The Folder Windows Won’t Let You Open
If you’ve ever gone digging through your C: drive looking for an app you downloaded from the Microsoft Store, you’ll have noticed something odd: it isn’t where you’d expect. Software you download and install yourself lands neatly inside Program Files. Store apps don’t. They’re tucked away in a folder Windows actively stops you from opening, even if you’re signed in as an administrator.
Try to open it, and you’ll get “You don’t currently have permission to access this folder.” That’s not a bug. It’s deliberate.
Design For Security
The folder is called WindowsApps, and it lives at C:\Program Files\WindowsApps. Traditional desktop software uses the standard Win32 architecture, which gives installers free rein to create their own folders and write files pretty much wherever they like. Microsoft Store apps use modern UWP or MSIX packaging instead, built for sandboxing and clean uninstalls, and that requires a locked-down, hidden system folder rather than an open one.
Everything inside WindowsApps is owned by a system account called TrustedInstaller and encrypted with the Encrypted File System. That locks regular users, and even most admin tools, out of poking around inside it.
How The Split Works
Store Apps Live In One Sealed Folder
Every app installed from the Microsoft Store gets its own subfolder inside WindowsApps, named after its full package identity rather than something readable like “Spotify” or “Netflix.” The permissions are locked down specifically to stop tampering and piracy.
Traditional Software Spreads Across The Drive
A normal .exe installer behaves very differently. It typically writes to C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86), but it’s also free to drop files into AppData, ProgramData, the registry, and your Start Menu, wherever the developer decides. That’s why traditional software is so much easier to move, back up, or manually delete: nothing is sandboxing it.
Even Your Store App’s Data Lives Elsewhere
To make things more confusing, a Store app’s own settings and saved data aren’t kept in WindowsApps at all. They’re cached separately under C:\Users<username>\AppData\Local\Packages, in a folder matching that app’s package name. So the app itself and the data it saves sit in two different hidden locations.
How To Change Where New Store Apps Install
You can point future Store downloads to a different drive, though it takes a specific route through Settings:
- Open Settings (press Windows + I).
- Go to System > Storage > Advanced storage settings.
- Click Where new content is saved.
- Under New apps will save to, pick your preferred drive from the dropdown and select Apply.
This only changes where new Store apps land going forward. Anything already installed stays put, and it has no effect on traditional software, which picks its own install folder the moment you run the installer.
A Lesson In Sandboxing
The trade-off is real. Sandboxing Store apps this way cuts down where malware can hide and makes each app harder to tamper with, but it also means you lose some control most PC users take for granted over where their software actually lives.
It’s a small design choice most people never notice, right up until they’re hunting for storage space and can’t work out why half their apps refuse to move.
TechRater UK: Did You Know #06
Questions People Ask
Can I move a Windows Store app to another drive?
Often, yes. Go to Settings, Apps, Installed apps, select the app, and choose Move if the option’s available. Some apps tied closely to Windows itself won’t offer this and can’t be moved.
Why can’t I open the WindowsApps folder myself?
It’s owned by the TrustedInstaller system account and encrypted for security, so even administrator accounts are denied access by default. This is intentional, not a fault.
Where does traditional desktop software get installed instead?
Usually Program Files or Program Files (x86), though many installers let you pick a different drive or folder during setup, unlike Store apps.
