Redirect AppData (Roaming) Folder
Redirects application data for roaming profiles.
- Policy path
- User Configuration > Windows Settings > Folder Redirection > AppData (Roaming)
- Supported on
- Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016 and later
Redirects application data for roaming profiles. Security baselines recommend setting it to Redirect for roaming profiles.
Description
Redirect AppData (Roaming) Folder is a Windows Group Policy setting located under User Configuration > Windows Settings > Folder Redirection > AppData (Roaming). It applies to the User Configuration branch and is classified as a Informational-level policy in the Folder Redirection category.
Redirects application data for roaming profiles.
Microsoft sets the default value to Not configured while industry security baselines (CIS, NIST, DISA STIG) recommend Redirect for roaming profiles.
In-depth explanation
This is primarily an operational or user-experience setting. It does not directly raise or lower the security posture, but it standardizes behavior across the fleet, which is important for predictable support, training, and troubleshooting in an MSP-managed environment.
The policy is grouped under Folder Redirection, which means it is typically applied through a domain-wide GPO linked at the OU level. In a multi-tenant MSP context, scope it through WMI filters or security group filtering rather than linking at the domain root, so that you can roll out progressively (pilot OU → wider rings → all production).
The setting takes effect after the next Group Policy refresh (gpupdate /force for immediate testing, or by default within ~90 minutes for workstations and ~5 minutes on domain controllers). For computer-side policies a reboot may be required; for user-side policies, a sign-off/sign-on cycle is enough.
Use cases
- Apply organization-wide hardening of folder redirection on all domain-joined Windows endpoints.
- Roll out a CIS Benchmark-aligned baseline targeting 'Redirect AppData (Roaming) Folder' via a dedicated GPO.
- Reduce attack surface for accounts that handle privileged credentials or sensitive data.
- Standardize the configuration across multiple customer tenants for an MSP-managed fleet.
Security implications
This control is primarily about consistency and supportability rather than security. The main risk of leaving it unconfigured is divergence between machines, which makes troubleshooting and standardized imaging harder, especially across multiple customer tenants in an MSP context.
How to configure
- Open Group Policy Management Console (
gpmc.msc) on a domain controller or a workstation with RSAT installed. - Create or edit a GPO linked to the OU containing the target user configurations. We recommend a dedicated baseline GPO (e.g. SEC – Folder Redirection) instead of editing Default Domain Policy.
- Navigate to
User Configuration > Windows Settings > Folder Redirection > AppData (Roaming). - Open Redirect AppData (Roaming) Folder and set it to
Redirect for roaming profiles. - Click OK and close the editor.
- On the target endpoint, run
gpupdate /force(or wait for the next refresh cycle), then verify withrsop.mscorgpresult /h report.html.