How to Move Users Folder to Another Drive [4 Ways]

This page shares 4 efficiant ways to help you move user folder to another drive in Windows 10 or Windows 11. Among the 4 methods, you can take reliable PC file transfer software - EaseUS Todo PCTrans here to transfer system accounts, personal files, users folders, and applications from one hard drive to another, from old PC to new PC.

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Page Table of Contents

As a frequently used folder, the user folder saves many files that may occupy all room on the C drive. It is a folder created specifically for each user account configured on a Windows 10/11 system. It contains important library folders, such as Documents, Pictures, and Downloads, and the Desktop folder.

Do you want to tweak the user folder location for free disk space? Let's see the necessary tools that you need to execute the operation for changing the User Folder and personal file location in Windows 10 or Windows 11:

⏱️ Duration: 5-15 minutes (depending on the data size of your user folder)
💻 Supported Operating System:  Windows 10, Windows 11
📝 Supported File Type: User folder, Desktop folders (Music, Pictures, Videos, etc.), Downloads folders, etc.
🧰Tools for User Folder Transfer:

#1. EaseUS Todo PCTrans; #2. File Explorer; #3. Windows Settings; #4. Registry Editor;

Can I Move Users Folder to Another Drive?

  • Answer: It depends. You can not move the entire user folder. However, you can move Windows 10/11 Downloads, Documents, Pictures, Videos, and Music folder under users folder to another drive.
Notice:
Because the user folder contains very important system files. Moving entire user folders can easily cause data loss and the system won't boot problems. As long as you modify the settings related to the operating system foundation, it may cause actual losses. Be careful when migrating files, especially those about Windows installation and operating system.

Transfer user folder to another drive cover

If you try to free up disk space or change file location, moving these folders works. It is easier to change its location in Windows 10 or Windows 11, avoiding fatal risks related to moving users folder. Let's see the steps in the following part. 

#1. Use PC File Transfer Software - EaseUS Todo PCTrans

EaseUS Todo PCTrans Professional is a super easy Windows 10/11 transfer software that facilitates the transfer of users folder from one hard drive to another hard drive. If you have a demand of moving multiple folders and programs to another drive at one time, click the download button and change folder location in one click. 

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Here, the guide shows you a simpler way to transfer the user folder with unlimited files from one hard drive to another straightforwardly.

Step 1. Click "Large File Cleanup" on the left panel, and click "Start" button.

open large file clean up

Step 2. Select "Folder" tab, check the folders you want to move. Choose target drive and click "Move" button.

move default folder Step 1

Step 3. Wait for moving process completes. Click "Finish".

move default folder step 2

Note: You can click the "Restore" button to restore the current folder to the default location.

More Info: Can I Move Users Folder to Another PC

Yes. There is nowhere better than using a Windows 10/11 easy transfer tool to complete the transfer.

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Windows 11/10 Easy Transfer Tool: 2023 You Should Know

For getting out of hassle that Windows easy transfer is not available in Windows 10/11, we provide the best Windows easy transfer tool in Windows 10/11.

windows 10 easy transfer

P.S. When your move the user's folder to another drive, you can not move the administrator folder. But you can move it to another pc.

If this method did work and helped you successfully transfer user folder to another drive on your PC, feel free to share this great idea with more friends around you. This will help people to master the skill of changing the location of their user folders on Windows computers. You can share to Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter as you want:

 

#2. Via File Explorer

Windows File Explorer enables Windows users to free up their disk space by moving their user folders to another drive using the Properties settings. However, it has a shortage that files cannot be moved at one time. Here is how to do so:

Step 1. Open File Explorer.

Step 2. Click This PC, choose the target hard drive from the devices and drives option.

move user folder 1

Step 3. Open the new drive location, choose the location where you want to save. Click New Folder and name it as Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos.

Step 4. Go back to the user folder's location (C drive).

Step 5. Right-click the Documents or Downloads folder, then choose Properties.

Step 6. Select the Location tab, then click Move to choose the new file location. Click OK to apply.

move file location

Step 7. Select the folder with the same name in E drive.

move user folder to E drive

Step 8. Click Apply and Yes.

move folder alert

Tip
Then, your data will be saved on the E drive. If you want to restore it to the default location, you can right-click the folder and choose Properties. Under the location option, choose Restore Default.

The migrated folder will be automatically updated in the quick access bar.

Tips: How to Restore the Folder Location

If you regret changing the folder's location, you can apply the steps below to move your user folders back to its default spot on your PC:

Step 1. Run File Explorer and move to the user folder location.

