How to open appdata

How to Find and Use the AppData Folder in Windows

Discover what’s in this hidden folder

What to Know

This article explains how to find the AppData folder in Windows 10, 8, and 7, plus information on the kind of apps in the folder.

How to Find the AppData Folder in Windows 10, 8, and 8.1

Every Windows computer contains a hidden folder called AppData. Most users never need to access this folder, and messing around with it can cause problems on your computer if you don’t know what you’re doing.

There are a couple of ways to get to the AppData folder. You can find it through Windows Search or by making Hidden Folders visible and navigating to it directly.

Here’s how to find the folder if you can’t use search to find it.

Open the Control Panel.

Select File Explorer Options.

Select the View tab of the File Explorer Options window.

Choose Show hidden files, folders, and drives. Press Apply to save any changes and then select OK.

The AppData folder is located at C:\users\YOURNAME, where YOURNAME is your Windows profile ID.

Find the AppData Folder in Windows 7

The process for finding your hidden AppData folder in Windows 7 is slightly different because of differences in the user interface. Use these quick steps to find the folder.

Click the folder icon in the taskbar at the bottom of your screen to open the File Explorer.

When the File Explorer opens, click Organize and then from the menu that appears, select Folders and search options.

In the Folder Options window, select the View tab, and make sure the option for Show hidden files, folders, and drives is selected. Click Apply to save any changes and then click OK.

Next, in the Windows Explorer panel on the left, click the C: Drive one time to open the Folders view below it.

Double-click the Users folder to open it.

Double-click the username for which you want to open the AppData folder. This expands a long list of folders available to that user.

Double-click the AppData folder to open it.

What Is the AppData Folder?

The AppData folder contains all the data specific to your Windows user profile. This means that your data can be transferred from one device to another as long as you sign in with the same profile.

Several apps use the AppData folder so it’s easy to keep data synced between devices. Internet browsers, such as Firefox, store your profiles and bookmarks in the AppData folder. Email programs, like Thunderbird or Outlook, also store data in this folder. Many computer games’ Save files wind up in the AppData folder.

What Can I Do With the AppData Files?

You never want to move or delete files from the AppData folder; doing so can break whatever program those files are connected to. If you want to back up data or transfer certain things from one device to another, you can to copy the files to cloud storage or a flash drive so that you can keep the folder intact on your current device.

Saving files to iCloud storage be useful if you want to transfer saved files or games from one device to another, have set up specific settings that you want to guarantee transfer over, or you want to keep backups of your options and data.

Again, the AppData folder is something that most users never need to poke around in. That said, it’s useful to know how to access the folder and what you can find there, in case you ever need to do so.

AppData – Where to Find the AppData Folder in Windows 10

The AppData folder includes application settings, files, and data unique to the applications on your Windows PC. The folder is hidden by default in Windows File Explorer and has three hidden sub-folders: Local, LocalLow, and Roaming.

You won’t use this folder very often, but this is where your important files reside. For example, your bookmarks, saved sessions, and so on.

In this guide, you will learn how to find, unhide, and access the AppData folder in Windows.

What is the AppData Folder?

The Local folder is used to store data that is specific to a single windows system, which means data is not synced between multiple PCs.

The LocalLow folder is the same as the Local folder, except it is used by applications with low integrity that run with restricted security settings, for example, Mozilla Firefox in private mode.

The Roaming folder is used to store data that will be synced across multiple Windows systems. This is often used for storing settings like bookmarks, saved passwords, and so on.

How to View the AppData Folder

There are two ways you can access the AppData folder. You can either access it manually or by using the «AppData» variable name.

Next, go to the «View» tab at the top and check the «Hidden items» checkbox, as shown below:

Now you should be able to see the AppData folder in your User folder.

You can also access the AppData folder directly using the AppData system variable. Search for «Run» in the windows search as shown below, or press the Windows + R button to open the Run App.

In the run app text box, enter «%AppData%» and click OK. Windows will directly open up the Roaming folder which is inside the AppData folder.

Wrap up

After reading this guide, I hope you’re able to find the AppData folder in your PC.

