How Do I Move User Profile from C disk to D Disk?

Can I move my Users folder from C drive to D drive?

“I have a Windows 10 PC with 32 GB storage that I use for email and other tasks. There is a slot for inserting a disk (D:) onto which files can be stored. I put everything in there, from MS Office to Adobe Reader. Because the C: disk is just 32GB in size, there isn't much room left. So, to save up some space, I'd like to relocate the C: Users folder to the D: disk.”

Do you have the same problem as this user?

A user profile is a collection of user-specific data that defines the user's working environment, such as Desktop, Documents, display settings, application settings, network connections, and so on. You can easily manage your info in your User Profile. Windows creates and saves all folders in the C disk, where the operating system is also installed.

When the C drive is almost full, moving the User profile can release some free space on the C drive. What’s more, some users think that it will be safer to move User folders to another location to prevent data loss When the C drive crashes.

But, since these folders store some program data, if you move them incorrectly, some relevant programs might confront boot failure. Therefore, in this post, we’ll show you some methods to move User profile folders securely.

Let’s start!

How to move User profile from C disk to D disk?

In this part, we’ll show you 3 tools to move the User profile folder. You can choose one of them according to your conditions.

Method 1. Use Explorer to move User profile to another drive in Windows 10

In this method, we’ll show you how to move the Documents folder, you can move other User folders with the same steps. The example will move this folder to E drive, you need to change the E drive to D drive or another drive letter on your PC.

▶ Section 1. Create new folders

Step 1. Open File Explorer.

Step 2. Click on This PC from the left pane.

Step 3. Under the "Devices and drivers" section, open the new drive location.

Step 4. Navigate to the location you want to move the folders.

Step 5. In the new location, create some new folders and name the folder you wish to move to. (eg. If you want to move Documents, then create a new folder named “Documents”)

▶ Section 2. Move the folders

Step 6. Press “Windows” + “R” and type: %HOMEPATH%

Step 7. Right-click the folder you want to move and select the “Properties” option.

Step 8. Click the “Location” tab and click the “Move” button.

Step 9. Select the folder with the same name in the new location, and click the “Select Folder” button.

Step 10. Click the “Apply” button and confirm with the “Yes” button.

Then the default path of this moved folder will be the new location.

Method 2. Use Registry Editor to change User profile path

This method will show you how to use Registry Editor to change User profile folders’ paths.

Step 1. Press "Windows + R" at the same time to open the Run box.

Step 2. Input "regedit" or "regedit.exe" and click "OK" to run Registry Editor.

Step 3. Follow the path: "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\User Shell Folders" and you will see all the User folders are listed.

Step 4. Now you can choose which User folder you want to move, then right-click it, and choose “Modify”.

Step 5. Now, under "Value data" in the Edit String window, type the new location or path for the selected folder as you like (e.g. "E:\New folder") and click "OK".

Step 6. Close Registry Editor and reboot your computer.

Method 3. Employ a professional folder move tool to do a safe move

If you want to quickly move multiple User profile folders with some clicks, well, a folder move tool will be a worthwhile choice. AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is a Windows disk & partition manager supporting Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7/XP, whose “Move Folder” function allows users to move several folders at once. And it will modify the storage path to make sure the relevant programs can run as usual after the move.

Step 1. Install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant, click "Free up" > "App Mover".

Step 2. In the new window, click "Move Folders".

Step 3. Click “Add folder” and select the folders. Choose the location drive under the window, and click "Move". Please make sure the target drive has sufficient free space to store folders, if not, extend the partition at first.

Step 4. You will see a pop-up message to confirm forcibly closing running applications when moving starts. Click "OK" to begin the process.

Step 5. Wait for a while, and click "Finish" to complement the movement.

Bonus tips: How can you move installed programs to another disk?

C drive is the default storage location whether for data files or your programs. And some users might install some programs on the C drive. If there are several programs on the C drive and you also want to move them to another location like moving folders, you can use the “App Mover” function of AOMEI Partition Assistant.

To use this utility, you can choose “App Mover” when you’re in the options window. Then, you’ll see a new window that lists your disks and partitions.

Step 1. Choose the partition that you want to free up via moving apps (here is partition C) and click “Next”.

Step 2. All movable apps on the C drive will be listed. You can choose one or multiple apps that you need to move and the destination partition. Then click “Move” to execute the operation.

Step 3. Confirm that you have closed the apps and that you will move from C drive to D drive. Then, click "OK".

Step 4. Wait for the move process to complete. Then, click "Finish".

Now, the selected programs are stored in the new location.

Ending lines

Moving User profile from C disk to D disk is simple work if you select a handy tool. AOMEI Partition Assistant is a versatile tool. It can do more than just move folders and apps. For example, you can use it to migrate OS to another disk, clone disk, clean your PC via deleting large files, convert to GPT/MBR without cleaning the disk, and so on.

And it has the Server Edition and the Unlimited Edition to help all kinds of users to organize their devices.

FAQs about how to move User profile from C drive to D drive

1. Is it safe to move a user profile to a different drive?
When done correctly, moving a user profile is safe. However, there is always a risk of data loss or system errors if not done properly. It's crucial to follow reliable instructions and back up your data before proceeding.

2. Will moving my user profile affect the performance of my computer?
Moving your user profile can potentially improve the performance of your computer. It can free up space on the system drive (C drive), which may lead to faster load times and a more responsive system.

3. Can moving a user profile cause any issues with my installed software or applications?
Well, it may happen. In most cases, moving a user profile shouldn't cause issues with installed software or applications. But, if there are some data files of any installed apps that are stored in another path you miss, then relevant apps may not boot again. So, if you want to move apps files, we suggest you directly move the whole app to another location via a professional tool.