Windows 10: Hard link directory junctions in User folder

So, I am looking for an easy way to redirect Documents, Downloads, Music and Pictures in the user folder to a data drive. I don't want anything permanent that is going to interfere with the Creator's update coming up. Does anyone know if there any ill affects to deleting the empty Documents folder under the user folder and creating a hard link directory junction to Documents on the data drive? I would run:

RD /S C:\Users\John\Documents
MKLINK /J C:\Users\John\Documents D:\Documents

I tried it on a temp account on my computer and it seemed to work with no issues. Thanks!

:)

 

Will there be installation problems with PCs that use directory junctions to relocate the Users folder?

In my computer's setup, the C drive is a 240GB SSD and the D drive is a 2 TB HDD. Due to previous bad experiences relocating the bulky Users folders from the C drive to the D drive through the "Location" tab in select folders, I use the directory junction
link method of relocating the Users folder to the appropriate drive.

With the User folder on the C drive being a junction link to the User folder on the D drive, will there be problems upgrading either Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 10?

Further, is there an actual working option that doesn't break and cause other wild problems, the location tab in specific User folder properties for example, in Windows 10 to properly relocate the Users folder to a secondary drive?

 

Application Data in User folder

Application Data is a junction for backwards compatibility, not a real directory.

At a Command Prompt in your User Folder, dir /al will show you all the junctions. They don't take up space, merely point elsewhere.

Keith

 

That should be OK, quite risk free.

BTW, this is a perfect method: Move Users Folder Location in Windows 10

It moves the complete Users folder away from C: drive, all existing user profiles will be moved to X:\Users (X: being just an example), all future user profiles you create will be automatically created in X:\Users. Everything, AppData, Temp, every single user folder.

It works perfectly, no issues with Windows Update or build / feature upgrades. For instance I've just upgraded to build 15058 having my Users folder relocated on E: drive. My C: drive has no traces of any user data or Users folder, everything related to user profiles being on E: drive:

 

Why couldn't you just use the location tab in properties for each of those folders? When you want to return them to the original location just go back to the location tab and click restore to default location. The system recreates the original folder and offers to copy the contact for you. I did that yesterday and it worked perfectly. You do have to delete the empty folder from which your files are restored from but thats not a big deal.

 

I'm never going to want to move the files themselves from the data drive.