I mean, when I install something on my Windows computer, most programs create folders and files all over the place, even if a specific “install location” is selected. For example, almost all programs dump files somewhere in AppData on C: drive despite being installed somewhere else. Why is this necessary and/or better than containing files related to a specific program in a single folder? Makes it annoying to keep track of what takes up space where and what I can delete.
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Specifically, regarding AppData versus the install location (such as Program Files), there are a couple of benefits from doing so.
First, the system is designed so that multiple users can be associated with one computer. They will all run the same code, but they can have different configuration files for the application. The executable files live in the Program Files directory, which is common to everyone, but their configuration files will live in *their* AppData folder.
Another reason is that non-admin users don’t have the ability to write to the Program Files directory. Think of a malicious user overwriting that program with one of their own makings and then having another user unknowingly execute it. You clearly don’t want that, so normal users can’t write to those directories. To save configuration files, you need a separate path, which AppData gives them.
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