[Feature Request] Move user settings to AppData\Roaming

[xmedeko]

It's better to store user settings and other data in AppData\Roaming - %APPDATA% folder instead of AppData\Local - %LOCALAPPDATA%. Benefits are:

• Settings persists during app reinstalls, see Upgrading Fork using winget results in settings lost #1822, Manual update completely reset all settings, specifically custom actions #2585, Upgrade nukes settings #1481
• Simplifies to move to new machine. I.e. when moving to the new machine, I copy all AppData\Roaming and then I have manually find and copy files of apps storing settings AppData\Local, which is tedious.
• Although it's not so often used to share user settings for multiple machines like before, it's still used by some companies setups to backup settings. (AppData/Local is much bigger).

See also

• https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/windows-11/what-is-the-appdata-folder-windows-11-app-data-storage-explained#roaming-folder-3
• https://putridparrot.com/blog/where-to-store-your-application-data/

[DanPristupov]

Settings persists during app reinstalls

A reinstall must reinstall. At the moment, I consider this a feature. The user always has a way to start from scratch by reinstalling the software.

Simplifies to move to new machine.

99% of fork settings are machine related (paths, etc). They should not be moved.

[AppData\Roaming] used by some companies ... to backup settings

I don't see any benefit in it.

[DanPristupov]

I forgot the most important one.

The "Roaming" folder is another location for storing data, but it stores data that can be synchronized across multiple machines.

I don't want to move settings across machines in a domain. Settings are not portable.
We are trying to make maintenance easier, not introduce more problems.

[xmedeko]

A reinstall must reinstall.

All apps, except Fork, which I use and store some settings, keeps the setting on reinstall or ask user to delete the settings or keep them. (Default it to keep them.) One of reason is, the installation may be broken, update service may be broken etc. Try it e.g. with Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice, ...