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What is in UserData folder?

Anonymous
2019-11-26T21:57:40+00:00

There's a folder on my PC - C:\UserData.

It has subfolders - Documents, Downloads Music & Outlook.

I thought docs & downloads were saved to folders in my profile - C:\Users\username but these folders in UserData are NOT empty. (Note: this is a shared office PC)

Outlook has my .PST files, which I can (sort of) understand. But documents & downloads?

By what process do files end up in UserData instead of (or as well as) my profile?

I already backup the Outlook folder: should I be backing up the Documents & Downloads folders as well? Are they leftovers from having to share this PC?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-11-26T22:13:13+00:00

    Hi, I'm David an independent advisor and user just like you. I'll do my best to help you with this.

    It looks like this "UserData" folder may have been set-up manually at some point. The location of the Documents, Downloads, etc, folder can be moved from the default location you mention for any user of the PC to any other location.

    If you right-click any of your standard folders in this "This PC" view, go to Properties, then look at the Location tab you'll see the actual folder where they are being kept.

    Regards,

    David

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-11-27T07:56:58+00:00

    Ahh, ok - it's a non standard setup.

    That's the perils of administering someone else's network.

    If I had to guess, I'd say this was done to prevent roaming profiles getting bloated. Saving files to C:\UserData\Downloads [instead of \Users\profilename\Downloads] for example, speeds up login on different PCs at the expense of not having your files.

    Combined with a doctrine of saving work files to a network share, it sort of makes sense. But, as a remote administrator backing up a PC due for replacement, I'll have to include this area in any future backup / restores.

    Thanks for the tip!

    --Alan

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