Typically, you won’t have to worry about the data inside the AppData folder – that is why it is hidden by default. It is only used by application developers to store the necessary data required by the application.

Everyday Windows users will only need to access or view the AppData folder if they need to create a backup of their application data.

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Папка AppData в Windows где находится, можно ли удалить

AppData — папка в операционной системе Windows, в которой хранятся данные программ и файлы настроек приложений. Папка AppData (Application Data — Данные приложений) в Windows находится в профиле каждого пользователя операционной системы.

Если компьютер использует один пользователь, то на компьютере окажется только одна папка «AppData». Если на ПК несколько пользователей, то у каждого пользователя в его профиле будет своя папка «AppData» с данными этого пользователя.

Это необходимо для того, чтобы каждый зарегистрированный пользователь в Windows мог иметь свои индивидуальные настройки для приложений, если одним компьютером пользуется несколько человек.

Папка AppData в Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7

В Windows AppData служит для хранения данных приложений и файлов операционной системы. В папке AppData хранятся различные данные установленных программ: файлы конфигурации с информацией о настройках программ, кэш, сохранения игр, логи и т. д. В этой папке находятся временные файлы Windows, файлы и настройки приложений Windows, другие служебные данные.

Системная папка «AppData» по умолчанию скрытая. Это сделано для защиты от неопытных пользователей, чтобы они по ошибке не повредили данные приложений.

Где находится AppData? Скрытая папка «AppData» расположена по пути (на абсолютном большинстве компьютеров системным диском является диск «C:»):

В папке AppData находятся три папки, в которых хранятся разные типы данных:

В общем случае, в Windows используется следующее распределение файлов по папкам, принятое в «AppData»:

В тоже время есть исключения, например, данные браузера Google Chrome хранятся не в папке «AppData», а в папке «Local», что не очень логично.

Если приложению необходимо сохранить данные для всех пользователей ПК, для этого используется другая скрытая системная папка «ProgramData», расположенная в корне системного диска. Другие приложения хранят свои данные в папках «Документы» в профиле пользователя, в самом профиле пользователя в папке «User» (Имя_пользователя), или в любых других местах на компьютере, потому что Windows позволяет это делать.

В этой статье вы найдете информацию о том, как найти папку AppData в Windows, и можно ли удалить папку AppData или содержимое этой папки.

Как открыть папку Appdata — 1 способ

Рассмотрим первый способ для получения доступа к папке «AppData».

Сначала необходимо включить отображение скрытых папок и файлов в операционной системе Windows:

Далее выполните следующие действия:

Как открыть AppData — 2 способ

При втором способе не потребуется включать в настройках Windows отображение скрытых файлов и папок. Для быстрого входа в папку будет использована переменная среды «%APPDATA%».

Единственное отличие от предыдущего способа: в Проводнике будет открыто содержимое папки «Roaming», находящейся в папке «AppData» по пути:

Пройдите следующие шаги:

Открыть непосредственно папку «AppData» из Проводника можно при помощи выполнения другой команды: «%USERPROFILE%\AppData».

Открытие папки AppData — 3 способ

При этом способе нет необходимости включать показ скрытых папок и файлов в операционной системе Windows. После выполнения команды, в Проводнике откроется папка «AppData».

Выполните следующие действия:

AppData: можно ли удалить содержимое папки

Системная папка «AppData» может занимать достаточно много места на диске компьютера. Принимая во внимание эту информацию, у пользователей возникают разные вопросы, например, можно ли удалить эту папку с компьютера, или очистить ее содержимое.

Большинству пользователей нет необходимости получать доступ к папке «AppData, если, только при проведении очистки от временных файлов Windows вручную.

Полностью удалить папку «AppData» не получится, Windows не разрешит это сделать из-за того, что некоторые файлы из папки используются для текущей работы операционной системы. Этого не стоит делать.

Для освобождения места на диске, можно удалить содержимое папки «Temp», которая находится в папке «Local». Чтобы это сделать, воспользуйтесь средствами операционной системы Windows или услугами стороннего софта.

