- Complex Level: Easy
- Applies to: Switch and change the location of installed apps on Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP and Vista, etc.
This page shows new Windows 11 users how to change where new content is saved in Windows 11, especially for applications like Office, Adobe software, and even some extremely huge games.
| Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
|---|---|
| Fix 1. Use App Migration Software | Try every USB port available. Determine whether you’re using USB 2.0 or 3.0…Full steps |
| Fix 2. Use Apps and Features | Step 1. Press the Windows + I keys to open Windows settings, click on «System» and select «Apps and Features.»….Full steps |
| Fix 3. Use CMD Command-Line | Step 1. Open your C drive and find out the app you want to move to another drive…Full steps |
| Fix 4. Using Registry Editor | Step 1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the run dialog, type regedit, and click «OK»…Full steps |
According to experienced and professional Windows administrators, we collect four efficient ways to move apps around Windows 11 successfully without losing any app data or boot issues. Let’s see:
- #1. Third-Party App Migration Software
- #2. Apps and Features Tool in Windows 11
- #3. CMD Command Line
- #4. Registry Editor
Among the four methods, which method suits you the most? Check the comparison table, and you’ll learn which method suits you the most:
| Comparison | App Migration Software | Apps and Features | CMD | Registry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer Content |
|
|
|
|
| Difficulty Level | Easy | Easy | Medium | Complex |
From the comparison table, it’s clear that the third-party app migration software is the most comprehensive solution for Windows 11 users to change the location of installed applications. However, if you are looking for an easy and efficient method, you can’t miss Method 1. Let’s see how to migrate apps and change the install location of your programs in Windows 11 now.
#1. Use App Migration Software
Professional app migration software can directly help you move the installed C drive programs, software, and even games to another local drive on your computer without any boot issues. EaseUS Todo PCTrans Professional, with its App Migration feature, is exactly what you need.
It allows you to directly move multiple programs and apps from C drive to D or even a second hard drive at one time on your computer without losing any personal data or boot issues. Here are the detailed steps:
Step 1. Run EaseUS Todo PCTrans on your PC
Go to «Loacal Migration» and click «Start» to continue.
Step 2. Select programs to move from C drive to another drive
1. Tick the C drive and select programs (marked as «Yes») that you want to transfer.
2. Click the triangle icon to select another drive on your computer as the destination, and click «Transfer» to start the process.
Step 3. Finish the transferring
Wait patiently until the transferring process finishes and click «OK» to confirm.
When it has done, you can restart PC if necessary. This will keep all changes on your PC and then you can run and programs from another hard drive without reinstallation.
Aside from this, you can also apply EaseUS Todo PCTrans to:
- Move apps from other drives to the C drive
- Move the Desktop folder to another drive
- Transfer apps or programs to another computer
- Backup and rescue data and programs in computer
- More…
#2. Use the Apps and Features Tool
Apps and Features tool is a Windows built-in tool that helps change the location of some installed programs on Windows computers. Windows 11 users can also apply this tool to switch some C drive installed programs from C to other drives.
Here are the steps:
Step 1. Press the Windows + I keys to open Windows settings, click on «System,» and select «Apps and Features».
Step 2. Wait for the Apps and Feature to open, select the programs or applications you’d like to transfer, and click «Move.»
Step 3. Select the drive where you want to move the program to, such as D: drive.
Step 4. Click «Move» to confirm.
If you need to move several programs, you’ll need to repeat the process several times. For a more efficient way, you can totally trust EaseUS Todo PCTrans.
#3. Use CMD Command-Line
Another efficient but more complex solution to move apps around Windows 11 is to run CMD command lines. To do so, you must be careful while running the following steps on your PC.
Some experienced Windows administrators recommend that you create a restore point in Windows 11 if you face any issues while moving apps around Windows 11.
Here are steps to move apps around in Windows 11 using CMD:
Step 1. Open your C drive and find out the app you want to move to another drive.
Step 2. Create a text document, copy and paste the two command lines in the file:
- Robocopy «Source» «Destination» /sec /mov /e
- Mklink «Source» «Destination» /j
Replace the Source with the path location of the target program in your C drive.
Replace the Destination with the path where you want to move the app to on your PC.
Step 3. Type cmd in the search box, right-click Command Prompt, and select «Run as Administrator».
