the box “Show hidden files, folders and drives”.

System folder structure

When working with AppData, it must be taken into account that each user who has created an account on the computer has a separate folder. Making changes for user A does not apply to user B. When you go to the directory, you will see three folders that were mentioned earlier:

• Local
• LocalLow;
• Roaming.

Local Directory

This is the first directory that is in AppData. It stores files and data related to the local type; they cannot be copied or transferred along with the user profile. For example, here you can find downloaded files that did not indicate a specific location or saved games. As a rule, it has the largest amount of occupied space on the hard drive..

A directory called Microsoft is stored right there, which preserves all the activity of the Windows operating system. Local contains a directory with temporary files necessary to speed up the loading of programs, games created while working with them. The folder “Temp” is called. The contents of the directory are constantly growing and over time begins to take up a lot of space. This is one of the options for information that can be deleted painlessly for the operating system..

Folder roaming

If necessary, a person can transfer files from this folder without problems if such a need arises. For example, you decide to reinstall the operating system. Copy the data to removable media, and after installation, just copy Roaming into place. This will help to keep personal settings in their original form. Information from Internet browsers, bookmarks stored by a person is also stored there..

LocalLow Directory

This directory is similar to Local, but information is collected from the browser or system when the user is in protected mode. The directory does not sync with other accounts on the computer.

Scanning a structure using WinDirStat

This is a free program that is used to analyze, view up-to-date statistics regarding the status of disk space (hard drive), how much space files or folders occupy. WinDirStat tool will be checked and AppData, if desired, you can use it to clear the hard drive of unnecessary directories, folders and files. The program gives a detailed schedule and information about where, what documents on your hard drive take place.

What to do if the Appdata folder takes up a lot of space

Over time, information accumulates, especially if a lot of time has passed since the last reinstallation of Windows. The system is not designed to automatically clean AppData, so the user can manually reduce its volume. The first option is cleaning up temporary files. If you wish, you can completely delete the entire contents of the Temp directory, which does not contain important system data. Specialized programs, such as Ccleaner, can also help with cleaning..

It is not necessary to clean AppData, you can simply move it from the system drive, which should always have a free space. This is especially true if you use an SSD drive. Use the following instructions for these purposes:

1. On another disk, create a folder with the same name (on D), create the corresponding subfolders (LocalLow, Roaming, Local). Separately, transfer the contents to the appropriate directories.
2. If a message appears that the file cannot be copied, then simply skip it. This indicates that the application is currently running and is using this document..
3. Run the Run function using the Win + R button combination. Type “regedit” in the string without quotes.
4. A registry editor window will open. You need to find the section called “HKEY_CURRENT_USER”, expand it and go to “Software”, then to “Microsoft”. Next, click on the “Windows” directory, then on “CurrentVersion”, go to “Explorer”. Here you will need the “Shell Folders” category..
5. Find through the search all the lines that contain “AppData”, change the original address to D: / AppData.
6. Restart your computer.

Is it possible to delete completely

If you followed the instructions described above (changed the location of AppData), then you need to delete it from drive C. In other cases, it cannot be completely erased and should not be. It stores data about the programs you work with, which will conflict when you try to delete them. If you erase the folder completely, Windows will continue to work, there will be no critical errors, but applications and programs will either start with the standard settings, or they won’t start at all.

How to clean Appdata

Partial deletion of some directories is allowed, but the system does not always allow the operation to be performed. This is due to the fact that the application is currently running in active or background mode. As a rule, the Updater process is launched, which checks for updates for a specific application, loads it, and installs it. To delete the necessary file you need:

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del (win 10 supports Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
2. Launch the task manager and open the “Processes” tab.
3. Find the process name matching the file name.
4. Right-click on the line and select “End the process”.
5. After that, you can delete the folder from Appdata.

Built-in Windows 10 Disk Cleanup Utility

In order not to change the system settings, not to look for the function of showing hidden directories, use the standard tool of the operating system. Windows 10 can independently clear temporary documents from the Temp folder. To do this, you need to use the following instruction:

1. Right click on the Start menu.
2. Click on the line “System”.
3. On the left, click on the line called “Storage”.
4. A list of partitions appears on your right side of your hard drive (s). Click the Volume C shortcut.
5. The system will analyze, show how much space is occupied by different applications. Find the line with the name “Temporary files”, click on it.
6. A new dialog box opens with a list of document types from this directory..
7. Set the necessary checkboxes and click the “Delete files” button.

Manual removal of temporary files with the .temp extension

Garbage data from the software accumulates and “inflates” the volume of AppData. It is recommended that you periodically clean this directory to increase the amount of free space on the system disk. To get to Temp, it is not necessary to make AppData visible, you can use special commands through the browser line. You can perform an action as follows:

1. Launch Internet Explorer and write “shell: history” in the address bar (without quotes). You will be redirected immediately to the folder with the history of Internet Explorer (aka Edge in the 10th version of Windows).
2. The shell: cache command will open a directory with an offline clipboard for Internet Explorer.
3. The shell: cookies command opens the cookie data (Ckookie).
4. If you write “shell: sendto”, you will be able to add, remove shortcuts from the “Send” menu.

Using CCleaner

Performing the removal of elements from Appdata in order to improve computer performance can be done using special software. CCleaner helps uninstall applications, cleans the registry from damaged and obsolete files, and helps free up disk space C. This eliminates the need to manually check the contents of the directory. For the procedure, you must:

1. Download CCleaner. It is distributed free of charge, so you do not need to send any SMS to confirm the download.
2. Run the utility, give it time to scan the system.
3. Go to the “Cleaning” section, where the directories for analysis will be displayed..
4. The program will check which files can be removed so as not to harm Windows. To do this, click on the “Analysis” button.
5. Information will appear, how many megabytes this or that folder occupies.
6. You can perform selective cleaning by checking the boxes next to the documents of interest..
7. The program will need a little time to eliminate the “garbage” from the system drive, after which you can exit.