Can I move a game from one drive to another?
Can I move a game from one drive to another?
I own four different SSDs in my computer. After organizing files and moving things around, I decided to pick one drive just for installing stuff. Is there a program out there that can move data or programs between drives without me having to reinstall? If I do need to reinstall, is there a way to back up the data so it stays safe from getting lost? Running Windows 11, Cheers
Steam has this feature ready-made for you. Just right-click a game, hit Properties, go to the Local Files tab, and drag the install folder into your Steam games location folder. Or in the Steam client, open Settings, find Downloads, click Steam Library Folders, and add that folder there.
Yeah, I do get that there is this game feature in Steam. But most of my games aren't even on Steam or uPlay. So those features don't help me directly unless Steam adds a button for people who have already put their own games on the system.
You don't need special tools to move games around unless there is some DRM (software protection) that was added with them and needs to know where they go. You can just copy the games onto a new drive and update your shortcuts if you made any, then keep going. If something is still looking for the game in its old place, make a shortcut link by following these steps: Open a Command Prompt or PowerShell as an administrator Go to the folder where the game used to be. For instance, if your game is at C:\Program Files\EA\Command & Conquer , you only need to stop at C:\Program Files\ . Imagine if you moved the EA folder somewhere else. Then type this command: mklink /J [Path of new location] [Old Folder Name] , where [Path of new location] is where the game now lives and [Old Folder Name] is what it used to be. Example: mlink /J D:\Games\EA EA Alternatively, you can use: mlink /J D:\Games\EA "C:\Program Files\EA" If your path has spaces in it, put the whole thing inside quotes like that. Making a shortcut link basically tricks apps into thinking the old paths are still valid, but the computer actually redirects them to the new spots.
Apps like Steam or Rockstar launcher can make installing new games pretty simple, especially when you have a good computer to help it out. But if your PC isn't clean and you've got shady software around, setting up things can be tricky because those repacked games don't come with easy ways to install them.