Чтобы самостоятельно удалять файлы конкретных программ, нужно понимать к чему это может привести: из-за удаления важных данных многие приложения не смогут работать в штатном режиме.

Стороннее программное обеспечение, в частности программы — чистильщики удаляют временные файлы и прочий мусор из каталога «AppData». Неопытные пользователи могут воспользоваться помощью подобных приложений для удаления с ПК ненужных файлов.

Выводы статьи

У некоторых пользователей возникают вопросы о том, где папка AppData находится в операционной системе Windows, для чего она нужна, и можно ли удалить содержимое данной папки. Системная папка AppData используется для хранения данных программ, временных файлов и системных настроек. По умолчанию, в целях безопасности папка AppData скрыта от пользователя. Вы можете удалить временные файлы и некоторые другие данные из папки AppData при помощи системных средств или сторонних программ.

What is AppData Folder in Windows and How to Clean It Up?

Most of the time, regular users do not scavenge the system drive. Still, sometimes, in an attempt to clean a computer and reclaim storage, users visit the drive C: and start removing apps and folders with various degrees of success. Thus, a user can find the hidden AppData folder. What is the AppData folder in Windows 10 (and 11)? How to open the AppData folder in Windows? Can you remove the AppData folder? This article will answer all your questions.

Microsoft introduced the AppData folder in Windows 7 in 2009. Since then, it is an integral part of the operating system. The AppData folder lives in a profile folder for each Windows user. Apps on your computer save various user-specific files and settings. For example, Minecraft, one of the most popular games in the world, stores worlds and saves in the AppData folder.

It is worth mentioning that apps with global settings (settings that apply to each user on a single computer) keep their files the C:\ProgramData folder.

How to Open the AppData Folder in Windows 10/11?

Windows hides the AppData folder by default. Also, hidden files and folders are not visible by default (hence the name). Here is how you can find the AppData folder on Windows 10 and 11.

Open AppData Folder on Windows 10

Open AppData folder on Windows 11

There is another way to open the AppData folder in Windows 10 and 11. You can press Win + R and enter %USERPROFILE%\AppData. Alternatively, paste %USERPROFILE%\AppData into the address bar in File Explorer. Note that that action does not require enabling hidden files and folders as the command gets you directly to the needed directory.

What is AppData folder?

The AppData folder on Windows 10 and 11 has three additional folders: Local, LocalLow, and Roaming. Here is what do they do:

How to Clean AppData Folder?

The AppData directory over time accumulates quite a lot of files and other garbage, which takes a lot of disk space. You can clean the AppData\Local\Temp directory without any harm to Windows.

The AppData folder becomes larger with each new app you install. The more programs and games on your computer, the larger the size of the AppData folder. Windows itself doesn’t control the size of this folder, which means its growth is totally uncontrolled and is not limited.

More importantly, uninstalling a program or game usually does not remove files in the AppData folder. As a result, the AppData folder becomes filled with files and folders you no longer need or use.

Important. Do not Shift + Delete the app folder. Such a barbaric method will harm other apps on your computer. There is a dedicated tool for cleaning the AppData folder in Windows.

A standard disk cleanup utility in Windows 10 and 11 is what you need to clean the AppData folder.

To save space on the system drive, you can also move the Roaming folder to another partition or drive. That will help you if the AppData cleanup did not solve the problem.

In a similar fashion, you can specify a new location for the Temp folder. That will help you clean the AppData folder on Windows 10 and 11.

As an option, launch Command Prompt with elevated privileges and execute the following command to create an AppData directory junction (symbolic link):

Replace X with appropriate drive letter. Next, sign in with a new profile with administrative privileges and move the folder to the new location.

Quick Answer: How To Access Appdata Folder Windows 10?

To open the AppData folder on Windows 10, 8 & 7:

How do I access my AppData folder?

Can’t see the AppData folder?

How do I open AppData from command prompt?

To open local appdata folder you need to run %localappdata% from Run window. To open roaming appdata folder we can use %appdata% command. In Windows XP, you need to run the command %appdata% in run window to open appdata folder. There are no separate folders for local and romaing data in XP.

