How to Change Where New Apps will Save to in Windows 11

Changing where new apps save in Windows 11 lets you choose a different drive for installations.

By default, Windows 11 installs new apps from the Microsoft Store onto your main drive, usually “Local Disk (C)”. You can change this setting to save apps to another internal drive or even an external drive like a USB stick.

This is helpful if your C: drive is getting full or if you simply want to keep your apps organized on a separate drive. Windows 11 lets you install apps on any internal drive or external storage that uses the NTFS file system.

Important Things to Know:

You can change where new apps will save to in Windows 11, but this setting only affects future downloads. Apps already on your computer will stay put. Also, if you pick an external drive, make sure it’s plugged in, or those apps won’t work.

• Windows 11 only installs new apps to your selected location. It will not move apps that are already installed.
• If you unplug the drive you selected, apps on that drive will stop working until you plug it back in.
• If you unplug the drive, Windows will install new apps back to your “Local Disk (C)” drive until you reconnect it. Apps installed during this time will stay on your C drive.
• Windows will create a WindowsApps folder on the root of your selected drive when you install a new app there.

Here’s How:

1. Open Settings ⚙️. Press Win+I on your keyboard.
2. Click on System on the left side. Then click on Storage on the right side.
3. [ADMIN PRIVILEGES REQUIRED] Click on Yes if prompted by User Account Control. Starting with Windows 11 build 26100.7705 (24H2) and build 26200.7705 (25H2), Windows now shows a User Account Control (UAC) prompt when you open Storage settings to protect system files.  Open Storage settings UAC
4. Click on Advanced storage settings on the right side to expand it. Then click on Where new content is saved.  Open “Where new content is saved” settings
5. Click on the New apps will save to drop-down menu. Select the drive you want to use.
6. Click on Apply to save your changes.
7. If you see a prompt asking “Delete other apps?”, click Yes or No depending on what you want to do. If you click No, this drive will not be used to save new apps.
8. When you’re done, you can close Settings.

To change where new apps will save in Windows 11, first open Settings by pressing ⊞ Win+I on your keyboard. Then, click on System in the left menu and select Storage on the right. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes to continue.

Summary

You can easily change where new apps will save to in Windows 11 if your C drive is running low on space, by adjusting a simple setting.