Can AppData or ProgramData be replaced with shortcuts to other drives?

Eksy61 · 30 Mar 2021

I'm gradually running out of space on C:. I've moved most large folders to other drives that I know are safe to move.

However, two of the biggest remaining storage hogs are C:\ProgramData (44 GB) and my own AppData (28 GB), which is also on C:.

Would it be possible to move these two huge system folders to other drives and just have shortcuts to them where they used to be? (IOW, C:\ProgramData would now be a shortcut pointing to D:\ProgramData)

Would this work?

(I have Windows 10 Home v2004)

Berton · 30 Mar 2021

I believe there's Tutorial about moving the folders for a User. My AppData [normally a Hidden folder] is just over 8GB and ProgramData is a bit under 3GB. Moving default folders can cause issues with installed programs as their routine looks for things being in place as designed. I'd wonder about the cause of the large folders. With my 1TB HDD factory partitioned as 150GB C: and 780GB D: Data I like to Custom install programs on D:.

mngerhold · 30 Mar 2021

You could create junctions which would be transparent to any programs trying to access those folders. There are many resources to tell you how, perhaps the simplest (and free) is Sysinternals 'Junction' command-line program:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sys...loads/junction

But it would be worth looking inside to see what is taking up 44GB in PD (mine is under 1GB) - you can't simply remove stuff from there, but you may get an idea of what program(s) are hogging the space. It may contain any Virtual Machines you have created, and these can get big. My Appdata is under 2Gb, and most of that is Microsoft (Edge, Outlook .pst files) in 'local', and Mozilla profile in 'roaming'. Local also contains MS 'packages', which can add up, but as I remove almost all 'apps' I have very few.