How do I find AppData local temp in Windows 10?

How do I change the AppData folder in Windows 10?

2 Answers

Can I delete AppData folder Windows 10?

You can safely remove anything in the folder, but you may not be able to delete items that are in use. Likely safe locations to delete files and folders from: C:\Windows > Temp. C:\Users > username > AppData > Local > Temp.

How do I find AppData local folder?

To open the AppData folder on Windows 10, 8 & 7:

How do I open a command prompt window in a folder?

In File Explorer, press and hold the Shift key, then right click or press and hold on a folder or drive that you want to open the command prompt at that location for, and click/tap on Open Command Prompt Here option.

How do I open Windows Explorer from command prompt?

Let’s get started :

How do I open Windows Explorer from command line?

To do this, open a command prompt from the keyboard by typing Win+R, or click on Start \ Run then type cmd in the run box and click OK. Navigate to the folder you want displayed in Windows Explorer by using the Change Directory command “cd” (with out the quotes).

How do I find my Temp folder in Windows 10?

Type in %temp% and click on the folder named Temp. 1. (Windows 10) In the search field located to the right of the Start button enter %temp% and click on the folder that appears at the top of the results.

How do I find my local temp folder?

First “Temp” folder which is found in “C:\Windows\” directory is a system folder and is used by Windows to store temporary files. Second “Temp” folder is stored in “%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\” directory in Windows Vista, 7 and 8 and in “%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\” directory in Windows XP and previous versions.

How do I find temporary files on Windows 10?

Deleting temporary files in Windows 10

Can I move AppData to a different drive?

Unfortunately you cannot move AppData folder to another drive. Moving AppData folder to another drive might cause system stability. You need to unhide the system folders and take the permission of the folder to view installed apps. Moving WindowsApps folder to another drive is also not recommended.

How do I change my AppData folder?

Can you delete the AppData folder?

The AppData folder would have data regarding the applications in the computer. If its contents are deleted, data would be lost and you may not be able to use some applications as well. Applications store their user-specific files and settings there, and deleting them may cause loss of essential data.

Can I delete the AppData TEMP folder?

The AppData folder is a hidden folder. The Temporary Internet Files folder is a hidden system folder.

What folders can I delete from Windows 10?

Deleting system files

Can I delete AppData local Microsoft?

can i delete the files inside c:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Microsoft? Anything in “Local” can be deleted. However doing so can delete settings for applications and will need to be created again. Local is mostly used for cache of data for applications.

What is the AppData folder in Windows 10?

Almost every program you install on your Windows 10 PC creates its own folder in the AppData folder and stores all its related information there. AppData or Application data is a hidden folder in Windows 10 that helps protect user data and settings from deletion and manipulation.

What is AppData local folder?

What is the AppData folder? The AppData folder contains application (app) settings, files, and data specific to the application (apps) on your Windows PC. The folder is hidden by default in Windows File Explorer, and has three hidden sub-folders: Local, LocalLow, and Roaming.

What does AppData mean?

AppData is a folder in your Windows user account home folder, and Roaming is a folder within that. AppData\Roaming is where programs on your machine store data that is specific to your user account. The folder is normally hidden, and lives within your user account home folder.

How do I start Windows Explorer after killing?

Restart Windows Explorer. Now, to start Windows explorer again, you will have to use Task manager too. Task manager should be already open (Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc again if you can’t see it), just click on “File” at the top of the window. From the menu, click on “New Task (Run)” and type “explorer” in the next window.

Just click the Search or Cortana icon in the Windows 10 taskbar and type “Run.” You’ll see the Run command appear at the top of the list. Once you’ve found the Run command icon via one of the two methods above, right-click on it and select Pin to Start.

How do you open a file in CMD?

Method 1 Opening Basic Programs

Where do I find temporary Internet files on Windows 10?

Either way, here is how you can reach the Temporary Internet Files folder on a Windows 10 PC.

How do I find temporary files on Windows?

Click any image for a full-size version.

Should I delete temporary files Windows 10?

To delete temporary files: