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  1. C:
  2. Users
  3. <utilisateur>
  4. AppData
  5. Local
  6. Packages
FolderRisk: Caution

Packages C:\Users\<utilisateur>\AppData\Local\Packages

The %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages folder: per-user data of Store apps (UWP, MSIX), one subfolder per package family.

Updated on By AltF4 Formation

What it’s for

Each packaged application (Microsoft Store, UWP, MSIX) gets an isolated, per-user data folder here. Apps store their settings and state without the developer having to know the path, because Windows manages it.

What it contains

  • One subfolder per package family, named <Name>_<publisher ID> (for example Microsoft.WindowsCalculator_8wekyb3d8bbwe).
  • Inside each one, depending on the app: LocalState, RoamingState, TempState, Settings (settings file) and other cache folders.
  • Windows components (Start menu, Search, shell experience) keep their data here too.
  • Sizes vary widely: mail clients, games or Teams can pile up gigabytes of cache.

Risks and best practices

  • The data lives only as long as the app: uninstalling erases it, and temporary storage can be purged at any time.
  • Emptying a folder by hand makes the app lose its settings or even fail to start. To start from scratch, use Settings > Apps > Advanced options, then Repair or Reset.
  • Leave the folders of system components (shell, search) alone, or the interface can become unstable.
  • Only TempState and internal caches are reasonable to clean, with the app closed.

Useful commands

Fenêtre de terminal
# The 10 largest folders
Get-ChildItem "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Packages" -Directory | ForEach-Object {
  [pscustomobject]@{
    Package = $_.Name
    SizeMB  = [math]::Round((Get-ChildItem $_.FullName -Recurse -Force -File -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Measure-Object Length -Sum).Sum / 1MB, 1)
  }
} | Sort-Object SizeMB -Descending | Select-Object -First 10


# Map a folder to its app
Get-AppxPackage | Select-Object Name, PackageFamilyName

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