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

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

The user's temporary files (%TEMP% and %TMP% variables). Can be deleted, except for files in use.

Updated on By AltF4 Formation

What it’s for

%TEMP% and %TMP% point here for each user. When an application has no other instruction, it writes its working files to this folder: an installer extraction, the preview of an attachment opened directly, a partial download. To find the folder, the GetTempPath function checks TMP, then TEMP, then USERPROFILE, then the Windows directory.

What it contains

  • Temporary files and folders from applications, installers and attachments opened directly.
  • Leftovers from applications that were closed abruptly.
  • Files in use, locked for as long as the application is running.

Risks and best practices

  • Empty the contents with applications closed and skip locked files. Keep the folder itself, since some applications assume it exists.
  • Do not keep anything important here; the folder can be emptied at any time.
  • A volume filled by Temp often points to a faulty application. Identify it rather than clearing the folder regularly.
  • Malware likes to drop files here. Do not run unknown files from this folder.

Useful commands

Fenêtre de terminal
# Effective path and size
$env:TEMP
Get-ChildItem $env:TEMP -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Measure-Object -Property Length -Sum


# Simulate deleting files older than 7 days
Get-ChildItem $env:TEMP -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object LastWriteTime -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-7) | Remove-Item -Recurse -Force -WhatIf

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