Step 4. Once the command prompt opens, type the first line in your text file and hit Enter:
- Robocopy «Source» «Destination» /sec /mov /e
Step 5. Type the second line in the command prompt and hit Enter:
- Mklink «Source» «Destination» /j
Wait for the process to complete. After this, you can open the target new drive and see if the selected app folder has been successfully moved here.
Note: You need to be very careful while running the command lines, and if any error occurs, it could be Windows that doesn’t allow you to do so. In this case, you should stop the operation and return to Method 1 for help.
If you are running Windows 10, click the following link to learn details about how to change program file location on Windows 10:
#4. Run Registry Editor
The last workaround for moving apps from C to another drive in Windows 11 is using Registry Editor. And before you start, you should also confirm where you want to move the apps.
Here are the steps:
Step 1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the run dialog, type regedit, and click «OK».
Step 2. Once Registry Editor opens, follow the path here to open the folder in Registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
Step 3. Double-click on the ProgramFilesDir (x86) key and change the default value «C:\ProgramFiles» to the new drive path.
Step 4. Click «OK».
Step 5. Double-click on «ProgramFilesDir» and change the default value from «C:\ProgramFiles» to your new drive path.
Step 6. Click «OK», close Registry, and restart your computer.
Bonus Tip: How to Change Windows 11 Default Installation Folder
Aside from the above four methods to change the location of installed programs in Windows 11, it’s also important that you change the Windows 11 default installation folder to save disk space in the C drive.
Here are the steps that you can follow:
Step 1. Press Windows + I to open Windows Settings, and click «System» > «Storage.»
Step 2. At the Save locations section, click the «New apps will save to:» column, and select a new drive to change where your apps, documents, music, pictures, and videos are saved by default.
Let’s share this post to provide help for users who want to change the location of an installed program in Windows 11:
Why Need to Change the Location of an Installed Program in Windows 11
Though being designed with many new features, such as a new user desktop-centered Start menu and taskbar on Windows 11, Microsoft still keeps the most classic Windows system design in its newest operating system — Windows 11. All new content will automatically be saved and installed on the Local System C (This PC) Drive, which is still the same on Windows 11.
As a result, the C drive will soon get full with the following content:
- Downloaded content.
- Installed applications and software.
- Operating system.
- Personal folders, like Documents Pictures.
- Desktop contents, etc.
How will you resolve this issue when the C drive gets full in Windows 11? You can fix this issue in many ways, such as changing the default download location, moving user folders like Documents, Pictures, and Desktop to another drive, deleting useless large files, etc. Changing the location of installed programs in Windows 11 is also a very efficient way to free up large space in the system C drive.
Conclusion
This page covers four reliable methods that help move installed programs in Windows 11 from a C drive to another drive without any boot issues. Among the four methods, Windows beginners can totally trust EaseUS Todo PCTrans to migrate apps from C to another drive.
Experienced Windows users can also try the other three methods if they only want to move some basic apps around Windows 11. Changing the location of installed programs in Windows 11 is possible and easy. As long as you turn to the correct methods, you can directly execute the operation like an expert on your own.
On Windows 11, by default, when you try to save a file, the application will offer a default location to store it, and this location is usually the main installation drive. The same is true for applications. If you install apps from the Microsoft Store, they will install in the primary storage.
If you have a computer with multiple drives or partitions, you can specify where files are saved and where apps are installed by default using the Settings app.
This guide will walk you through the steps to set a different location to save apps, documents, and other files on Windows 11.
How to change default save location on Windows 11
To set different drive locations to save contents and apps on Windows 11, use these steps:
- Open Settings.
- Click on System.
- Click the Storage tab.
- Under the «Storage management» section, click on «Advanced storage settings.»
- Click the «Where new content is saved» setting.
- Use the «New app will save to» drop-down menu and select the location where future apps will install automatically.
- Click the Apply button.
- Use the drop-down menu for each file type (documents, music, photos, movies, and maps) and select the new default save location.
- Click the Apply button for each setting.
Once you complete the steps, the next time you download an app from the Microsoft Store, it will install in the new drive location. Also, the next time you save a file, the new location will be shown as the new default path to store the content automatically.
More resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:
- Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
- Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
When we install new applications on our system, by default, they are installed in the system drive, which is usually the C drive. The 32-bit apps are installed in the “C:\Program Files(x86)” folder and the 64-bit apps are installed in the “C:\Program Files” folder by default.
If you are running out of space in your C drive, you can move some apps to other drives without having to delete them and then reinstall them at a new location.
