moving programs from the C drive to the D drive


Tracey2032

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Newbie to Windows 11: Is there an application that moves programs from the C drive to the D drive?

It seems that newer programs now just install on the C drive (no option for another drive).

In times past (previous version of Windows) I have been:
#1 Manually copying programs from C to D then
#2 Save each branch/folder of the registry (one at a time) to a file and modify path locations in notepad then apply registry changes.
#3 Reboot
#4 Delete the program from the C drive.

I hear that the permissions are much relevant since Windows 7
Please advise.
Thanks
 
Windows Build/Version
21H2 (10.0.22000)

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Laptop 17-cn3xxx
    CPU
    intel core 7
Newbie to Windows 11: Is there an application that moves programs from the C drive to the D drive?

It seems that newer programs now just install on the C drive (no option for another drive).

In times past (previous version of Windows) I have been:
#1 Manually copying programs from C to D then
#2 Save each branch/folder of the registry (one at a time) to a file and modify path locations in notepad then apply registry changes.
#3 Reboot
#4 Delete the program from the C drive.

I hear that the permissions are much relevant since Windows 7
Please advise.
Thanks
Most modern apps can be moved wherever you want to:

Screenshot 2025-08-15 173427.webp

I would not attempt what you have done in the past with modern Windows Apps.
 

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    AMD Radeon R5
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    Seagate 1 TB
I can recommend this.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
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    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic LX15PRO
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    AMD Ryzen 7 5825U with Radeon Graphics
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    1920 x 1080
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    SSD 2TB
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    30 Mbps
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    Brave
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    System 3

    Acer Swift SF114-34 laptop
    OS Windows 11 Pro 26200.8524
    CPU Pentium Silver N6000
    RAM 4GB
    SSD Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD 2TB (an upgrade)
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506
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    Laptop
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    HP Mini 210-1090NR PC (bought in late 2009!)
    CPU
    Atom N450 1.66GHz
    Memory
    2GB
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    Brave
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I can recommend this.

Where does it state compatibility with Windows 11 & UWP apps?

Application Mover is compatible with Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, & Windows 10. 32-bit and 64-bit
Note: If you are having trouble with the demo version do not purchase the registered version in the hopes that the registered version will work better on your computer.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    All Branches but Release
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Nitro ANV15-51
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS 3200-4500 Mhz 8 cores x 2
    Motherboard
    Sportage_RBH
    Memory
    32 GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphic / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB GDDR6
    Sound Card
    AMD/Realtek(R) Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Integrated Monitor (15.3"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    FHD 1920X1080 16:9 144Hz
    Hard Drives
    KINGSTON OM8SEP4512Q-AA 1TB
    Western Digital 256GB
    PSU
    19V DC 6.32 A 120 W
    Cooling
    Dual Fans
    Mouse
    MS Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    Fiber 1GB Cox -us & 1GB Orange-fr
    Browser
    Edge Canary- Firefox Nightly-Chrome Dev-Chrome Dev
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Beta
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus X751BP
    CPU
    AMD A9-9420
    Memory
    8 GB of DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R5
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900
    Hard Drives
    Seagate 1 TB
What @OAT said is the way to move UWP apps. You can also change the default location for them by going to Settings | System | Storage | Advanced storage settings. Under "Where new content is saved," change the drive for "New apps will save to."
 

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System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Intel NUC12WSHi7
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    12th Gen Core i7-1260P
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    NUC12WSBi7
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    64 GB Micron PC4-25600
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    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
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    on-board Realtek HD Audio
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    Dell U3219Q
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
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    Samsung SSD 990 PRO 1TB
    Crucial MX500 2 TB
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
  • Like
Reactions: OAT
It works fine with Windows 11. It is a one-click operation. But it's not recommended to moves ome programs that integrate tightly with the OS such as Edge and Office. See the list here Application Mover Important Notes

Windows built in'Move option only works with UWP apps.

Funduc's Application mover does not work with UWP apps, so they compliment each other.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic LX15PRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5825U with Radeon Graphics
    Memory
    16GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD 2TB
    Internet Speed
    30 Mbps
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot Secure Anywhere
    Other Info
    System 3

    Acer Swift SF114-34 laptop
    OS Windows 11 Pro 26200.8524
    CPU Pentium Silver N6000
    RAM 4GB
    SSD Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD 2TB (an upgrade)
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Mini 210-1090NR PC (bought in late 2009!)
    CPU
    Atom N450 1.66GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot
Windows 11 ?home? does NOT allow moving so there are some tings that I need to check out before proceeding.
Thanks, I will reply with my results.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Laptop 17-cn3xxx
    CPU
    intel core 7
Microsoft is dropping support for UWP apps, so that option will soon disappear.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14500
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M G P WIFI
    Memory
    64GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060
    Sound Card
    Chipset Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 45" Ultragear, Acer 24" 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    5120x1440, 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD (O/S)
    Silicon Power 2TB US75 NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 2280 SSD (backup)
    Crucial BX500 2TB 3D NAND (2nd backup)
    Seagate 4TB Ironwolf, rotating HDD archive files
    External off-line backup Drives: 2 NVMe 4TB drives in external enclosures
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 750W
    Case
    LIAN LI LANCOOL 216 E-ATX PC Case
    Cooling
    Lots of fans!
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek Embedded
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" HP 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 eD NAND PCIe SSD
    Samsung EVO 990 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
    Samsung 2TB SATA SSD
    PSU
    Thermaltake Smart BM3 650W
    Case
    Okinos Micro ATX Case
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
Personally, I'd recommend just do a reconfiguration to allow more space on the C: drive. Given that disk storage is actually pretty cheap nowadays, I just start with a large C: drive allocation and save myself the issues of having programs scattered around on different logical disks.

If it every some a time that you have to restore your Windows drive, you will need a matching in time image backup of the drive you moved your programs to. It's a whole lot easier to just keep all the applications in one place. Don't forget to have a well planned backup strategy for your system and consider that in the planning.

I move stuff like my Documents, Pictures, Videos, etc. to a data drive, that's accommodated by Windows capabilities. I also move my Thunderbird email profile to my data drive.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14500
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M G P WIFI
    Memory
    64GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060
    Sound Card
    Chipset Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 45" Ultragear, Acer 24" 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    5120x1440, 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD (O/S)
    Silicon Power 2TB US75 NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 2280 SSD (backup)
    Crucial BX500 2TB 3D NAND (2nd backup)
    Seagate 4TB Ironwolf, rotating HDD archive files
    External off-line backup Drives: 2 NVMe 4TB drives in external enclosures
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 750W
    Case
    LIAN LI LANCOOL 216 E-ATX PC Case
    Cooling
    Lots of fans!
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek Embedded
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" HP 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 eD NAND PCIe SSD
    Samsung EVO 990 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
    Samsung 2TB SATA SSD
    PSU
    Thermaltake Smart BM3 650W
    Case
    Okinos Micro ATX Case
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
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