Application data sample

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Shows how to store and retrieve data that is specific to each user and app by using the Windows Runtime application data APIs (Windows.Storage.ApplicationData and so on).

Note: This sample is part of a large collection of UWP feature samples. You can download this sample as a standalone ZIP file from docs.microsoft.com, or you can download the entire collection as a single ZIP file, but be sure to unzip everything to access shared dependencies. For more info on working with the ZIP file, the samples collection, and GitHub, see Get the UWP samples from GitHub. For more samples, see the Samples portal on the Windows Dev Center.

Application data includes session state, user preferences, and other settings. It is created, read, updated, and deleted when the app is running. The operating system manages these data stores for your app:

  • local: Data that exists on the current device and is backed up in the cloud
  • temporary: Data that could be removed by the system any time the app isn't running
  • localcache: Persistent data that exists only on the current device

If you use local data in your app, your users can back up application data in the cloud. This application data can then be restored back on any other device while setting up the device with the same account.

The system also manages a roaming data store, but the data no longer roams starting in Windows 11.

The sample covers these key tasks:

  • Reading and writing settings to an app data store
  • Reading and writing files to an app data store

Concepts

Store and retrieve settings and other app data

Reference

Windows.Storage.ApplicationData
Windows.Storage.ApplicationDataCompositeValue
Windows.Storage.ApplicationDataContainer
Windows.Storage.ApplicationDataContainerSettings

System requirements

Client: Windows 10

Server: Windows Server 2016

Phone: Windows 10

Build the sample

  1. If you download the samples ZIP, be sure to unzip the entire archive, not just the folder with the sample you want to build.
  2. Start Microsoft Visual Studio and select File > Open > Project/Solution.
  3. Starting in the folder where you unzipped the samples, go to the Samples subfolder, then the subfolder for this specific sample, then the subfolder for your preferred language (C++, C#, or JavaScript). Double-click the Visual Studio Solution (.sln) file.
  4. Press Ctrl+Shift+B, or select Build > Build Solution.

Run the sample

The next steps depend on whether you just want to deploy the sample or you want to both deploy and run it.

Deploying the sample

  • Select Build > Deploy Solution.

Deploying and running the sample

  • To debug the sample and then run it, press F5 or select Debug > Start Debugging. To run the sample without debugging, press Ctrl+F5 or selectDebug > Start Without Debugging.