How to find the AppData folder in different Windows versions?

A fairly large number of users of Windows-based systems pays attention to the AppData folder. This is especially true when installing programs and applications. Let's see what data is stored in it, and how to find the AppData folder in different versions of Windows. In passing, we will consider a question related to some actions on this object (moving or deleting).

What is stored in the AppData folder?

In general, before you figure out how to find the AppData folder, you need to decide what it is intended for, and what objects are stored in it.

In fact, this directory is a system directory and is intended for storing information about all applications installed in the system pertaining to each registered user. It has three main objects in the form of folders: Roaming, LocalLow and Local.

Proceeding from the fact that the directory itself is tied to a specific user, and the question of how to find the AppData folder on Windows 8 or some other modification is just to view the Users directory that is available in any system In the root directory of the drive on which the operating system was originally installed. But! Just so you can not get to it.

How to find the AppData folder if it is not visible on the system: general recommendations

So, let's consider the most basic question related to the fact that the directory itself is not visible in user directories. In theory, the folder should be present on the path C: \ Users \ Username, but it is not there for some reason. Why? Yes, simply because the object is hidden.

In order to display it in the directory tree, in the standard "Explorer" go to the service menu, and then set the displayed option of displaying hidden folders and files on the view tab of the objects view. After saving the changes, the AppData directory becomes available for viewing.

Folder search in Windows XP

Now let's look at the problem of how to find the AppData folder on Windows XP. Unfortunately, in different versions of "Wind" the names of this object are different.

If in the "seven" is a shortened version (namely AppData), then in the "directory" the directory has the full name Application Data (from which, in fact, in the future, and was reduced). So, as it is already clear, it is necessary to search for an object with a full name, but located in the location of documents and settings for each user.

How can I find the AppData folder on Windows 7 (8 and 10)?

As for searching in later versions of Windows, starting with the "seven", you need to use the standard method described just above.

That in Windows 7, that in the 8th or 10th versions it has the standard name (AppData), and is located in the Users directory, where all the subfolders with the names of registered users are located.

In principle, you can use the standard search of "Explorer", where in the line you should enter the combination% USERPROFILE% \ AppData and press the Enter key.

Should I delete or move the folder?

How to find the folder Appdata, we sorted out a little. Now a few words about whether it can be renamed, moved or deleted. Very many users look at the required size and just try to clean the system drive, because this directory takes up a lot of space.

Here you need to remember that none of the above actions are highly recommended, because after they are committed, almost all the programs installed in the system in connection with the user will simply stop working. In addition, when trying to apply such actions, the system simply will not allow them to be committed. This is due only to the fact that some objects can be used at the moment. The most simple example is the working antivirus. The system will tell you such a file is now busy, and this will all end.

In principle, you can fool Windu. To do this, for example, in another logical partition, you should create the same folder AppData (or Application Data in the case of Windows XP) and alternately copy all the objects from the desired directory into it.

Now in the system registry you need to change the path to the object. In the HKEY_LOCAL_USER branch, through the Microsoft tree, get to the Shell Folders object. It is there that you must manually change the access path from the standard one to the new one by specifying a full path such as D: \ AppData or some other.

After that, you will need to restart the computer terminal or laptop, and then delete the original folder. True, legitimate doubt causes the expediency of such actions, because no one can give a guarantee that everything will work, so that the object AppData, as they say, it is better not to touch. Agree, because the developers of Windows-systems knowingly placed the directory in the place where it is by default.

Copying data and changing the registry settings is useful unless in cases where the logical partition after such changes can be completely or partially blocked by the administrator of the computer or the administrator of the network so that the user does not introduce any critical changes in the system settings. However, this option can also be used to free up disk space, but only on condition that less than 10% of the space required for Windows to function properly remains on the hard drive.