AppData folder (Windows)
Also known as: AppData, %AppData%, Roaming and Local, AppData Roaming
AppData is a hidden per-user folder on Windows where installed programs store settings, profiles, and caches. It holds three subfolders — Roaming, Local, and LocalLow — and can grow large over time as app caches accumulate, though much of it is not safe to delete by hand.
- Hidden per-user folder for app settings and caches
- Roaming = %AppData%; Local = %LocalAppData%
- Don’t bulk-delete it — much of it is live app data
Roaming, Local, and LocalLow
AppData lives at C:\Users\<you>\AppData and is hidden by default. Roaming (reachable by typing %AppData% in the address bar) holds settings meant to follow you between PCs on a domain — profiles, dictionaries, signed-in app data. Local (open with %LocalAppData%) holds machine-specific data and the bulk of app caches, which is why it grows the most. LocalLow is for low-integrity apps like some browser plug-ins.
Because it is per-user, each Windows account has its own AppData. The folder is hidden to keep people out of files that apps depend on, so it is not meant to be browsed or pruned casually.
Is it safe to clean AppData?
Most of AppData is live application data — deleting the wrong folder can reset an app, lose its settings, or break it. Do not bulk-delete AppData. The safe space to recover is in app caches under Local, and even then it is better to clear caches from inside the app or with Disk Cleanup and Storage Sense than to delete folders manually.
Leftover folders from programs you have already uninstalled can linger in AppData and are usually safe to remove, but identify them carefully first. When in doubt, let the app or Windows’ own cleanup tools manage it rather than deleting by hand.
Why AppData\Local gets so big
The bulk of a large AppData almost always sits under Local. Three folders do most of the growing: Local\Temp (working files apps forget to remove), Local\Packages (data for Microsoft Store apps, one folder per app), and per-app cache folders for browsers, Discord, Spotify, Teams, and games. Each is machine-specific, which is exactly why it lives in Local rather than Roaming.
Everything in Local\Temp is safe to delete, and Windows can do it for you via Settings > System > Storage > Temporary files. For Packages and app caches, clear them from inside the app or remove the app itself; deleting those folders by hand can sign you out or reset the app.