How to Move Installed Programs to Another Drive in Windows 11

If your C drive has no free space left, you can easily move some of the installed programs to another drive like the D drive in Windows 11 to improve your PC's performance.

Are you receiving a low disk space warning for only one internal disk on your Windows 11? This is not a big problem. You simply need to move some programs to another drive on your Windows 11, and your PC will no longer disturb you with low performance or space messages. 

Usually, it's recommended to at least leave 15% to 20% free space on your one drive, especially on C drive. That's because C drive is where most of your Windows 11 updates are stored, so it should have sufficient space for further updates and system settings. 

Fortunately, if you have an empty space left on your other disk drives like a D drive, you can easily transfer some programs from C drive to D drive in Windows 11. This way, you can smoothly run your Windows 11 without uninstalling any program. Plus, folks, it's not hard to move installed programs to another drive in Windows 11. You can use both manual steps and software to quickly transfer programs from C drive to D drive or any other drive. 

So, let's check out how to move installed programs from one drive to another efficiently on your new Windows 11 computer. 

Let's begin with the simplest way to move installed programs to another drive:

How to Move Installed Program to Another Drive Using Software 

If you are not computer savvy, we have the best software migration solution for you - EaseUS Todo PCTrans. When you have an easy-to-use application transfer tool, there's no need to go through all the manual trouble. You can free download this software on your Windows 11, and within three steps, you can migrate the program to another drive. 

Easy steps to transfer installed programs from C: drive to D: drive using EaseUS Todo PCTrans is:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Todo PCTrans, choose "App Migration", and click "Start" on the main screen.

Step 2. EaseUS Todo PCTrans will automatically scan and display all the supported programs. 

• Find the programs you want to change the location and select them.
• Also, click the triangle icon to select the destination to migrate the programs to.

Step 3. Click "Transfer" to start changing the program installation location.

Note: Just restart your computer after the transfer process is complete to save all the changes. 

How to Transfer Programs from C Drive to D Drive Manually

If you are a tech-savvy person, you can move installed programs from one drive to another using three ways, such as:

Note: Transferring applications from C: drive to D: drive manually isn't very hard. But if the Move option is greyed out next to the program or you aren't comfortable with the command line, the software is the best option to transfer programs between drives. 

1. Transfer Programs from C Drive to D Drive using Windows Settings 

You can seamlessly move programs to another drive using Apps & Features, and Apps & Games features in Windows Settings. However, this method only shifts partial C drive installed applications to D drive. If that's alright with you, follow these steps:

Transfer with Apps & Features 

• Right-click on the Windows icon and select Apps & Features or go to Settings > Apps > Apps & Features. 
• Select the application you want to transfer, click on the Move button, and select the drive where you wish to transfer the program like D: drive. 
• Now, just wait for the move to complete. 

Transfer with Apps & Games 

• Open the search bar and type Storage to open it. 
• Next, click on This PC (C:) to open the Storage usage of your C drive and then, click open Apps & Games. 
• Scroll down to the Apps & Features, select the desired program and click on the Move button. Also, select the destination for your program like D: drive. 
• Let's wait for a few minutes to complete the transfer and restart your PC once. 

This solution seems to be a little complicated. This tutorial will continue to teach you how to transfer programs using a command prompt. If you think they are helpful, click the social buttons to share with other friends.

2. Transfer Programs from C Drive to D Drive using Command Prompt 

Can you handle Windows commands? If yes, you can use the Registry command to move installed programs from C drive to D drive. However, if things don't work as per your plan, small changes in Registry settings can crash your whole system. So, only follow these steps if you are super confident:

• Set up a folder named Program Files in the C: drive. 
• Press Windows + R, type CMD in the run search box to copy and paste the Program Folder to a new location. 
• Enter the following command line— 

Robocopy" C：\ Program Files" " D：\ Program Files" / mir

Robocopy" C：\ Program Files" "D：\ Program Files" / mir

• Next, open the search box again and find the folder path using prompt in Windows 10/11–

"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Wow6432Node \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion"

Bottom Line 

It's not at all complicated to transfer programs between your drives. You can use Windows Settings, Registry Settings, and even an easy Copy and Paste method to do it. Importantly, you have free and powerful EaseUS Todo PCTrans software when you don't want to go through all the manual transferring hassle. 

So, folks, if your C drive is overburdened, get EaseUS Todo PCTrans to reduce its burden and boost your Windows 11 performance. 

FAQs On How to Move Installed Programs to Another Drive in Windows 11

Do you know how to move installed programs to another drive in Windows 11? This section will continue to provide some useful answers and questions related to today's topic. Keep reading for more details.

1. Can I move files from C drive to D drive Windows 11?

Of course, you can easily move files from C drive to D drive:

• For non-system files: For example, desktop files, you can move files to D drive by dragging and dropping or copying and pasting.
• For system files: some files may be composed of a registry, and you cannot successfully move system files by simply copying and pasting. But you can use a professional transfer tool like EaseUS Todo PCTrans, which can also help you move some hidden files.

2. How to move Apps to an external hard drive? 

You can move apps to an external hard drive in two ways: by using a reliable app transfer tool - EaseUS Todo PCTrans, or by using the apps and functions that come with Windows:

• Open the Windows Settings screen and select the Apps & Features option on the left.
• Select the target application in the menu and choose External Storage.
• Click Move to confirm the Move of Apps to the external drive.

3. How to install programs on D drive?

Usually, for Windows programs, the default download address is the C drive. If you want to install programs on D drive, you can change the default address to download programs:

• Find the programs you want to move in Settings, click the Move option and select the target drive.
• Then click Move again to seven two relocate the application.