Keep roaming-profile storage separate from redirected-folder shares

Source facts

Roaming user profiles place profile data on a file share so users can receive operating-system and application settings on multiple computers. Microsoft’s deployment procedure creates a security group for the users or computers receiving the profile policies. It calls for a profile share separate from redirected-folder shares to avoid inadvertently caching the roaming-profile folder. Microsoft documentation.

Applicability

Use this review when deploying traditional roaming profiles to a defined client population. Identify the client versions, user group, share owner, and existing Folder Redirection configuration. Review version-specific profile requirements before the deployment.

DSE recommendation

Prepare a storage-and-policy map showing the profile share separately from any redirected-folder share. Ask the desktop owner to approve the pilot users and application-settings tests. Verify the planned share permissions through the documented procedure and preserve the existing profile arrangement. Define how support will handle an incomplete first sign-in or an unexpected profile location.

Verification

Test a pilot user on the intended computers and record the profile path and application settings observed. Inspect whether the approved policy scope and share separation are in place. Include a user outside the pilot scope. Resolve unexpected caching, profile placement, or missing settings before extending the deployment to more users.

Official references

Microsoft Learn: Deploy roaming user profiles. Source reviewed September 8, 2026.