If you are using a small-sized SSD or HDD for your Windows computer system and you need to transfer programs from one location to another or to a different partition, simply copying and pasting the folder that contains the program's files may cause issues with running the program. Therefore, in this post, we will introduce a simple tool that can solve this problem for you.
What is Symbolic Link?
A symbolic link contains a text string that is automatically interpreted and followed by the operating system as a path to another directory. The symbolic link is a second file that exists independently of its target. If a symbolic link is deleted, its target remains unaffected. If a symbolic link points to a target, and sometime later that target is moved, renamed or deleted, the symbolic link is not automatically updated or deleted, but continues to exist and still points to the old target.
How to transfer programs anywhere on the hard drive without affecting their work
The method relies on the Symbolic link shortcuts feature in Windows, which allows linking a folder located anywhere on the computer to another folder without the need to move its contents.
Can I move programs from C drive to D?
Symbolic links can be created manually in Windows, but we will use a tool called FolderMove, which is a free and portable program that moves the program folder to another location. However, Windows still thinks that the program folder is in its original location, so it continues to function without any issues.
- Download the tool from the link - Tool: FolderMove
- after launching it, press the Browse button in the Move From field and select the program folder you want to move to another place and press OK.
It is usually in Program Files or Program Files ×86.
- In the Move To field, press Browse and select the folder where you want to move the program
- Then click on "Move and set Symbolic link" to move the program folder to the new location and create a Symbolic link shortcut, which is a feature that makes Windows believe that the program folder is still in its original location.
- Once the transfer finishes, you'll find shortcuts in the original location, but the folder's contents will reside in the new destination.
