Can I Move Users Folder to Another Drive?
On Windows 10, each user account has its own set of default folders, located in the "Users" folder on the C drive, followed by the user's username. These folders, such as "Documents", "Pictures", and "Downloads", allow users to organize and keep their files, including papers, images, and other data, and are visible in File Explorer under "This PC" and "Quick Access".
Users often move the Users folder to another drive after 1-1.5 years, as their data usage increases, consuming a significant amount of available space on the C drive, which in turn affects the PC's performance.
To free up space on your C drive, we'll guide you through safely moving the User folder to another drive.
How to move Windows Users folder to another drive
You can either manually move your folder using File Explorer, which involves navigating to the original location, selecting the folder, and dragging it to the desired destination, or use a professional moving tool to quickly move multiple folders at once.
Way 1. Move Users folder via File Explorer
▶ Section 1. Create new folders
Step 1. Open File Explorer.
Step 2. Click on This PC from the left pane.
Step 3. Under the "Devices and drivers" section, open the new drive location.
Step 4. Navigate to the location you want to move the folders.
Step 5. To move a folder in the new location, create a new folder with the same name as the one you want to move, and then copy the contents of the original folder into the new one, and finally, delete the original folder.
▶ Section 2. Move the folders
Step 6. Press "Windows" + "R" and type: %HOMEPATH%
Step 7. Right-click the folder you want to move and select the "Properties" option.
Step 8. Click the "Location" tab and click the "Move" button.
Step 9. Select the folder with the same name in the new location, and click the "Select Folder" button.
Step 10. Click the "Apply" button and confirm with the "Yes" button.
When you're done with the instructions, the default account folders will be relocated to a new place, and any files saved from then on will be stored there by default.
While moving folders individually takes more steps, it helps prevent issues that might occur when changing the primary account folder.
Way 2. Move Users folder with a professional tool
The process of moving the Users folder to another drive is complicated because the source directory needs to be updated to the new location on the other drive, otherwise, all data will remain in the old folder.
If you don't want to be annoyed with too many steps, you can turn to Qiling Disk Master Professional. Its "Move Folder" function allows you to move multiple folders at once and automatically changes the directory information, saving you from manually changing each one individually.
1. Make sure the target drive has sufficient free space to save all you move. If there's a notice that tells you the space is insufficient, you can free up space on the target drive by deleting unnecessary files or moving them to another location. Once you've ensured there's enough space, you can proceed with the move.extend the partition at first.
2. Please refrain from moving or deleting files in the source and target directories to ensure the folders operate normally.
3. This feature only runs between NTFS drives, meaning you can't move folders from or to a FAT32 drive using it. If you need to move folders to or from a FAT32 drive, you'll need to use a different method.convert to NTFS at first.
Step 1. Install and run Qiling Disk Master, click "Backup and recovery" tab page and select "File Sync".
Step 2. Select the folder you want to move. Choose the location drive under the window.
Step 2. Select destintion path, click "Proceed".
Step 4. It immediately syncs the selected folder into the destination path.
"Wait for a while, all selected folders will be moved safely."
Further knowledge: Move installed apps to another drive
If your C drive is still running low on space after moving folders, don't worry, we still have a solution for you.
To move programs installed on the C drive to another drive, you can use the "App Mover" feature of Qiling Disk Master. This utility allows you to easily transfer installed programs to another drive, making it a convenient solution for users who need to free up space on their C drive.
The tool allows users to move multiple installed apps from one drive to another, eliminating the need to reinstall them. It will update all relevant information to ensure the moved programs can boot and run smoothly.
Step 1. Run Partition Assistant, go to "Tools" > "App Mover".
Step 2. In the pop-up window, choose the partition that you want to free up via moving apps, such as partition C, and click "Next".
Step 3. Select the apps you want to move, choose the destination partition, and click "Move" to relocate them from the C drive to the chosen partition.
Step 4. Confirm that you have closed the apps that you will move from C drive to D drive. Then, click "OK".
Step 5. Wait for the move process to complete. Then, click "Finish".
This tool has a feature to quickly find unnecessary files to release disk space, allowing users to delete large files, freeing up space on their device.
To sum up
In Windows 10, you can move the Users folder to another drive using File Explorer, but it requires multiple steps. Alternatively, using Qiling Disk Master can simplify this process, and you can also move applications if needed.
A practical tool for disk/partition management, available in Server and Unlimited editions for enterprise users.
Related Articles
- How to Move Folders to a Different Drive in Windows 11/10/8/7?
How to move folders to a different drive? What's the benefits of moving folders? In this tutorial, you will find the answer and learn the easiest way to get it done. - Recover Files from Accidentally Formatted External Hard Drive
I accidentally formatted an external hard drive but I don't want to loss my files, can I recover my files? You can learn how to recover formatted data on external hard drive in this article. - How to Easily Backup Buffalo NAS to External Hard Drive?
You will learn how to backup Buffalo NAS to external hard drive to protect your data with best free Buffalo backup software. - Automatically Backup and Recover Word Documents in Windows 10
This article illustrates how to save, backup and recover (unsaved or deleted) word documents in Windows 10 automatically. Thus, you don't need to worry about data loss.