Transfer Apps and Programs from PC to an External Hard Drive

This article teaches you how to move apps/programs from a PC to an external hard drive and provides a step-by-step guide for you. In this guide, we'll need a tool to help transfer programs and apps - EaseUS Todo PCTrans. You can download it and follow the guide below to start the transfer process.

Many users report that their C drive is full, and it slows their PCs. The following is a real case. Let's see.

Case - I need to move my apps

"Hello. My hard drive is getting full, and I would like to move some of my programs to an external hard drive. Please let me know how I can do this and be able to access the programs via the external hard drive without any problem."

As time goes on, you may install a large amount of game software or other software on your computer. To avoid a low disk space warning, you may want to move programs to a larger drive and save the newly installed software to it instead of a C drive. Indeed, the best way to increase C drive space is to transfer programs to an external hard drive.

Problem - Is it possible to move programs to an external hard drive

When you install a program, it generally puts a lot of files throughout the hard drive directories and registry, not just in the directory you select. If you just simply copy the programs to an external device, you may be able to install programs on an external hard drive. However, the program will probably only work from the computer you installed from. Thus, you cannot directly drag program files to another drive, whether on the same disk or a different physical disk. 

Here comes the problem. How can you move programs to an external device and make sure that you can run the program on any other computer? You need to use an application transfer software, EaseUS Todo PCTrans, to help you effortlessly move or transfer applications to an external hard drive.

EaseUS Todo PCTrans is an easy PC migration solution that can help you to move data and apps and transfer accounts from one computer to another or to an external device. In only one click, this transfer tool sets up the new PC and makes you a seamless swap instead of manual copy and paste. No need to reinstall your apps now.

You can download this software here now and directly launch this software to help you move apps from a PC to an external hard drive.

Solution - Move/Transfer Apps and Programs to an External Hard Drive

Here is how to use EaseUS Todo PCTrans to move apps to your external hard drive:

Step 1. Connect your external hard drive to your computer. Open EaseUS Todo PCTrans and select "Local Migration > Start".

Step 2. Find and choose the applications (marked as "Yes") that you want to transfer. You can select multiple apps. 

Click the triangle icon and select your external hard drive as the destination to store the apps. 

Step 3. Then, click "Transfer" to move your programs to an external hard drive.

Conclusion

External hard drives are popular because of their excellent portability and security. Generally, there are various reasons why a person may want to transfer programs to an external hard drive, such as freeing up space on the computer, backing up data to an external hard drive, etc. This article gives you a complete guide on how to transfer programs to an external hard drive. I believe you will gain something, and at the same time, you can share this article with other users. To do so, you can click the buttons below.

Move Apps to an External Hard Drive FAQs

This article aims to be a complete guide on how to transfer programs to an external hard drive. In order to help you better solve this problem, this section also lists some related FAQs. Read on if you need help.

1. How do I move apps from C to D drive?

To access Windows settings, first click the Windows icon and then click the gear symbol. Click 'Apps' in the Windows settings pane now. With this, the 'Apps and Features' will launch. Scroll until you discover the program you want to move. Then simply select 'Move.' You may then transfer apps from C drive to D drive.

2. How do I move apps to external storage in Windows 11?

Follow the steps below to try:

1. To open Settings, press the Window + I simultaneously.
2. Select App on the left panel and click the Apps and Features option.
3. Select the target App and click Move from the context menu.
4. Choose your external hard drive to store your Apps and click Move to start.

3. Why can't I move apps from C to D?

Some programs will give you the option to move them from the C drive to the D drive, but not all of them have that option available. If you want to check, go to Settings > click Apps > Select Apps and Features > select the program and click Modify. If you see an option to move the program to the D drive, you can do so. But again, not everyone can use it.