Windows AppData and Hidden Folders

Many poker clients save hand histories to the Windows AppData folder (e.g. C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local or AppData\Roaming) for a few practical reasons:

1. User-specific storage
   • AppData is tied to each Windows account, so hand histories are stored per user, preventing conflicts on shared computers.
2. Hidden/system folder
   • AppData isn’t something casual users normally dig through, so files are less likely to be accidentally deleted or modified.
3. Consistency for developers
   • By default, Windows guidelines recommend storing application data (settings, logs, histories) in AppData rather than Documents or Program Files.
   • This avoids permission issues, since Program Files often requires admin rights.
4. Automatic separation of settings/data
   • Clients can use AppData\Roaming for data that follows a user across networked logins (e.g. in corporate environments) and AppData\Local for device-specific files like cached hand histories.
5. Cleaner uninstalls/updates
   • Updating or reinstalling the poker client won’t overwrite or remove saved hand histories, since they’re stored outside the installation directory.

1. Open the Run dialog: Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard.
2. Type the command: In the Run dialog box, type %appdata%.
3. Open the folder: Press Enter to open the Roaming subfolder of AppData in File Explorer.
4. Navigate to the root AppData folder: In the File Explorer address bar, click on AppData to go to the main directory, which contains the Roaming, Local, and LocalLow subfolders.