Profile Management

Specify the storage size and path for VHDX files

This article shows you how to specify the storage size and path for VHDX files that Profile Management creates.

Overview

Profile Management provides the following VHDX-based features:

By default, all VHDX files are stored in the user store. If needed, you can specify a separate path to store them. The following lists the default and custom storage paths of VHDX files:

  • Profile container settings
    • Default: {USER_STORE_PATH}\ProfileContainer\{OS_NAME_SHORT}\
    • Custom: {VHDX_STORE_PATH}\ProfileContainer\{OS_NAME_SHORT}\
  • Outlook search index roaming
    • Default: {USER_STORE_PATH}\VHD\{OS_NAME_SHORT}\
    • Custom: {VHDX_STORE_PATH}\VHD\{OS_NAME_SHORT}\
  • Accelerate folder mirroring
    • Default: {USER_STORE_PATH}\MirrorFolders\
    • Custom: {VHDX_STORE_PATH}\MirrorFolders\
  • Enable OneDrive container
    • Default: {USER_STORE_PATH}\OneDrive\
    • Custom: {VHDX_STORE_PATH}\OneDrive\

Profile Management now impersonates the current user to access the VHDX files and does not grant Domain Computers full control permission to the storage path of the VHDX files.

Specify the storage size

The maximum size for all VHDX files defaults to 50 GB. To change the default maximum size, configure the following registry value before any VHDX policy is enabled: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Citrix\UserProfileManager\VhdCapacity (DWORD, size in GB).

The VHDX files don’t shrink automatically, even if you manually delete files from them. To reduce the size of the VHDX files, go to Disk Management, right-click the applicable volume, and then select Shrink Volume.

Specify the storage path

Prepare a network storage location for the VHDX files. Make sure that you grant your users Modify permission or higher to the storage location.

Specify the storage path for VHDX files by following these steps:

  1. Open the Group Policy Management Editor.
  2. Under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Citrix Components > Profile Management > Advanced settings, double-click the Customize storage path for VHDX files policy.
  3. Select Enabled.
  4. In the Path to store VHDX files field, type the full path of the storage location. Example: \\myservername\vhdx_store.
  5. Click Apply, and then click OK.

To enable the setting to take effect, do the following:

  1. Log off from all sessions that are using the user profile.
  2. Run the gpupdate /force command from the command prompt.

    When the policy takes effect varies depending on the use cases:

    • If it is the first time you specify a storage path for VHDX files, the policy takes effect after the user logs on.
    • If it is you change the storage path for VHDX files, the policy takes effect after the user logs off for the first time.

For more information about the gpupdate command, see the Microsoft document.

If this setting is not configured here, the value from the .ini file is used. If this setting is not configured here or in the .ini file, Profile Management stores the VHDX files in the user store.

Specify the storage size and path for VHDX files