This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(288, 87%, 37%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EMO%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
I'm new to packaging apps for the Microsoft Store. I have an app that's been accepted, and published, in the Store but it fails during launch after being installed on a test machine (it runs fine on my development machine).
It generates a log file which I would like to review on the test machine to help figure out what's going wrong. However, those log files get written to the folder containing the app's executable, that being the traditional place for a desktop app to write such files. From what I've read about packaged apps that can't/won't work. Even if it did, it's hard/impossible for even an admin on the test machine to access the folder where the app is installed.
What is the preferred/best location for app-generated log files for packaged apps? The user's AppData/Local folder for the app? Or somewhere else?
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(211.20000000000002, 92%, 30%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3ERL%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Hello,
Welcome to Microsoft Q&A!
What is the preferred/best location for app-generated log files for packaged apps? The user's AppData/Local folder for the app? Or somewhere else?
There is no best location. It depends on your requirement where you place the log file. You could put the file wherever your app has permission. If you are developing a UWP app, you could check this document- File access permissions about the file permission that UWP apps have and choose a place that is suitable for your requirement.
Thank you.
If the answer is the right solution, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".
Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.
I forgot to mention I'm not writing a UWP app. It's a WinUI3 app, which I thought meant it behaved like an old-fashioned Windows desktop app. But apparently distributing it through the Microsoft Store converts it into something more restricted?
For Windows App SDK apps, it supports multiple features for data and files, you could check this document: Data and files. Windows app SDK apps could access more locations than normal UWP apps because they could use .net file APIs without limitations. But still, it depends on your requirement that where you put the log file.