How to move computer programs to another disk in Windows 10/11

The struggle to manage our computers' storage space becomes very real as our digital lives constantly expand with the many programs and applications we install and use. By default, all new programs and applications are placed on your machine's system drive, which is sometimes known as the C drive. The C drive will fill up over time, and you will need additional space in order to install future programs, which will automatically force you to move some of the programs installed on the C drive to another location to free up space on your computer's hard drive, so in this article we will delve into how to move programs to another drive.

Fortunately, Windows offers several solutions to this dilemma. Moving programs from one drive to another without the hassle of reinstalling from scratch can save time and effort, and is an essential skill for users to generally acquire in order to be ready when their C drive suddenly fills up. In this article, we will explore effective methods on how to move programs to another disk seamlessly.

When do we need to move software to another disk in Windows 10/11? There are many scenarios where moving programs to another drive becomes necessary. One common situation is when your system drive (usually labeled as C) runs out of space due to the accumulation of programs and applications.

In such cases, moving certain programs to a different drive (for example, D or an external drive) can help alleviate the storage crunch and improve overall system and device performance. Furthermore, upgrading to a larger storage drive or replacing a broken one necessitates moving the software without resorting to the cumbersome reinstallation process.

How to move programs to another disk on Windows 10/11?

Transferring music, photos, videos and other stuff from one drive to another is easy. Moving the program data to another disk is more difficult because the program creates a folder in the C disk of the Windows operating system. So if you move the files of an installed program to another disk, the program may stop working.

So, how do you move programs to another disk? All the methods are explained below.

Method 1: Move the programs to another disk

Windows Settings Way One way to move programs to another disk is to use the application settings in Windows 10 or 11. As you know, there are a lot of programs installed on your computer. Some come with your system, and you install other options.

This method is only valid for the second case. Here's how to move installed programs to another drive: Press the Windows button on your keyboard to open the Start menu. Then click Settings (gear icon) to access system settings.

In the Settings window, locate the “Apps” or “Apps & Features” option and click on it. It will take you to the section where you can manage installed applications. Scroll through the list of installed applications to find the application you want to move to another drive.

Click on the app name to select it. Once you select the app, you will see an option called “Move” below its name. Click on this option.

A new window will appear, allowing you to choose the destination drive for the application. Select the drive you want to move the application to. After selecting the destination drive, click the “Move” button or a similar phrase to confirm the transfer.

Windows will now proceed with moving the application to the chosen drive. The time it takes to transfer an application depends on its size and the performance of your system. The system will provide you with a progress bar or status indicator so that you can monitor the transfer process successfully.

Although this method is convenient for some applications, it may only work with some programs but not all. Method 2: Move programs to another disk using the “Registry” feature For users with a technical background, moving programs to another disk manually using the Windows Registry is one option. The registry includes information used by programs and the Windows operating system itself.

Thus, it helps the system manage your computer and changes the installation path of applications in the registry to point to the new drive location. Here are the steps to successfully complete the process of transferring programs to another disk: Create a new folder “Program Files (86)” in drive C or another drive. Copy the “Program Files” and “Program Files (x86)” folders to the new folder.

Enter “CMD” in the search bar, right-click on it, and select “Run as administrator.” Enter the following commands and press “Enter.” Robocopy” C： Program Files” “

Type “regedit” and press Enter to open the registry editor, and then go to the next destination that you will type, which is: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersion. Look for anything that has the name of the program you want to transfer (for example, the name of the program or the name of the developer). Locate the entry containing the installation path (often called “InstallLocation”).

Double-click it to modify the value. In the dialog box, replace the current path with the new path on the destination drive where you want to move the program files. Click OK to save the changes you made to the registry.

Now, manually move the program files from its old file on your C: drive to the new directory on the drive you're aiming to move it to. After transferring the files, run the program to make sure it works properly from the new location.

How to change the default installation path for programs on my system

Operating Windows 10/11 Related articles: How to clone a hard drive to a new one with the operating system and all the files If you do not want to install programs and applications on the C drive in the future because its space is small or for any reason, you can simply change the default installation location through these steps below, which are valid for both Windows 10/11 operating systems: Press the Windows key + I to open Settings. Click System > Storage. In Windows 10, under the More storage settings heading, click Change where new content is saved.

In Windows 11, click Advanced storage settings > Where to save new content. To change the default drive for new applications, use the New applications will be saved drop-down menu. You will notice that this page also allows you to change the default location for storing other files such as documents, music, and pictures.

In conclusion, keeping the device's storage space within the permissible limit is an integral part of the process of improving your computer's performance and maintaining the overall health of the storage disk. When you find that there is limited space on your hard drive, help in moving programs to another disk becomes crucial. The methods discussed in this article provide various ways to achieve this goal, meet the needs of both beginners and advanced users, are easy and simple, and will get the job done in just minutes.

If the official method does not work for you, there are specialized programs that we talked about in a previous article (How to change the path of installed programs and move them from C to another disk in Windows) that we advise you to check out.