Can’t Find AppData Folder? Fix with 6 Ways on Windows 11/10/8/7

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Zoey Wen
July 31, 2024 Preview 40 Preview 0
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I’m trying to install minecraft mods for a VR game and one of the steps requires to go to my AppData folder. However, there is no AppData folder when I go to my C drive then users then owner. Any help would be greatly appreciated. --- Post from Reddit

All the computers running on Windows operating system have a folder named AppData on C drive. Every user profile that you create on a Windows PC has a separate AppData folder, in which the data created by programs or applications is stored. Since this folder is hidden by default, often, it can’t be viewed directly. As shown in the above case, when it’s necessary to access the AppData folder but can’t see it, what should we do? No worries, here are 6 ways to fix can’t find AppData folder issue in this page.


Fix 1: Unhide AppData folder in File Explorer

As mentioned earlier, AppData folder is hidden on Windows OS by default, so one common way to find it is unhiding your hidden items in your system.

How to unhide AppData folder in File Explorer?

  1. Open this PC, go to C: drive > Users > your user name.
  2. Click View at the top menu bar > tick the “Hidden items” box.
  3. All hidden folders will now become visible, and check if the AppData folder shows up.unhide in file explorer

 

Fix 2: Use Run to find AppData folder

Many users have also reported that they were unable to fix can’t find AppData folder issue even after unhiding everything. This usually happens due to a system error, but the good news is that there is a workaround to access the folder in such situations. All you need is the Run app on your Windows 11/10 or previous versions.

How to find AppData folder using Run?

  1. Press Win+R to initiate Run window.
  2. Input %appdata% into the box > click OK.run box
  3. The system will automatically prompt you to the AppData folder and you won’t have any struggles to see its contents.

 

Fix 3: Access AppData folder with folder options

Another fix to deal with can’t find AppData folder by Windows built-in unhiding feature is turning to folder options. The workflow in Windows 11/10/8.1/8 would be slightly different from that in Windows 7. Let’s see the tutorials respectively.

How to find AppData folder on Windows 11/10/8.1/8?

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search bar > open it.file explorer options 01
  2. Select File Explorer Options.file explorer options 02
  3. Click View tab > choose “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” under Advanced settings.
  4. Click Apply and OK to keep the change.file explorer options 03
  5. Reach the path to AppData folder (C:\users\username) and check whether this folder is present.

 

How to find AppData folder on Windows 7?

  1. Click Start > Computer to open Explorer.folder options 01
  2. Select Organize > Layout > Menu bar. This will add a new bar to the top of screen.folder options 02
  3. From this new bar, click Tools > Folder options.folder options 03
  4. Head to View tab > choose “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” > click Apply and OK.folder options 04
  5. Finally go to AppData folder path to verify if the can’t find AppData folder issue has been fixed successfully.

 

Fix 4: Get AppData folder back using data recovery software

If you’re still unable to find the AppData folder, it’s quite possible that it has been deleted either by a user or by an external virus attack. In this case we would recommend using a data recovery tool for Windows to find lost AppData folder back, like Cisdem Data Recovery.

This program is designed to recover deleted, lost, formatted, and even corrupted items from your Windows system. It performs a comprehensive scan on the hard drive, giving users the liberty to all deleted files effortlessly. It doesn’t matter whether you have lost the entire AppData folder or just a few important files. Cisdem Data Recovery will help to restore these desired files in no time at all.

How to fix can’t find AppData folder with Cisdem?

  1. Free download, install and run Cisdem Data Recovery on your PC.
  2. In Hardware Disk mode, click on “Select Folder” to browse and choose the folder where AppData folder is located. Then select Search for Lost Data to start the scanning.cisdem data recovery win 01
  3. Wait for the scanning to be done. Use the filter tool or search bar to quickly find your lost folders or files. You can double click on them for preview.cisdem data recovery win 02
  4. Select the folder and files you want to recover, and click Recover button to restore them back.cisdem data recovery win 03

 

Fix 5: Run antivirus scan

If you believe that AppData folder is not deleted but just missing, the can’t find AppData folder problem could also be resulted from virus or malware infection. Viruses and malware can enter a computer in many ways, like when you have downloaded software from an untrusted or third-party website.

In case your system is infected, virus or malware will change the permissions of AppData folder, thus leading to this folder disappearing. Then we should scan the computer with a antivirus tool, for example, Microsoft Defender Antivirus on Windows.

Steps to fix can’t find AppData folder via running antivirus scan:

  1. Open Windows Security on your PC.run antivirus scan 01
  2. Head to Virus & threat protection > Quick scan. This will scan and kill any viruses on the system.run antivirus scan 02
  3. After the scan completes, go to check if your AppData folder appears.run antivirus scan 03

 

Fix 6: Check folder name

In Fix 2, if you can’t find AppData folder via the Run command box, check if your Users folder has a file with the same name as your user name. A lot of users have confirmed that the command %appdata% was not working because of this issue. The file having same name as username account will misdirect Run app to a wrong folder location. Just find out this kind of files and rename them if existing.

 

Can’t find AppData folder? Solved

Windows is no stranger to random bugs or hiccups, among which can’t find AppData folder issue occurs frequently. It’s simple to unhide the AppData folder if it’s merely hidden by default. But when it comes to a deleted or lost AppData folder, you’d better make use of Cisdem Data Recovery to get it back efficiently. After finding AppData folder, you’re also suggested not to move or delete any files from this folder, which can have a bad influence on the proper operation of Windows programs and utilities.

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Zoey Wen

Zoey shows a great interest in what she does. Although not long with Cisdem, she has possessed a professional understanding of data recovery.

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