How to Move Apps to a New SSD on Windows 11/10? [2024 Tutorial]

Bought a new SSD? Let's help you move your apps to your new device.

SSDs or Solid State Drives forever changed the complexion of storage devices. Upon their arrival, SSDs performed 10-15 times faster than HDDs. Nowadays, that's 25-35 times faster if you have an NVME SSD on your computer.

So, if you've moved to an SSD recently, you may want to move your important files and apps onto your new storage. But can you move already installed apps on your new SSD? If so, then how can you go about doing it?

In this article from EaseUS, we'll talk about the possibility of moving apps to a new SSD. So, let's dive right into it and find out more.

Can I Move Apps to a New SSD?

The simple answer is yes. You can move your apps to a new SSD. However, some apps are folder-exclusive. In other words, they have all the data and configuration they need within their folders. So, simply copying them to another storage device would help you move them.

However, some apps have filed scattered everywhere. Their configuration files might be in documents, system32, AppData, user data, etc. However, it's worth trying to move those apps too, because moving apps to another drive, particularly to a new SSD, has many benefits, such as:

These are some of the reasons you may want to move your apps to a new SSD. It doesn't only allow you to speed up your entire PC, but you see performance gains in individual apps, too. For instance, some games nowadays do not work as well on hard drives as they would on SSDs.

The same goes for productivity apps like Adobe. So, moving your apps to a new SSD will see you get heaps of performance uplift. And, it'll also improve your PC's performance as there will be less strain on your C drive (main partition).

That's why it's a good idea to set up a new SSD and move your apps to it as quickly as you can to save storage and speed up the apps and computer.

Set Up New SSD Before Moving Apps

Before you move your apps, it's imperative that you set up your new SSD on your device. Depending on your SSD type, i.e. SATA SSD or NVME SSD, you will have to install it in your PC internally. So, make sure you set up your NVME properly.

So, the first step is to purchase and install your SSD into your PC. Once done, you will have to:

1. #1. Initialize the SSD using Disk Management
2. #2. Create partitions on your new SSD (Optional)

Here's how you can initialize SSD using Disk Management:

#1. Initialize the SSD using Disk Management

Step 1. Type "disk management" in the start menu and open it.

Step 2. Find the new SSD (a disk with an arrow mark).

Step 3. Right-click on the new disk and click "Initialize Disk."

Step 4. Pick the partition style (use GPT as it's most suitable for modern motherboards).

This will initialize the disk and get your SSD up and running. The next step is to create a partition or create multiple partitions. But that depends on your preference. Here's how to do that:

#2. Create partitions on your new SSD (Optional)

Step 1. Right-click on the newly initialized disk, choose "New Simple Volume..." and click "Next" when the Wizard pops up.

Step 2. Select the Simple Volume Size in MB. Say, if you wish to make a partition of 250GB, then you'd type "250000" and click "Next." If you don't wish to make a partition, simply press "Next."

Step 3. Now, assign Drive Letter or leave the default selected.

Step 4. Then, pick the File System in the Format options and Rename your Disk to Backup or any other volume label you like.

Step 5. Click on "Perform a Quick Format" and press "Next."

Step 6. Wait for the format to finish.

This will create single, or multiple partitions according to your liking. Once done, you will be able to explore the newly installed SSD in your File Explorer. To move apps and files to this drive, move on to the next step.

Guide to Move Apps to a New SSD on Windows 11/10

As mentioned before, there are app types that allow you to copy and paste the folder into a new device. However, it's difficult to tell which app type is which. Plus, there's a big chance you might encounter programs not launching or working normally after manual migration.

Thus, instead of trying to do it manually, we suggest using a third-party reliable tool like EaseUS Todo PCTrans. This tool allows you to move applications and their relevant data to your new SSD, including license, registry, user data, etc.

After downloading it, check below to learn how you can move your apps to the new SSD that you just installed:

Step 1. Connect new SSD or HDD to your PC and Run EaseUS Todo PCTrans

1. Connect the new SSD or HDD to your computer and initialize it to make the drive accessible.

2. On the main screen of EaseUS Todo PCTrans, click "Local Migration" and click "Start" to continue.

Step 2. Select apps, programs on the source disk and select SSD or HDD as target disk to transfer

1. On the source partition where you installed apps, tick desired programs (marked as "Yes") that you'd like to transfer to your SSD or HDD.

2. Click the triangle icon to select the new SSD or HDD as the destination and click "Transfer" to move the selected programs.

Step 3. Wait for the transferring process to finish

When the process finishes, click "OK" to complete. 

Then you can restart your PC to keep all the changes and you can run the transferred program on your new SSD or HDD again.

This outstanding migration tool allows you to transfer your files to a new location or storage without the hassle of doing anything manually. It'll move configuration files, settings, and the entire app to another device within a few minutes. Why should you use it? Here's why:

• It's meant to help you migrate files from one PC to another
• It can help you move programs and software between HDD to SSD and vice versa
• It'll help you transfer your entire apps to your new Windows 11 PC
• It's very easy to use and offers a simple App Migration feature
• It helps you free up space on the C drive by moving multiple or bulk apps at once

If you find this page helpful and the tool practical, feel free to share it on your social media!

Final Verdict

There you have it, folks: the process of moving apps and files to a new SSD. You need to ensure that you get an SSD that's up to standards with the modern motherboard and Windows requirements. Once you do, you should use EaseUS Todo PCTrans, as it makes the process a lot easier.

FAQs about Moving Apps to a New SSD

If you're looking for more answers, then you'll find them here:

1: How to move installed programs to another drive in Windows 11/10?

Windows 10/11 setting allows you to move your installed programs to another drive. Here's how you can do that:

• Press Windows + I on your keyboard and open the Settings app
• Head into Apps and Features
• Pick the app you wish to move
• Click on the Move button if it's available
• Done

If this option isn't available for the app you're trying to move, then you'll have to use a third-party tool like EaseUS Todo PCTrans

2: How to move apps to external storage in Windows 11?

You can find and locate the folder of your app to copy and paste it to the external hard drive. However, in order to ensure that you move all the necessary files and settings, make sure you're using a reliable app migration tool like EaseUS Todo PCTrans.

3: How do I move apps from SSD to SSD?

The process remains the same, regardless of the storage type. Even the initialization and partition process will remain the same. So, once you have a new SSD installed, you'll either have to copy and paste it, move the app using Windows Settings, or try a third-party tool like EaseUS Todo PCTrans.

4: Does replacing SSD delete everything?

Unless you format or delete partitions, you won't lose anything. If you have a new SSD, then you can move your files from the previous SSD to the new one using a tool like EaseUS Todo PCTrans.