How Do I Move A Folder in Windows 10 Safely and Quickly?

How do I move a folder in Windows 10 may be a tough question for most users. Here, you will learn how to move a folder from C drive to D drive without issues in Windows 10.

Dervish

By Dervish / Updated on May 12, 2023

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Why move a folder in Windows 10?

Today, more and more people want to change the location of folders in Windows 10. The reason is that too many files stored in a folder can cause insufficient disk space, which can slow down Windows performance.

For some unimportant folders, you can delete them directly. But for folders full of important data (such as Program Files folder, AppData folder, Documents folder, etc.), deletion will have serious consequences. But don't worry, this article aims to show you how do I move a folder in Windows 10.

How do I change the location of a folder in Windows 10 - 4 effective ways

If you're eager to know how to move folders in Windows 10, read the following content. This part provides you with 4 effective ways to move folders safely and easily.

▶ Solution 1. Move a folder by Drag & Drop

The drag and drop is the most common method for moving folders from one location to another.

Step 1. Locate the target folder in Windows File Explorer.

Step 2. Right-click the folder and select Copy or Cut from the extended menu, or you can press the Ctrl + C (copy) or Ctrl + X (cut) keys.

Cut and Copy

Step 3. Then, find the another drive you want to choose as the new path, and right-click on an empty space and choose Paste, or you can press Ctrl + V to move it.

Paste

As simple as this is, don't do it with important folders. Because this operation may cause some folders to not work properly.

▶ Solution 2. Move a folder via move command

If you plan to move files via CMD, you must not miss the move command. Move is an internal command in CMD to move files and folders. This command is powerful because it allows pattern matching by including wildcards in the source path.

Syntax: move [/Y | /-Y] [drive:][path]filename1[,...] destination
◥ /Y: Suppresses prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an existing destination file.
◥ /-Y: Causes prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an existing destination file.
◥ [drive:][path]filename1: Specifies the location and name of the file or files you want to move.
◥ destination: Specifies the new location of the file or directory.

Step 1. Press “Windows + R”, type in “CMD” and hit Enter to open CMD.

Step 2. Then, you can type in move c:\program files\*.* E:\. Please note that *.* is wildcards telling the computer every file with every extension.

Move command

▶ Solution 3. Move a folder by powerful folder transfer tool

Although solution 2 can help you solve the problem, typing the command line is not easy for users without computer knowledge. Fortunately, there is another better way to do it.

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is a GUI applications/folders transfer utility which allow users to move installed programs or folders from one drive to another without losing data. After moving, you can even restore them to the original path. Please download the demo version to see how do I move a folder in Windows 10.

Free Download Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download

Tip: For system stability, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional does not support moving the folder related to OS (such as Program Files (x86) folder, Program Files folder, Users folder), but can move  subfolders in it.

 Step 1. Install and launch PA Professional. Click “Free up” in the top toolbar and select “APP Mover”.

Click App Mover

Step 2. In the new window, click “Move Folders”. (If you want to move installed program, just click "App Mover".)

Move folder

Step 3. First, select the folder to move. Then, select the new drive and click Move.

Select Drive

Step 4. You will see a pop-up message confirming the force closing of the running programs when the move starts. Click OK to start the process.

OK

Step 5. Wait for a while and click "Finish" to complete the action.

Click Finish

▶ Solution 4. Move a folder with folder Properties

In Windows File Explorer, folders can also be moved through the Move function of the folder properties.

Step 1. Open Windows File Explorer.

Step 2. Select a new path(such as the E drive), Then, create a new folder and rename it. The new name must be the same as the original name).

Folder

Step 3. Right-click the folder you want to move and click Properties.

Properties

Step 4. In the new window, select Move option under the Location.

Move

Step 5. Here, select the folder you just created and click Select Folder.

Folder

Step 6. Click Apply and OK to submit the operations.

Change the Path

Warning: There is a risk of failure in this operation, if you are moving important folders, please be careful.

Conclusion

From what has been discussed above, this is the full guide of how do I move a folder in Windows 10. There are 4 ways you can try, but AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is the safest and fastest in comparison. If you want to move folders in Windows Server, go to AOMEI Partition Assistant Server.

 
Dervish
Dervish · Staff Editor
Dervish is an English editor of AOMEI Technology; He is delicated to offering users easy and effecitve solutions for issuses related to disks and partitoins. In his spare time, he enjoy wathcning films, playing footable, traveling and so on.