How-to-guide: Move Download Folder to Another Drive

Something about the Downloads folder

The downloads folder is where your computer puts stuff you download – files, documents, game files, you name it. By default, it lands in the Downloads folder on your C drive. Over time, if you don't clean it out, it can eat up space on your C drive, making your computer slow down and your programs act glitchy. Can you move it to save space on your computer when C drive is full? Or shift some things from Downloads to another drive to free up space on C? Here are some suggestions to help you out.

The needs to move download folder to another drive on Windows 10/11

Lots of folks find themselves stuck with a full C drive even when the D drive has plenty of space. Here are two ways people usually consider:

✍Downloads Folder Overload:
Every time you get something online, it is located in the downloads folder, accumulating your PC's space. If you don't clean it up, your C drive fills up, limiting what you can install and triggering low disk space warnings. Plus, reinstalling Windows or booting issues might wipe out your downloads. To dodge this, shift your downloads folder to another drive. It keeps things organized and safeguards your downloads.
✍Changing Download Location: Moving your downloads folder is a smart move. Here's why:
◆ More Space: Keeps your target drive roomy.
◆ Dual-Booting Ease: Handy for accessing downloads in dual-boot scenarios.
◆ Access Without Booting: Get to downloads even if you can't boot into Windows.

If you're finding ways to move download folder to another drive, check out our guide. We've got solutions for shifting the downloads folder to different drives, like moving it from C drive to D drive.

How to move downloads to another drive

How to move download folder to D drive or other drives? There are 4 methods in total. Click on the content column above to address the method you prefer directly. Except for moving files from local disk C to D, you’re allowed to transfer files from C drive to external hard drive using these methods.

Method 1. Copy files to another drive via Drag and Drop

Step 1. Press Win + E at the same time to open File Explorer.

Step 2. Navigate to the download folder you want to move.

Step 3. Right-click on the selected files, and choose Copy from the menu list.

Step 4. Then go to D drive or another drive you want to save your downloads. Right-click on a blank space and choose Paste from the menu.

You can repeat the above operation to move the downloads one by one or you can multi-select the downloads.

Method 2. Transfer files to another drive via free transfer software(Recommend)

For Windows users, AOMEI Backupper Standard stands out as top-rank free file sync software, compatible with Windows 11/10/8/7. Its Basic Sync feature allows seamless syncing of folders between different drives, like C drive to D drive or between various folders, be it from internal to external disks or PC to PC.

What’s more, you can set up automatic sync, making it a reliable choice for long-term data protection. This feature comes in handy for safeguarding your files in case of damage, infection, or accidental deletion.

Ready to transfer files from C drive to D drive? Just download and install AOMEI Backupper Standard. Server users can opt for AOMEI Backupper Server for their specific needs.

AOMEI Backupper

Best free Windows sync software for personal use.

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Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Backupper Standard after installing. Click Syncand then Basic Sync.

Step 2. Click Add Folder to browse the download folders from C drive.

Notes:✎...

If you don't want to move all the downloaded files, Click Filter Settings(supported by AOMEI Backupper Professional) to exclude or include certain file types from selected folders.

Step 3. Click the second box > This PC and select D drive as the destination path. Then, click Start Sync to move files from the C drive to D drive.

Method 3. Move files to another drive by changing its default location

As we stated above, the default storage loctaion of your downloads is the C drive. So can you change the default storage location to avoid much trouble? Yes, you can.

Step 1. Navigate to Settings > System > Storage. Scroll down to the bottom for More Storage Settings.

Step 2. Click on Change where the new content is saved in More Storage Settings to adjust Content Save Location.

Step 3. You'll see default save locations for Apps, Documents, Music, Photos, Videos, Movies, TV Shows, and Maps.

- Click the drop-down menu next to the category you want to change.

- Select D drive as the new location.

If needed, you can also move files to a different drive, excluding D drive.

Method 4. Copy files to another drive via the Move feature

Here's a guide on moving files from local disk C to D using the built-in "Move" feature:

Step 1. Press Windows + E to launch Windows Explorer. Find the download folders you wish to move.

Step 2. Right-click on the selected item, and choose Properties from the context menu.

Step 3. In the Properties window, click on the Location tab.

Step 4. Click the Move option.

Step 5. Select the location on another drive where you want to store your files or folders.

Step 6. Click Apply to confirm the new location. A prompt will appear to confirm the move.

Your files or folders should now be relocated from local disk C to the designated location on D drive.

Summary

Now you know the 4 ways to move download folder to another drive, namely, you can use the copy-paste feature, free file sync software, move feature and change its default location. Notably, no matter what operations you do, you should note the integrity of any download folder, or it will fail to use when you start to new location.

I suggest you to backup your C drive with AOMEI Backupper Standard, a professional and reliable backup and restore software, which supports system backup, disk backup, file and folder backup to save your lost or corrupted data once you have made a backup.