Category: Hardware

When I setup computers that can handle two drives, I install a smaller, fast SSD as a C “Windows” drive and a larger HDD as a “Data” drive D. Your computer may be setup the same, but what you will want to do is move the folders that contain your “stuff” to D drive and leave C drive for Windows and app/program installs.

Here is how I move Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Video folders to D drive:

1. Open File Explorer
2. On the left scroll to “This PC”
3. Hopefully you will see the six folders (you may need to click the small arrow to the left of This PC to see the sub folders)

1. Right-click the first folder “Desktop”
2. Click “Properties”
3. Click the “Location” tab
4. Change the location to: D:\Desktop

8. Click Apply
9. When the message pops up that the location does not exist and it asks if you want to create it, click Yes.

10. Click Yes to confirm moving files

11. Click Yes to confirm “Redirection” (if that message pops up)
12. Depending on how much “stuff” needs to be moved it may be done right away or take a few minutes.
13. Click OK when the move is finished (if it takes more than a second, a progress bar will show up)
14. Repeat steps 4-13 for the other folders: Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos

Now all of your files will be on D drive and C will be for Windows and apps.

If multiple people use the same computer and have their own account, repeat these steps in each account. First make user folders on D drive, then the 6 six folders, as sub folders, for each user.

For example: D:\username1\Desktop and D:\username2\Desktop and so on.

If you use cloud drives such as OneDrive, Dropbox, research how to move those folders to D drive also.

If you want you can rename C: to be “Windows” and D: to be “Data”. In File Explorer, right-click C, click Properties, on the General tab, in the box type “Windows” (without the quotes) and click Apply, then click OK. Do the same for D and type “Data”.