Moving program files directory to "D" drive along with programs

I know you can edit the registry to point to the "D" drive and program file directory. Am I correct in assuming that I need to manually create the directory on the "D" drive before I point to it. I understand that once I do this all new program downloads will go here, is this correct. I would assume that they would also be executed from here. 2nd part of question is can I just use the copy command to move all of the current installed programs from the "C" drive to the "D" drive and have them execute correctly? Been out of IT so long that I'm getting rusty on some of the issues and ways around them.
Thanks for any and all help,
Bill

Welcome to the Forum, Bill.

I don't have any idea why you want to move the Program Files folder to D:. It's a fine idea to have your programs installed to a drive other than C:, and there are good reasons for doing so, but moving Program Files is not a great idea.

Create a folder on D: for your programs (or better, a folder for each type of program -- file utilities, multimedia programs, backup programs, anti-malware stuff, etc.) and reinstall your programs on D: (after uninstalling them from C: and saving any configuration files they have that you might need). Just copying the files of those programs is not likely to work well at all. After you get set up on D:, every time you install a new program, choose to install it on D:, even if the default installation path is C:\Program Files.

No editing of the registry required.

How many programs are we talking about here?

Windows 11 and 10 do not ask you where you want to install the program, it just installs it to the drive and directory specified in the registry.

wsm said:

Windows 11 and 10 do not ask you where you want to install the program, it just installs it to the drive and directory specified in the registry.

Click to expand...

Windows Apps may not ask, but most 3rd party programs (99%), allow you to install them wherever you like.

In this video, i will show you how to move installed apps and programs in Windows 10 and 11.

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Yes, the less complex way is to create a folder such as D:\programs and do a custom installation of each application in d:\programs instead of the default location. For older applications backup any data you may need and uninstall from C:, reinstall in D:. The hard way, I have done it once in Windows XP is to open Registry Editor, search for C:\Program Files and change each entry manually to D:\programs, then copy all your applications to D:\Programs. Make sure they all work OK and then delete the folders from C:. NIGHTMARE! It took many hours to complete, I wasn't sure if I missed something, I would not do that again.