What Files Should be on SSD [Full Guide]

In today's life, digital files are an unstoppable trend, so the majority of users are seeking a good place to store data on their computers. And storing files in SSD (Solid State Drive) is one of the best choices. For the three topics that users are concerned about most: why store files on SSD, what files should be on SSD, and how to store files in SSD, the next content will discuss them one by one.

Why store files on SSD?

As we know, both HDD and SSD are hard disks for data storage, but why do so many people prefer storing files on SSD? Obviously, this is because SSD shows a number of advantages over HDD. For example, SSD has faster read and write speeds (nearly 100 times faster than HDD), is lighter, consumes less power, and has much better reliability and durability. To know more about the benefits of SSD, you can refer to the below picture.

Due to the merits that SSD embraces, storing files on SSD can keep your data safer and make you use them more effectively. But what should you put on SSD so that you can make full use of SSD? Keep reading.

What files should be on SSD?

Storing the right files on SSD can perfectly take good advantage of SSD, so read the following content carefully and decide what should you put on your SSD.

Windows OS and system-related files

It's known to all that keeping Windows OS on SSD will get better performance than that on HDD. Besides, although system-related files are small in size, they are loaded often when you start the computer. Thus, it's recommended to store both Windows OS and system-related files on SSD together to save boot time.

Programs and games

If you are still wondering whether to store program files on SSD or HDD, just keep in mind that give priority to everything in your "Program Files (x86)" and "Program Files" folders because they are the biggest consumer of disk access. Ideally, all games should also be installed on SSD since most of them have a high start-up time, it's good to have them on SSD for shorter load times.

Frequently used files

The next thing you should put on your SSD is what you highly used in daily life. Each time when you access a normal file, you may not be willing to wait for a long time to open it. To this end, storing these often-used files can give you a better computer experience.

In a nutshell, anything on the SSD drive will be faster, so what you want to run faster should be on the SSD drive. And files like pictures, movies, documents, etc that don't matter much should be on the HDD just for the sake of the room.

How to store files in SSD on Windows 11/10/8/7?

After figuring out what files should be on SSD, more problems are raised: What if you have stored these things on HDD? How to move them to SSD? Is the move safe? Don't worry, this part aims to tell you how to store files in SSD safely and easily.

To transfer OS, installed programs, and games to SSD, you can't miss AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, a versatile and fantastic disk manager. This software has various functions to meet your different needs.

With the "Migrate OS to SSD" feature, you can completely transfer your OS and related data to the new SSD drive without reinstalling the operating system. Besides, if you want to clone the entire hard drive to SSD, you can apply the "Disk Clone Wizard" feature. With the "APP Mover" feature, moving installed programs and games becomes very easy.

Now, let's download the free demo version and move to the next part to see the detailed operations:

Part 1. Migrate OS to SSD without reinstalling the system

When it comes to OS migration, people always worry about system restarting or boot failure. But if you follow the below steps, you will never run into such problems.

Step 1. Install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Next, click on the "Migrate OS" option and read the introduction.

Step 2. Select your SSD as the destination for the OS transfer. If there are partitions on the SSD you need to check "I want to delete all partitions on the disk 2 to migrate system to the disk". Once checked, the "Next" button will activate, you should now click on it.

Step 3. You now have the option to resize the system partition and change the drive letter on the new SSD. Then click "Next" to move on.

Step 4. Read the troubleshooting guide on how to boot from the destination disk as you may need this later.

Step 5. Click "Apply" and then "Proceed" to transfer OS to the new SSD drive.

Part 2. Move programs and games to SSD without losing data

From what we knew above, programs and games are what files should be on SSD. Follow the below steps, you don't need to uninstall them first and reinstall them on the new SSD but can change the location to SSD with only a few clicks.

Step 1. Open AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, click "Free up", and select "App Mover".

Step 2. You will see 2 options: move apps or move folders.  In our case, we choose "App Mover".

Note: If you want to move files/folders to a different drive, select another option "Move Folders".

Step 3. In the new window, you will see all partitions. The number and size of installed programs on every partition will also be displayed. Select one partition that you want to move applications from and click "Next".

Step 4. Choose applications you want to move and select the target location, then click "Move".

Step 5. In the pop-up window, you need to confirm forcibly closing running applications when moving starts. Click "OK" to begin the process.

FAQs about what files should be on SSD?

▣ Can you put everything on an SSD?

In theory, you can put everything on your SSD. However, what if your SSD is not big enough? In such a case, there are two options for you: one is to store only essential files on your SSD, or directly consider SSD as a system drive and HDD as a data drive; the other is that you can upgrade to a large SSD to make your SSD available to hold everything on your computer.

▣ Is it OK to delete files in SSD?

The answer is absolutely "Yes"! When you have used the SSD for a long time, there must be some junk files or some large files you no longer need. In such a case, it’s a good choice for you to delete these large files in SSD to release more available space for other personal data.

Conclusion

In this passage, we have mainly talked about "what files should be on SSD" and how to move OS, programs, and games to the new SSD drive with the help of AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional.

This software is more than a simple OS or app mover, but is also a disk optimizer to make your PC run faster. For example, you can use it to make 4K SSD alignment, clean up junk files from your computer, extend C drive, and so on.