AOMEI Partition Assistant
Move Program Files (x86) to Another Drive Safely and Easily
This article will show you how to move program files (x86) to another drive without affecting the Windows running normally. With the App Mover feature of AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, you can do it easily.
By Dervish / Updated on May 12, 2023
Can you move Program Files (x86) to another drive?
I'm on Windows 10, my system drive is nearly full, and I need to move Program Files x86 to my D drive. I have been told that copying and pasting it won't work, and I will need to delete and redownload it. This is a problem because the file is over 36 GB. Is there any other way to do this?”
About move Program Files (x86) to another drive - You should know
Before changing Program Files (x86) location, you should know this information.
▶ What is Program Files (x86)?
“x86” now refers to the pre-64-bit architecture—whether that's 16-bit or 32-bit. The newer 64-bit architecture is referred to as “x64” instead. That's what “Program Files (x86)” means. It's the Program Files folder for programs using the older x86 CPU architecture.
▶ Why move Program Files (x86) to another drive?
Since the default download path of Windows is the system drive (mostly the C drive), when the user download a program or file, if the save path is not changed, it will be automatically stored in the Program Files (x86) of the C drive. Over time, the system drive will become smaller and smaller. This will cause a lot of problems, including Windows slowdowns, system crashes, and low disk space warning.
▶ Is it safe to move Program Files (x86) to another drive?
Much depends on what the data is in the Program Files (x86) folder. If it's a system-related file, then please don't do that as moving it may break Windows. But if some application is installed in Program Files (x86), it is safe to move it.
How to move Program Files (x86) to another drive on Window 10 safely
If you plan to copy applications or folders in Program Files (x86) from C drive to D drive one by one, this may cause the applications or folders not to run normally. Actually, there is a better choice.
AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is a powerful applications/folders transfer tool which allow users to move installed programs or folders from one drive to another without losing data. Even after moving, you can restore them to their original path.
Warning: For system security, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional does not support moving the entire Program Files (x86) folder, but can move installed programs or subfolders in it. Please choose to move applications or folders that are not related to the system according to your own needs.
Step 1. Install and launch PA Professional, right-click the drive you need to move the apps and select "APP Mover".
Step 2. Here, select "App Mover" or "Move folders".
Step 3. If you select "Move folders", please navigate to the Program Files (x86) folder, then select the corresponding file, then select the new path of the file, and finally click "Move".
Step 4. You will see a pop-up notification, click OK to start the process. Then wait a moment, the task is completed.
Further tips: Move installed programs to another drive
As we mentioned above, "App Mover" also allows users to move installed programs to another drive without boot issue. The following will show you the whole process.
Step 1. When you see the App Mover function, select the "App Mover" on the left.
Step 2. In the pop-up window, select the partition you want to free through the mobile application (here, the C partition), and then click "Next".
Step 3. In the window, all removable applications on the C drive will be listed. You can select one or more applications and target partitions to move. Then click Move to submit the action.
Step 4. Confirm that you have closed the application, and you will move from C drive to D drive. Then, click OK.
Step 5. Wait for the moving process to complete. Then, click Finish.
Conclusion
As you can see, this is the full guide of moving program files (x86) to another drive. With the help of the powerful AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, move installed programs or folders becomes easy.
In addition to that, there are more advanced features are waiting for you to unlock, such as allocating free space from one drive to another, merging partitions, cloning hard drive to a bigger one, deleting large files by type to save more space on the PC, and more. If you are a Windows Server user, please turn to Server Version.
