By default, apps you install on your Windows 11 PC are automatically installed on the Windows 11 installation drive. When you have tens of hundreds of apps and games, the Windows 11 install drive might start running out of free space, and you might need to move installed apps and games to another drive or external drive to free up some space on the Windows 11 install drive.
The ability to move installed apps from the default Windows 11 install drive to another internal drive or external drive is one of the lesser-known features of the Windows operating system. The feature, introduced initially with Windows 11, is also part of Windows 11.
This guide shows you how to move an installed app to an external drive on a Windows 11 PC.
Move installed apps to another drive in Windows 11
NOTE: Not all installed apps can be moved. Only select apps installed from the Microsoft Store can be moved from one drive to another. Inbox apps and classic desktop apps do not support changing the installation location.
Step 1: We recommend closing the app you wish to move from the current drive to the new drive before attempting the move to avoid errors.
Step 2: Launch the Settings app using search or Windows logo + I keyboard shortcut.
Step 3: In the left pane of the Settings app, click Apps.
Step 4: Now, on the right side, click Installed apps to view a list of all installed apps on your Windows 11 PC.
Step 5: The list includes inbox apps, apps installed from the Store, as well as classic desktop programs that you might have installed from the internet.
As said before, only apps that were installed from the Store are allowed to move.
Step 6: Ensure the List view is selected by clicking the List view icon in the top-right corner of the window.
Step 7: Click the three dots next to the app that you wish to move to another drive, and then click the Move option. If the Move option is absent or grayed out, it means that the app cannot be moved.
Step 8: Finally, select the drive where you would like to move the selected app before clicking the Move button to begin moving the app.
New folders called Program Files, WindowsApps, and WpSystem will be automatically created at the root of the drive where you have moved the app to save the app files. If you wish, you can restore the app to the original location by following the procedure mentioned above.
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