How to Stop Installing Apps on Drives Other Than Your Main Windows Drive in Windows 11

What Types of Apps Are There?

Windows apps generally fall into two main categories: those downloaded from the Microsoft Store and standalone apps installed from setup files.

• Microsoft Store apps: These come from the Microsoft Store.
• Standalone apps: These are installed using a setup file from other websites or companies.

By default, Microsoft Store apps install on the C: drive (your main Windows drive). You can move these apps to other drives or choose where new apps install if you want.

If you’d like to learn more about moving apps or choosing where they install, check these guides:

How to Move Microsoft Store Apps to Another Drive

How to Choose Where New Apps Install

How to Prevent Installing Apps on Other Drives

If you want to stop apps from being installed or moved to drives other than the main Windows drive, you can do this in two ways: using the Group Policy Editor or by changing the Registry.

Method 1Use Group Policy Editor (Easy Way)

You can stop apps from 💿 installing on drives other than your main Windows drive using the Group Policy Editor by following a few simple steps.

1. Click the ⊞ Start button, type Edit group policy, and open the Local Group Policy Editor.
2. In the left panel, go to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > App Package Deployment
3. In the right panel, find “Disable 💿 installing Windows apps on non-system volumes” and double-click it.
4. Choose Enabled to stop 💿 installing or moving apps to other drives.
5. Click OK to save.

Here’s what the setting looks like:

What the options mean:

• Not Configured: Default. Allows apps to be installed on other drives.
• Enabled: Blocks 💿 installing or moving apps to drives other than the main Windows drive.
• Disabled: Allows 💿 installing or moving apps to other drives.

Method 2Use Registry Editor (More Advanced)

For Windows 11 Home users or those who prefer it, you can stop apps from 💿 installing on other drives using the Registry Editor, but be sure to back up your system first.

Important: Before editing the registry, back up your registry or create a System Restore point. This keeps your system safe if something goes wrong.

1. [ADMIN] Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to this key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx
3. If the Appx folder doesn’t exist, you can create it by right-clicking the Windows folder, choosing New > Key, and naming it Appx.
4. Right-click the Appx folder, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it RestrictAppToSystemVolume.
5. Double-click RestrictAppToSystemVolume and set its value to 1 to block app installs on other drives.
6. Click OK and close the Registry Editor.
7. 🔄 Restart your computer to apply the changes.

If you want to undo this setting later, just delete the RestrictAppToSystemVolume DWORD or set its value to 0.

Summary

• Windows apps can be from the Microsoft Store or installed with setup files.
• By default, apps install to your main Windows drive (C:), but you can move them or install to other drives.
• To stop apps from 💿 installing on other drives, you can use Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor.
• Group Policy is easier but may not be available on all Windows versions.
• Editing the registry works on all versions but requires care and backing up first.
• 🔄 Restart your PC after making changes for them to work.

To stop apps from 💿 installing on drives other than your main Windows drive, you can use either the Group Policy Editor or the Registry Editor.