The most straightforward way to relocate an app or program to a different location is to use the Move feature within the Windows Settings app.

• Right-click on the Start button and select “Settings.”
• Then, navigate to the “Apps” tab on the left and go to “Installed Apps” on the right. Here, you’ll find all of your installed applications.
• Find the app or program you intend to move, click on the three horizontal dots next to it, and click the “Move” option.
• Windows will display the program’s current installation location and the drives that you can transfer the program to. Select your preferred drive, and then click on “Move.”
• Wait a few seconds, and Windows will seamlessly move your app to the newly selected location.

How to Use the Command Prompt to Relocate Apps You Can’t Move From Settings

You can relocate any app or program using the Command Prompt. First, locate the installation directory of the program you wish to relocate. If uncertain about the location, use Windows Search to find the app. Type the app name in Windows Search, right-click on the app, and select “Open File Location.” This will direct you to the Start Menu folder.

• Right-click the app icon again and select “Open File Location.” This will lead you to the program’s actual installation location.
• Copy and paste the program’s installation folder path into a Notepad file. We’ll use the term “old” to refer to this path.
• Afterward, navigate to the drive where you intend to relocate the app. Create a folder specifically for the app within that drive, copy the path of this newly created folder, and paste it into the same Notepad file. We’ll use the term “new” to refer to this path.

Having noted both your “old” and “new” paths, open the Command Prompt with administrative privileges. Type “Command Prompt” into Windows Search, and click “Run as Administrator.” You can also use PowerShell run admin for this.

• You need to input your “old” and “new” paths into the following command:

robocopy "old" "new" /sec /move /e

• Copy and paste this command into the Command Prompt and press Enter. This command will move your specified app from its old location to the new one. As a concrete example on our PC, we pasted the following command. Yours will be different.

robocopy "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox" "S:\Apps\Firefox" /sec /move /e

• Following that, insert both the “old” and “new” paths into the following command:

mklink "old" "new" /j

Paste this command into the Command Prompt and hit Enter. This will establish symbolic links or hard links between files or directories. This ensures that any app shortcuts, possibly still pointing to the old location, function seamlessly.

The above process doesn’t automatically remove the app from its old location. So, after successfully relocating the app to a new location and creating a junction between the old and new directories, manually delete the app to free up storage space. If you encounter an error message stating, “Cannot Create a File When That File Already Exists,” when running the mklink command, delete the app from the old location.