How to Move Games to Another Drive in Windows 11

With the ever-increasing size of modern video games, it’s not uncommon for titles to exceed 150 GB, quickly consuming valuable space on your primary hard drive. Shifting these games to another drive can not only free up storage but also enhance game performance and organization. This guide offers detailed instructions on how to move your games to a different drive in Windows 11, covering various platforms like Steam, Microsoft Store, Epic Games, and more.

How to Move Steam Games to Another Drive

Steam provides a built-in feature that makes moving games between drives straightforward. By creating multiple Steam library folders, you can organize your games and store them on the most suitable drive.

Open Steam and click on ‘Steam’ in the top-left corner. Select ‘Settings’ from the dropdown menu.

In the Settings window, choose ‘Downloads’ from the sidebar. Then, click on the ‘Steam Library Folders’ button.

In the Storage Manager, click on the ‘+’ icon or ‘Add Library Folder’. Select the new drive where you want to create the library and confirm by clicking ‘Add’.

Navigate to your game library within Steam. Right-click the game you wish to move, select ‘Properties’, and go to the ‘Local Files’ tab.

Click on ‘Move Install Folder’. In the dropdown menu, choose the new library folder you just created.

Click ‘Move’ to initiate the transfer. The process may take several minutes depending on the game’s size. Once completed, your game will reside on the new drive.

For more detailed information on moving games in Steam, you can refer to our comprehensive article.

Moving Games from Microsoft Store or Xbox on Windows 11

Games installed via the Microsoft Store or Xbox app share a common game library, allowing for easy movement between drives through Windows Settings.

Open the Windows Settings app by pressing Win + I, and select ‘Apps’ from the menu.

Click on ‘Installed apps’ on the right side to view all your installed applications.

Locate the game you want to move in the list.

Click the three-dot menu next to the game and select ‘Move’. If ‘Move’ is not available, the game may not support this feature.

In the pop-up, select the destination drive from the dropdown menu.

Click ‘Move’ to begin the transfer. If the game has downloadable content (DLC), you can also move it by selecting the appropriate option.

Wait for the process to finish. The game will now reside in a folder named ‘Xbox Games’ on the selected drive.

Launch the game as usual from the Start menu or Xbox app. Keep in mind that moving games to external drives may cause performance issues if the drive is not fast enough.

Moving Epic Games to Another Drive

Transferring games installed through the Epic Games Launcher involves a few additional steps but is still manageable without needing to re-download your games.

Navigate to the default installation directory, typically C:\Program Files\Epic Games\[Game Name], and copy the game folder to a temporary location.

Open the Epic Games Launcher, go to your ‘Library’, click on the three dots next to the game, and select ‘Uninstall’. Confirm the uninstallation.

Close and reopen the Epic Games Launcher. Begin reinstalling the game by clicking ‘Install’ in your library.

In the installation prompt, click ‘Browse’ and select the new desired location on your other drive. Start the installation.

Allow the download to progress slightly (a few percent), then pause and cancel the installation from the three-dot menu.

Navigate to the temporary location where you copied the game files earlier. Move or copy them to the new installation directory, replacing any existing files when prompted.

Resume the installation in the Epic Games Launcher. It will verify the existing files instead of downloading them again.

Once verification is complete, the game will be ready to play from its new location.

Moving Blizzard Games to a New Drive (Battle.net)

Blizzard’s Battle.net doesn’t offer a direct method to move games, but you can manually relocate them by moving the files and updating the launcher settings.

Open the Battle.net launcher and select the game you want to move. Click on the ‘Options’ (gear icon) next to the ‘Play’ button and choose ‘Show in Explorer’ to locate the game files.

Copy the game folder to your desired new location on another drive.

In the Battle.net launcher, go to ‘Settings’ by clicking the Blizzard icon in the top-left corner. Navigate to ‘Game Install/Update’ and click ‘Use a Different Folder’ under the game you moved.

Browse to the new location of the game folder and select it.

Return to the game page in the launcher, click ‘Options’, and select ‘Scan and Repair’ to verify the game files.

After the scan, the game will be ready to play from its new location.

Repeat these steps for any other Blizzard games you wish to move.

Moving Ubisoft Games in Ubisoft Connect App

Moving games in Ubisoft Connect involves manually transferring the game files and updating the launcher to recognize the new location.

Open Ubisoft Connect and go to the ‘Games’ tab. Right-click on the game and select ‘View game details’.

In the game details, go to the ‘Properties’ tab and click ‘Open folder’ to locate the game files.

Move the game folder to the new desired location on another drive.

Back in Ubisoft Connect, right-click the game and select ‘Uninstall’. Confirm the uninstallation.

After uninstalling, click on the game in your library and select ‘Locate installed game’.

Browse to the new location of the game folder and select it. Ubisoft Connect will verify the files and recognize the game as installed.

The game is now ready to be launched from its new location without the need to re-download.

Creating a Symbolic Link to Move Games

If a game launcher doesn’t support moving games directly, creating a symbolic link can be an effective workaround. This method tricks the system into thinking the game is still in its original location while it’s actually on another drive.

Close the game and any related applications. Move the game’s folder from its original location to the new desired drive.

Open Command Prompt as an administrator. You can do this by searching for ‘Command Prompt’ in the Start menu, right-clicking it, and selecting ‘Run as administrator’.

Use the following command to create the symbolic link:

mklink /D "C:\Original\Game\Path" "D:\New\Game\Path"

Replace "C:\Original\Game\Path" with the path where the game was originally installed and "D:\New\Game\Path" with the new location where you moved the game files.

Press ‘Enter’ to execute the command. A symbolic link will be created in the original location, pointing to the new location.

You can now launch the game as usual, and it will run from the new drive without any issues.

Using Third-Party Tools to Move Games to Another Drive

Third-party applications like Steam Mover can simplify the process of moving games between drives, especially when dealing with multiple games or large libraries.

Use Steam Mover to Move Games

Steam Mover is a free utility that allows you to move games and create symbolic links seamlessly.

Download Steam Mover from the official website and extract the files.

Run ‘Steam Mover.exe’ as an administrator.

Set the ‘Steam Apps Common Folder’ to the current location of your games and the ‘Alternative Folder’ to the new desired location.

Select the games you wish to move from the list.

Click the right arrow button at the bottom to initiate the move. Command Prompt will briefly appear to process the transfer.

Once completed, symbolic links to the new locations will be created, and you can play your games without any additional steps.

Note: Ensure that the drives you’re moving games to are formatted in NTFS, as Steam Mover requires it to create symbolic links.

By utilizing these methods, you can effectively manage your game installations, optimize storage space, and ensure your system runs smoothly while enjoying your favorite games on Windows 11.