On Windows 10 and Windows 11, when your new apps and files are saved, the default save location is set to the main drive on your PC. The main drive of your PC contains the Windows operating system, your apps and files are saved here by default.
But sometimes your main drive can fill its storage quickly, so you might want to change the default save location to another drive to save space on your main drive. Apps, photos and videos can take over your available free space pretty fast. In this guide, we will show you two different methods to change the default save location for apps and files on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Change where apps and files are saved on Windows 10 and Windows 11
Here are the two methods to change the default save location. The only difference between Windows 10 and Windows 11 occurs at the third step, the subsequent steps remain the same. Here’s what you need to do.
Via Settings
1. Open Settings.
2. Go to System > Storage.
3a. On Windows 10: Under “More Storage settings,” click Where new content is saved.
3b. On Windows 11: Under “Advanced storage settings,” click Where new content is saved.
4. Change the drive via the dropdown menu where you want to save your new apps, documents, music, pictures videos and maps by default.
5. Once you change the drive, click Apply to save your changes.
6. Close Settings when you are finished.
Via Properties
Here’s what you need to do to change where apps and other files are saved by default by editing the item’s properties. For this example, we will change the drive where items in the Downloads are saved. The instructions provided here work for both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
1. Right click the Downloads folder and select Properties.
2. In Properties, select the Location tab and click the Move… button.
3. Choose the drive you want to save items in your Downloads folder and click Select Folder.
4. Click Apply to apply your changes.
5. Once you click Apply, a Move Folder confirmation window will pop up asking you to confirm that you are moving the items to a new location. Click Yes to confirm.
Now, any apps and files saved in the Downloads folder will save on the different drive.
Once you have completed these steps, the next time you download an app or file, it will install to the new drive location automatically. In addition, the new drive location will be shown as the new default path.
