This article will introduce you to 2 effective methods to perform Windows 11 move Pictures folders to another drive as well as how to change the default to save photos.
“I saved a bunch of pictures in the Picture folder and I want to move them to the D drive because there is more space there. How to do that? Also is there a way to set the D drive as the default drive so pictures saved will automatically go there?”
Yes, you can move Pictures folder to another drive in Windows 11 and set it as the default location to save the new photos. And this article will introduce you to 2 effective methods to move it in the next part.
By default, the Windows 11 Picture folder location is in the user profile, such as C:\Users\username\Pictures. You can directly go to File Explorer and it will be listed under This PC automatically. To move it from C: drive to D: drive, select one of the methods and follow the steps.
Step 1. Create a new Picture folder in D drive. Go to D: drive, right-click the blank space and select New > Folder.
Step 2. Open Windows Explorer. Go to the Pictures folder under This PC, right-click it, and select Properties.
Step 3. Click the Location tab and then the Move... button. Select D:\Pictures drive as new Picture folder location and click OK. Click Yes to confirm you want to move this picture folder and wait until the process completes.
AOMEI Backupper Standard is one of the best free folder sync software to help you sync and duplicate a copy of your Picture folder. Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista supported. To make it safer, you could consider using the following feature:
To get started, please download and install AOMEI Backupper Standard on your computer.
(PS: The free version only support Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista. For server users, try AOMEI Backupper Server.)
Step 1. Launch this free folder sync software - AOMEI Backupper Standard. Click Sync and select Basic Sync option.
Step 2. Click Add Folder to select the Picture folder on this PC. And then choose D:/Pictures to save all your photos on it.
Step 3. Confirm this operation and click Start Sync to sync Pictures folder to another drive in Windows 11.
✍ Important: good and sustainable data protection
AOMEI Backupper only syncs all the photos currently in the Picture folder with the above steps. To add new photos in Pictures folder, you need to set daily, weekly, or monthly Schedule Sync for this task.
If you sync Pictures folder to a USB drive, you could consider using USB plug in feature (supported by the professional version). It will automatically sync files when USB connected and you don't need to keep it always connected.
✍ Important: Sync deleted picture from D: drive
The Basic Sync method in AOMEI Backupper will not sync deletions automatically unless you enable it. Click Options and General and check “Sync the deletions in the source directory to destination”.
✌ Advanced Feature: Sync files with certain file extensions
AOMEI Backupper provides you with Filter settings to sync files with certain file extensions and save disk space. You can choose to include or exclude certain file extensions. Separate them with * if it is two or more. Refer to: backup files with certain file extension.
Step 1. Go to Settings > Systems > Storage, and find Change where new content is saved.
Step 2. Scroll down to the “New photos and videos will save to” section and change the default location to D: drive. Then select Apply to make this change.
You may receive “can't move the folder because there is a folder in the same location” in Windows 11 when you move Picture folder to another drive. And it usually happens to move Picture folder from OneDrive to another location.
This may be because you have already changed this folder beforehand and the value cannot be set back correctly. You can choose to unlink this folder and then restore it to the default path.
Step 1. Click the OneDrive icon and select Help & Settings icon > Setting > Sync and Backup.
Step 2. Click Manage backup under Back up important PC folders to OneDrive.
Step 3. Here you will see all the important PC folders, uncheck the Pictures folder and click Start Backup.
Step 1. Right-click the Pictures folder and select its Properties.
Step 2. Switch to its Location tab and click Restore Default button.
Step 3. Click OK and Apply to make this change.
You can perform Windows 11 move picture folder to another drive easily to free up space with the above methods and change the location to save photos. To enhance the security of your photos, you can choose to sync and duplicate a copy of your files. More importantly, you can set it a scheduled task and include new photos in the Picture folder.
Except for Basic Sync methods, you can also enjoy Real-Time Sync, Mirror Sync, and Two-Way Sync on the Professional edition or higher. Besides, you still can use it to clone system, disk (HDD/SSD), and partition, or download it to explore more features.
