Windows 10: W10 Storage settings and user folder structure. How to change location

Hi,
I just build up a new pc and changed from W7 to new era of W10 Was not that easy and pleasant experience as I thought.
I have huge storage capability with this new pc but since I'm using very fast Intel 512Gb 600p M.2 SSD as C drive, I also want to make sure that all of my self created data will be stored to another disk, let's call it D.
After extensive research, I found out that there are so many different guides how to change user folder locations for the following user folders (music, downloads, documents,pictures and videos) as well for changing the Windows 10 storage settings. All those guides are a bit confusing to me since I'm not ICT pro...

I already know that one can change the individual user folders (mentioned above) by just changing its location from folder preferencies. Here is a pic where we can see that I have already changed the location for the following user folders; pictures, downloads, music, document, favourites, and saved games). User folders Search, links, onedrive, desktop and contacts are still in C drive.




I have not yet made any changes to W10 Storage settings as they remain default (C drive). If I have understood right by changing the storage settings in Windows it would lead to situation that W0 creates another library but user folders would still remain on C disk as default. This would lead to situation that user would have multiple storage locations. Am I correct?
From the picture 1, we can already see one of the problems as Adobe Creative Cloud has already created its own folder to user folder in C location. This is exactly what I want to avoid. If I would go ahead and now install all the adobe media creation softwares, like Premiere Pro CC, it would also create some additional folders under user folder, useally under Documents. Adobe creates render and preview files that can be huge in terms of space. So I quess my question is that would I be able to avoid that by making changes to W10 Storage settings (pic2)?



The third solution would be the one that Kari has presented in this forum but that seems to be very technical and there is also a lots of debate if that should be used or not. For non-professional PC user, it is very hard to choose what to believe and what not. Which advice or guide is correct and what is not. Users Folder - Move Location in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums[1]=User%20Accounts
This tutorial by Kari includes very technical skills and I'm not sure if I'm up to it *Huh

This is what one another tutorials stated: "Although, this is a good option to help you save space in your local storage, it can get a little confusing for some users. Using this new feature will not change the location for the folders listed under "This PC" in the File Explorer. Many users can end up saving and moving files in two different locations without knowing.". This tutorial can be found here: How to manage file storage more efficiently in Windows 10 | Windows Central

Could someone kindly advice step-by-step in layman terms, how should I proceed and change my W10 in a way that also future programs that use NON-HIDDEN user folders to save data, would be stored to another drive, instead of C.
(I don't mind if some code is written to hidden appdata etc folders under user folder. Those are not useally large files...)

Any clear, step-by-step advice would be greatly appriated.

Hyvää Itsenäisyyspäivää Kari!

Best regards,


:)

 

Make 2nd internal drive the primary storage location

Start, Settings, Storage.

On the right side you can change the default storage location drive to the alternative drive for the main Libraries.

If you need to be more precise about exactly which directory structure to use then you need more than just change the drive letter.

Windows key + R to open the Run box

enter %userprofile% and OK.

This opens a new Explorer Window with all the User Profile folders listed.

Right click each one and select Properties, if it has a Location Tab then it can be moved easily.

In the Location Tab is the current path. Edit that path to set the new directory and select Move. The path must include the actual directory itself as the dialogue appears to move the named folder but it does not, instead it moves the CONTENTS of the folder.

The %userprofile% view will show all folders that makes up the Users folder set irrespective of where they are on the disks in one single view. Using it after the move may show two folders of the same name, one in the old location and one in the new, the
latter will have the Location tab in its properties.

 

windows 10 user folder locarion

Try leaving the folder c:\users\username and just change the location of all folders in it to another drive.

Click start, settings (gear symbol), System

Storage

Change items on the right menu to d: drive

 

Kiitos Risto, toivottavasti juhlat oli OK siellä koti-Suomessakin *Smile

As this is an English site, here the above in English: Risto wished me good independence day, our beloved Finland celebrated her 99th birthday yesterday Tuesday December 6th.

I thanked him saying I hope the party back in Finland was OK.

OK, that being said, I have to say that you are wrong *Wink: The procedure to use Sysprep to relocate Users folder is really simple; it's just that because the procedure is not known by average users that I have tried to make the tutorial as complete and comprehensive as possible. Reading it through, doing it exactly as told requires no technical skills or specific PC knowledge. The procedure is designed by Microsoft and is done using native Windows tool Sysprep.

It is the only valid method to relocate absolutely every file and folder (including system folders like Temp, AppData and so on) in various user folders to another drive. When done on an existing system it relocates all existing user profiles, and then as when done on new installation Windows locates all future new user profiles to drive you have selected.

I do recommend using Method One, clean installing Windows and doing the relocation while installing. However, if you go for Method Two, relocating Users on an existing Windows installation, please watch this video from the beginning of Method Two:

[youtube]OGNqR8lylzk[/youtube]

Tutorial: Users Folder - Move Location in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Tutorials

Remember to backup (system image) your Windows if doing Method Two.

 

Hello Kari,
Thanks for your reply. I'm considering going with option 1 and do clean installation, which should be quite easy since I dont'n have anything stored in this new pc yet. So its concidered as totally new PC's OS installation. Since the original tutorial is written quite some time ago and there about 80 pages further discussion on your tutorial, there is one question I would like to ask. Is it really so that each time when MS releases a new version of W10 and W10 does that more or less automatically like update, one has to do the same prodecure again and again for after another. Prior to W8 this might not have been an issue but if I have undestood right, W10 is developed as continueing process and in addition to updates, there will be upgrades quite often. So, I quess that my main point here is that there is NO WAY to do this procedure of moving user folders to another drive as a one time procedure and forget it after that? One has to do it all over again, whenever new version number of W10 is launched (now built 1607)? I don't mind doing this once but doing this on regular interval, sounds not that actractive at all. Your thoughts? Br.

 

Sorry for delay.

Prior to Windows 10 version 1511 (so called November 2015 update, build 10586), you had to relocate Users back to C: drive whenever you wanted to in-place upgrade or repair install, then again relocate Users folder back to another drive. You still need to do that if you are running Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and upgrading it to a Windows 10 pre-1511 build, or upgrading Windows 10 pre-1511 builds to another pre-1511 build.

Version 1511 changed this. Now this procedure really is "Do it once and forget"; you can repair install, and in-place upgrade with new build leaving Users where it is. You can even upgrade from Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 which have Users folder relocated with any build since 10586.

 

Hello Kari,
Thanks for your answer and sorry for late reply. This was very helpful all to gather and now I have everything as it should be, eg. user folders in E drive
Thanks again for your help.

 

You are welcome.

Hyvää Joulua! (In English: Merry Christmas!)