Step 2. Right-click folder > Choose Properties > Select Restore Default under the Location tab.

Windows 10 move user folder to another drive - Restore user folder

#3. Using Windows Settings

The other efficient way of transferring your user folder to another drive is by turning to the Windows settings. Windows beginners can also try this tutorial:

Step 1. Open Windows settings > System > Storage > Change where new content is saved

windows settings storage 1

Step 2. Choose the save location.

windows settings storage 2

#4. Via Registry Editor 

As for advanced Windows users, Registry Editor also works to move user folder locations on Windows computers. However, some users reply that it may fail on Windows 10 or Windows 11 due to some unknown error:

Step 1. Press Windows + R to bring up the Run box. Input regedit and press Enter.

registry editor 1

Step 2. Follow the path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

registry editor 2

Step 3. Right-click files and click Modify.

registry editor 3

Step 4. Input the drive location. Then restart your PC.

registry editor 4

If these three methods worked to resolve your issue and you love to share to help more friends around you to change the user folder location so as to free up more space on the C drive, feel free to tell them these practical tricks on your social networks now:

 

Conclusion

As you can tell, the three-way mentioned above is associated with the change file location in a manual way. One of two ways is tricky; you can hardly start without in-depth instruction.

Besides, one noticeable fact is that all three methods won't help when you consider moving more folders at one time to another drive on another computer. Why not consider the EaseUS Todo PCTrans?

  Free Download

Support Windows 11/10/8/7

FAQs About Changing User Folder to Another Drive

Here are some hot topics that are related to moving the User folder on Windows PC, if you are interested in, follow and find answers here:

1. Can I move my user folder to another data drive?

Yes, sure. As long as the other data drive is on the same disk as your system C drive, you can directly use Windows settings to change the User folder: 

  • Open File Explorer, open the target drive you want to move the user folder to, and create new folders inside it, naming it Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, etc.
  • Go to the User folder in C drive, right-click the specific folders such as Documents, and select "Properties".
  • Go to the Location tab, click "Move...", choose the new location that you added folder on the target disk, and click "OK" and "Apply".

2. How do I move my user folder from C drive to D drive in Windows 11?

  • Open the D drive and create new folders with the same folder name that you want to move from the C drive, such as Documents.
  • Open C drive and right-click on the folder you need to move to D drive and select "Properties".
  • Click Location, select "Move...", then select the folder in D drive as the destination.
  • Last, click "Apply" and select "Yes" to confirm the operation.

For a more detailed guide step, you may move to this page for help: Move User Folder to Another Drive on Windows 11

3. How to move the Documents folder to another drive in Windows 11?

To move the Documents folder to another drive in Windows 11, you can either select to use Folder Properties settings to change its default location or turn to EaseUS Todo PCTrans. For beginners, you can try the tips here:

  • Launch EaseUS Todo PCTrans, click "Large File Cleanup" and select "Start".
  • Once the scanning process completes, click "Folders" and select "Documents".
  • Click the drop arrow next to the "Move to" section, and select the D drive as the target location.
  • Then click "Move".

About the Author

Updated by Tracy King

Tracy became a member of the EaseUS content team in 2013. Being a technical writer for over 10 years, she is enthusiastic about sharing tips to assist readers in resolving complex issues in disk management, file transfer, PC & Mac performance optimization, etc., like an expert.

Read full bio

Written by Jean

Jean is recognized as one of the most professional writers in EaseUS. She has kept improving her writing skills over the past 10 years and helped millions of her readers solve their tech problems on PC, Mac, and iOS devices.

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Reviews and Awards

Product Reviews

TrustScore 4.7 | 34 reviews
  • EaseUS Todo PCTrans Free is a useful and and reliable software solution created to serve in computer migration operations, be it from one machine to another or from an earlier version of your OS to a newer one.

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  • EaseUS Todo PCTrans is by the folks at EaseUS who make incredible tools that let you manage your backups and recover your dead hard disks. While it is not an official tool, EaseUS has a reputation for being very good with their software and code.

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  • It offers the ability to move your entire user account from your old computer, meaning everything is quickly migrated. You still get to keep your Windows installation (and the relevant drivers for your new PC), but you also get all your apps, settings, preferences, images, documents and other important data.

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How to Move Users Folder to Another Drive [4 Ways]

Try smart Windows 11 data transfer tool to move all data in 1 click.

EaseUS Todo PCTrans

  Free Download

Support Windows 11/10/8/7