how do I use a second hard drive for my user profile and data?

Question

I have an Inspiron 5770, primary drive 256GB SSD and a secondary SATA HDD which I would like to set up to with my user profile to store data. I was able to do this years ago on a different computer, probably Windows 7. I've been researching this and so far it appears Windows 10 doesn't support this option? Thank you.

jphughan · Accepted Answer

@chsfnn  Not sure why it worked for Downloads but not other folders for you. I’ve relocated all of the folders you mentioned on multiple systems without any issues. Yes, I believe Windows 10 works differently from Windows 7 because I don’t think this easy relocation method existed in Windows 7, although I don’t have any Windows 7 systems around to verify that anymore. The registry method would probably still work on Windows 10, but relocating your entire user profile folder rather than just the 'shell folders' generally isn’t a great idea, because if you move your entire profile folder off the OS disk and that new host disk is ever unavailable, then that can prevent you from being able to log onto Windows at all rather than still being able to log on and simply not having access to the data in those specific Downloads/Documents/etc. folders.

jphughan · Answer

@chsfnn  It does. Go to C:\Users\YourUserName. Then for folders you want to relocate — such as Desktop, Documents, Pictures, etc. — right-click the folder, select Properties, go to the Target tab, and select another path. You will not be able to relocate certain folders such as the hidden AppData folder, and while registry hacks make it possible to relocate your entire user profile directory, I wouldn’t recommend that either. Lastly, note that any redirected folders will NOT automatically be locked down with permissions to match your user profile folder if other people use this system and that’s a concern, then create a folder on your D drive beforehand, lock it down as desired, and then put any folders you’re relocating into that folder.

chsfnn · Answer

Thanks for the quick reply. I tried the Downloads folder first and that worked. But then the Properties field in subsequent folders (Documents, Pictures) either didn't show the Target tab or the relocation didn't work. I tested it on one of my spare PC's so I'm not concerned with messing anything up. Do you know if Windows 10 handles relocation differently than Windows 7? Because I do seem to remember it being a registry setting that I tweaked and it did work with the PC I had at the time.

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how do I use a second hard drive for my user profile and data?

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