Table of Contents
Program Files is one of the most important folders in C drive which takes ample space as more software is installed on the system. One way of freeing up space in the C drive is to change the default installation location of the Microsoft Store apps as well as Win32 apps. This will not move the currently installed programs but all future programs will be installed in the new location without manually changing the default installation path each time while installing an app.
Let us show you how you can move existing applications to another drive, and how to change the default location for the Windows apps so all new ones are installed in another drive. The methods discussed in this post can also be applied to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.
Changing The Default Installation Folder for Windows Apps
Through Windows Settings
Note: The following method is focused on Windows 11. However, the same can be applied to Windows 10 with a few minor navigational changes.
Follow the steps given below to change the default installation location for Windows apps:
- Navigate to the following:
Settings app >> System >> Storage >> Advanced Storage Settings >> Where new content is saved - Now click on the drop-down menu under “New apps will be saved to” and select another drive to save the future applications to.
- When selected, click Apply.
All new applications will now be saved to the selected drive. The installations will automatically make the new folders and directories along the way if and when required within the selected drive.
Using Windows Registry
The same can be achieved through Windows Registry. This method is the same for all Windows versions. Perform the following steps to change the default location of the installation folder for new installing programs:
Misconfiguration of critical values in the system’s registry could be fatal for your operating system. Therefore, we insist that you create a system restore point before proceeding forward with the process.
- Open the Registry Editor by typing in regedit in Run.
- Now paste the following in the address bar at the top for quick navigation:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
- On right hand side window, you will see ProgramFilesDir and ProgramFilesDir (x86). Each of these defines the default location of where the 64-bit and 32-bit applications are to be installed, respectively. Double-click on both of them one after the other and define the new location where you wish to install the applications by default. We suggest that you create separate folders for 64 and 32-bit apps.
- Now restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
You can then begin installing the new Store or Win32 applications on your PC, and they will be installed in the new drive.
That said, you can also free up space by moving existing apps to another drive other than C.
How to Move Windows Apps to Another Drive
You can only move the Store apps from one drive to another. Win32 applications cannot be moved. Follow the steps below to move Windows applications:
Note: The following method is focused on Windows 11. However, the same can be applied to Windows 10 with a few minor navigational changes.
- Navigate to the following:
Settings app >> Apps >> Apps & features - Here, look for the app that you want to move from the list and click on the ellipses (3 dots) in front of it. For Windows 10, click on the app to expand it.
- Now click Move from the expanded menu.
- Now select the drive you want to move the app to and click Move.
The application will now move from the main drive to the other drive.
If you do see that the Move button is greyed out, then the application cannot be moved. If you see that it has been replaced by the Modify button, then it is a Win32 application, which can also not be moved.
Unfortunately, there is no convenient way to move a Win32 application. The only method to do so is to uninstall it and then select a new location through the installation wizard while reinstalling the app.
Closing Words
Apply these manageable and painless steps to change your default folder for application installation. This may help you in making your system drive’s space manageable and in control. Now move any of your large files, games, or software between storage drives in a few easy steps.
Размещаем программы и игры на новом накопителе, если место на системном диске подходит к концу.
Зачастую нам не хватает места на диске C, куда по умолчанию Windows 10 сохраняет программы. И приходится устанавливать приложения в хранилища, отличные от системного. В интернете гуляет трюк — правка в реестре, которая заставляет систему изменить место для установки по умолчанию. Однако имейте в виду: это может привести к системным ошибкам. Лучше воспользоваться более простыми способами.
Приложения из Microsoft Store
Программы из Microsoft Store можно запросто заставить устанавливаться не на системный, а на любой другой диск. Для этого откройте «Параметры» → «Система» → «Память устройства». Нажмите «Изменить место сохранения нового содержимого».
В появившемся окне в разделе «Новые приложения будут сохраняться здесь» выберите нужный диск и нажмите «Применить». Теперь все ваши программы из Microsoft Store будут устанавливаться в новое место.
Те программы же, что вы скачивали раньше, по‑прежнему будут находиться на диске C. Но их можно перенести вручную. Для этого откройте «Параметры» → «Приложения», выберите нужное и щёлкните «Переместить».
Учтите, это работает только с теми программами, что вы установили из Microsoft Store.
Кстати, когда вы пытаетесь загрузить из Microsoft Store большие приложения, например игры, магазин обязательно уточнит у вас, на какой диск их устанавливать.
