How can I optimize roaming profiles to reduce AppData folder growth and improve login times in an on-premises environment?

Question

Our organization operates entirely on-premises, including our email and application infrastructure. My colleague has implemented roaming profiles for all users to ensure they can log into any computer on the network and access their data seamlessly. However, we've encountered a significant issue:

Storage Space Growth:

The AppData folder within each user's roaming profile is growing rapidly, consuming substantial server storage space.

  This results in slow login/logout times because the profile data, including the large AppData folder, must be synchronized between the server and the client device.
  
  **Performance Impact**:
  
     Users are experiencing **long login times** due to the large volume of data in their profiles.
     
        This has become a productivity bottleneck, and we need an efficient solution to manage or reduce the size of roaming profiles without disrupting user workflows.
        

What We've Considered:

Cleaning Temporary Data:

We are exploring options to regularly delete temporary data from user profiles to reduce the size of roaming profiles.

Redirecting Folders:

  Considering redirecting non-essential folders (e.g., AppData, Downloads) to local storage on the client machine instead of keeping them in the roaming profile.
  
  **Automation**:
  
     Implementing a **script or scheduled task** to clean up unnecessary files (e.g., temporary files) periodically.
     
     **Policy Adjustments**:
     
        Reviewing and possibly modifying **Group Policy settings** to better control what data is included in roaming profiles.
        

Request for Assistance:

We are seeking guidance or best practices to resolve this issue. Specifically:

What are the best practices for managing roaming profiles to prevent performance issues caused by large AppData folders?

How can we configure policies to exclude specific folders (like AppData) from being synchronized with roaming profiles?

Are there PowerShell scripts or scheduled tasks that can automate the cleanup of temporary files in roaming profiles?

If so, could you provide examples of scripts to delete unnecessary files in user profiles?

Could folder redirection for AppData or other storage optimization techniques reduce login times, and how would we implement this effectively?

Environment Details:

Server OS: Windows Server 2019 (Profile hosting and storage)

User Devices: Mixed Windows 10 and Windows 11 clients

Applications: All applications and services are hosted on-premise.

Roaming Profile Path: Stored on network shares managed by the server.

Additional Notes:

• We want to avoid drastic changes that might disrupt user workflows.

Solutions should ideally be automated and require minimal manual intervention after initial implementation.Our organization operates entirely on-premises, including our email and application infrastructure. My colleague has implemented roaming profiles for all users to ensure they can log into any computer on the network and access their data seamlessly. However, we've encountered a significant issue:

Storage Space Growth:

     The **AppData** folder within each user's roaming profile is growing rapidly, consuming substantial server storage space.
     
           This results in slow login/logout times because the profile data, including the large AppData folder, must be synchronized between the server and the client device.
           
              **Performance Impact**:
              
                    Users are experiencing **long login times** due to the large volume of data in their profiles.
                    
                          This has become a productivity bottleneck, and we need an efficient solution to manage or reduce the size of roaming profiles without disrupting user workflows.
                          
                          **What We've Considered**:
                          
                             **Cleaning Temporary Data**:
                             
                                   We are exploring options to **regularly delete temporary data** from user profiles to reduce the size of roaming profiles.
                                   
                                      **Redirecting Folders**:
                                      
                                            Considering redirecting non-essential folders (e.g., AppData, Downloads) to local storage on the client machine instead of keeping them in the roaming profile.
                                            
                                               **Automation**:
                                               
                                                     Implementing a **script or scheduled task** to clean up unnecessary files (e.g., temporary files) periodically.
                                                     
                                                        **Policy Adjustments**:
                                                        
                                                              Reviewing and possibly modifying **Group Policy settings** to better control what data is included in roaming profiles.
                                                              
                                                              **Request for Assistance**:
                                                              
                                                              We are seeking guidance or best practices to resolve this issue. Specifically:
                                                              
                                                                 **What are the best practices for managing roaming profiles** to prevent performance issues caused by large AppData folders?
                                                                 
                                                                    **How can we configure policies to exclude specific folders** (like AppData) from being synchronized with roaming profiles?
                                                                    
                                                                       Are there **PowerShell scripts or scheduled tasks** that can automate the cleanup of temporary files in roaming profiles?
                                                                       
                                                                             If so, could you provide examples of scripts to delete unnecessary files in user profiles?
                                                                             
                                                                                Could folder redirection for AppData or other storage optimization techniques reduce login times, and how would we implement this effectively?
                                                                                
                                                                                **Environment Details**:
                                                                                
                                                                                   **Server OS**: Windows Server 2019 (Profile hosting and storage)
                                                                                   
                                                                                      **User Devices**: Mixed Windows 10 and Windows 11 clients
                                                                                      
                                                                                         **Applications**: All applications and services are hosted on-premise.
                                                                                         
                                                                                            **Roaming Profile Path**: Stored on network shares managed by the server.
                                                                                            
                                                                                            **Additional Notes**:
                                                                                            
                                                                                               We want to avoid drastic changes that might disrupt user workflows.
                                                                                               
                                                                                                  Solutions should ideally be automated and require minimal manual intervention after initial implementation.