How to Find the AppData Folder in Windows 10, 8, and 8.1
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.
Windows Search: In the Search Bar on your Windows Toolbar, type %appdata% and press Enter. This opens the AppData folder in Windows Explorer.Make Hidden Folders Visible: The AppData folder is hidden, so you have to toggle an option in your Settings to find it without searching directly.
Here’s how to find the folder if you can’t use search to find it.
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.
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.