Приложения со сторонних ресурсов
Будем откровенны: несмотря на все старания Microsoft, мы до сих пор редко скачиваем что‑то из их Store. Как правило, рядовой пользователь идёт на сайт разработчика программы, качает оттуда установщик и ставит приложение так же, как это делалось в старой доброй Windows 7.
В этом случае поменять место для программы совсем просто. Скачайте инсталлятор любого нужного вам приложения. Затем начните установку как обычно.
Когда инсталлятор предложит вам выбрать путь, нажмите «Обзор» (или Browse) и укажите диск и папку на нём, куда нужно поместить ваше приложение.
Как быть с уже установленными программами, которые переполняют системный диск? Можно вырезать папку с программой на диске С и скопировать её на новый носитель, а затем заменить пути к программе в меню «Пуск».
Но это теоретически также может привести к системным ошибкам. Поэтому самый надёжный способ — удалить программу через «Параметры» → «Приложения», а затем установить её заново на новый диск.
Игры
Игры занимают много места, и иногда это единственная причина покупки дополнительного ёмкого SSD. Чтобы изменить место установки проектов из Steam, сделайте следующее: нажмите «Steam» → «Настройки» → «Загрузки». Щёлкните кнопку «Папки библиотеки Steam».
Затем — «Добавить папку».
Выберите нужный диск и папку. При необходимости можно создать новую прямо в этом окне. Нажмите «Выбрать».
Затем щёлкните на вашу новую папку и выберите «Назначить папку по умолчанию».
Теперь все новые игры будут устанавливаться туда.
При необходимости можно перенести уже имеющиеся игры Steam на новый диск. Для этого закройте клиент и выйдите из него через меню в трее. Затем откройте папку с файлами Steam, по умолчанию C:\Program Files\Steam. Удалите оттуда всё, кроме папок steamapps, userdata и файла Steam.exe.
Вырежьте и вставьте всю папку Steam на новое место, например D:\Games\Steam\. Затем запустите клиент из перенесённой папки и зайдите в свой аккаунт.
Пользователям Epic Games Store, GOG, а также тем, кто покупает игры на старых добрых дисках, подобный способ недоступен. Поэтому единственный выход для них — удалить игру, а затем установить заново на другой накопитель.
Папка, куда сохраняются файлы по умолчанию в Windows 11, находится по пути: C:\Users\Имя_пользователя\Downloads. Многим это местоположение не подходит и приходится после скачивания ещё и перемещать файлы в нужный каталог. Расстраиваться не стоит, так как расположение папки «Загрузки» можно изменить. Способы изменения будут подходить как для новейшей Windows 11, так и для более старых версий системы.
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Чтобы изменить расположение папки «Загрузки» в Windows 11 нужно:
1. Найти папку «Загрузки» в проводнике и нажать на неё ПКМ.
2. Заходим в меню «Свойства».
3. Переходим во вкладку «Расположение».
4. Щелкаем по кнопке «Переместить» и выбираем путь, по которому теперь будет находиться папка «Загрузки».
5. Применяем изменения и выбираем нужно ли нам перенести в новую папку уже скачанные файлы.
6. Ждём перемещения файлов.
После этих действий все браузеры будут скачивать файлы в эту папку.
Большинство позволяет это сделать с помощью настроек. Возьмём для примера Google Chrome.
1. В браузере открываем настройки, нажав в правом верхнем углу три точки.
2. Далее переходим в «Дополнительные параметры».
3. Выбираем пункт «Скачанные файлы» и указываем путь для сохранения наших файлов. Также здесь можно установить галочку для функции, которая будет каждый раз при скачивании спрашивать вас куда разместить файл.
1. Нажимаем Пуск и выбираем пункт «Выполнить» или нажимаем комбинацию «Win+R».
2. Вводим команду regedit.
3. Переходим по маршруту
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ User Shell Folders
4. В правой части окна жмём на ключ с именем %USERPROFILE%\Downloads и щелкаем на него два раза.
5. В поле «Значение» вводим путь, по которому мы хотим разместить папку.
6. Закрываем реестр и перезапускаем ПК.
Нужно отметить, что файлы, скачанные до изменений не будут перемещены по новому адресу.
Рекомендуется выбрать такое расположение папки «Загрузки», чтобы на жёстком диске было достаточно места.
Сохранять данные на рабочем столе не рекомендуется, так как рабочий стол находится также на диске «C» и при переустановке системы вы можете их потерять.