Change Program Files Location in Windows 10

Modifying your Registry is risky and should be done carefully

2 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

Normally if you haveWindows 10or any other version of Windows operating systems, you will definitely have your Program Files folder located on your C:/ drive where the operating system itself is usually installed.

This is mainly because the system needs to ensure a good correlation between theprogramsthat you are installing and the operating system.Of course, you can change this location anytime and we will see how to do so by reading the tutorial posted a few rows below.

But first of all, we will need to know the consequences that may happen if we change theProgramFiles folder location.

Mainly theprogramfiles folder is put there for a good reason, if you move it and all yourprogramswill be moved to another location you may experience some system errors after a while.

How to change the location of program files in Windows 10?

The program files location can be changed using the built-in Registry Editor. You need to access the tool and then manually modify the path of the program files folder.

1. While on your Desktop, you will need to press theWindows and Rkeys. This will open the Run dialog.

Typeregeditand then pressEnteror clickOK.
Now you should have the Registry Editor window in front of you.

4.Navigate to the following key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProgramFilesDir

Double click (left click) on it.
From there, you will be able to change the path of the Program Files folder by entering a new path in theValue datasection of the window.
After you are done selecting a path you will need to click onOKand then close the Registry Editorwindow.
If the changes did not work after you closed the window, try arebootof the system and try it afterward.

Now, you know how to change the path of theprogramfiles folder and you can see that it didn’t take up much of your time.

Always keep in mind that if you change the path of theprogramfiles folder, this may cause malfunctions in the system.

Microsoftmade it clearthat it does not support changing the location of theprogramfiles:

Microsoft does not support changing the location of the Program Files folder by modifying the ProgramFilesDir registry value. If you change the location of the Program Files folder, you may experience problems with some Microsoft programs or with some software updates.

We hope that our solution helped you change the location of your Program Files folder. However, you should revert the action if problems occur.

Don’t forget to provide your feedback in a comment below if you have any other suggestions.

Change Program Files Location in Windows 10#

How to change the location of program files in Windows 10?#

Change Program Files Location in Windows 10

How to change the location of program files in Windows 10?