• Windows
  • Apps

WindowsApps: the folder Explorer refuses to open

Why access is denied even to an administrator, how to size it safely, and the supported way to move Store apps to another drive.

5 min read

C:\Program Files\WindowsApps can be tens of gigabytes, and double clicking it gives an access denied dialog that offers to grant you permission. That offer is the trap. Taking ownership of this folder is one of the few changes on Windows that reliably breaks things in ways that are tedious to undo.

Why it is locked

Every packaged application is installed and serviced by TrustedInstaller, with per package permissions that the Store relies on when it updates or repairs a title. Changing the ownership leaves the folder readable and the servicing broken, and the usual symptom is apps that will not update with an error nobody can search successfully.

Sizing it without touching permissions

# Elevated PowerShell reads it without any ownership change
Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | ForEach-Object {
  $p = $_.InstallLocation
  if ($p -and (Test-Path $p)) {
    $s = (Get-ChildItem $p -Recurse -Force -File -EA SilentlyContinue |
          Measure-Object Length -Sum).Sum
    [PSCustomObject]@{ MB = [math]::Round($s/1MB); Name = $_.Name; Publisher = $_.Publisher.Split(',')[0] }
  }
} | Sort-Object MB -Descending | Select-Object -First 20

Settings, Apps, Installed apps shows a size per app too, and it shows the package only. The per user data beside it is counted separately, which is the gap between what Settings says and what the drive says.

The two folders that grow, and which is which

FolderHoldsRemoved by
Program Files\WindowsAppsThe application itself, shared by all usersUninstalling the app
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\<name>Saves, settings, caches, per userResetting the app, or by hand
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\<name>\LocalCacheThe part that grows without limitReset, or clearing in the app

The LocalCache folder is where a chat or media app quietly stores a few gigabytes. Settings, Apps, the app, Advanced options, Reset clears it, and clears the app's settings and sign in along with it.

Moving Store apps to another drive

  1. Settings, Apps, Installed apps, then the three dots beside the app, Move.
  2. If Move is greyed out, the app declared itself immovable when it was packaged. Nothing on your side changes that.
  3. Settings, System, Storage, Advanced storage settings, Where new content is saved sets the default drive for future installs.
  4. The target drive must be NTFS and internal. Removable drives are refused for most packaged apps.

Removing things you do not use

# List, then remove one package for the current user
Get-AppxPackage | Select-Object Name, PackageFullName
Get-AppxPackage *PackageNameHere* | Remove-AppxPackage

Removing a package for your account leaves it staged for new accounts, which is why an app can reappear on a new profile. The Settings uninstall is the right tool for anything you simply do not want, and it reports the space it will recover, unlike the command.

For where the rest of an application's footprint hides, AppData is the companion to this page, and uninstall leftovers covers what traditional installers leave behind by comparison.

Common questions

Why is WindowsApps access denied?

It is owned by TrustedInstaller, and per package permissions are what the Store uses to update and repair apps. The access denied dialog offers to change that, and accepting it breaks servicing.

How do I see how much space Store apps use?

Run Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers from an elevated prompt and measure each InstallLocation, or read the size per app in Settings, Apps, Installed apps. Settings shows the package only, not the per user data.

Can I move Microsoft Store apps to another drive?

Some of them. Settings, Apps, Installed apps has a Move button, greyed out for apps packaged as immovable. New installs can be pointed at another drive under Advanced storage settings.

What is the LocalCache folder in Packages?

Per user cache for a packaged app, and the part that grows without limit. Resetting the app in Settings clears it, along with its settings and sign in.

Read next