How to Move an Installed App

Question

How to Move an Installed App

Kevin Upton 40

Just installed an SD drive on my Surface Go 3 and would like to move an "external" app (in this case, Quicken) from the C-drive to the new SD drive in order to free up space. Tried clicking the ellipsis on the Installed Apps function under settings but not finding an option to move--just uninstall. Would prefer not to uninstall and reinstall.

For native Microsoft apps (i.e., Outlook), the move function appears under the ellipsis but is greyed out.

Would much appreciate any insights or fixes.

Thanks,

Kevin

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Answer 1

Hi,

Thanks for the clarification, Kevin, switching to reinstalling on the SSD drive instead of editing the registry is definitely a smart and clean approach.

Here is my explanation. "Why Reinstalling to the SSD Is a Good Idea"

It avoids registry risks and keeps your system stable.

It ensures a fresh setup with no leftover files or misconfigurations.

Better performance compared to SD cards, especially for apps that need fast read/write speeds.

Tips for a Smooth Reinstall:

Fully uninstall the app first, you may use a 3rd party uninstaller or uninstall manually.

Restart your device after uninstalling to clear any cached settings.

Reinstall to the SSD and let the app set up fresh configurations.

Test the app thoroughly after reinstalling to confirm stability.

Hope this helps, let me know if you need further assistance. I'll be more than happy to assist.

Warm regards,

Edward Schlobohm

Answer 2

Hi Kevin,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community. I understand that you want to move an external app "Quicken" from C drive going to SSD drive. I'll be happy to assist you.

Just to take note: Windows 11 (and 10) doesn't always allow moving installed apps, especially traditional desktop apps like Quicken, which are typically installed via .exe installers rather than from the Microsoft Store. The “Move” option in Settings > Apps > Installed Apps only works for Microsoft Store apps that support relocation.

Traditional desktop apps (like Quicken) don’t support this feature natively. Even for Store apps, the move option is greyed out if the app developer hasn’t enabled relocation or if the target drive isn’t formatted correctly.

We can try this workaround:

Symbolic Link (Advanced but Effective)

1. Symbolic Link (Advanced but Effective)

You can move the Quicken folder manually and create a symbolic link from the original location to the new one. This tricks Windows into thinking the app is still on the C-drive.

Steps:

Move the Quicken installation folder (usually under C:\Program Files (x86)\Quicken) to your new SSD (e.g., D:\Apps\Quicken).
Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
Run this command: mklink /D "C:\Program Files (x86)\Quicken" "D:\Apps\Quicken"
Launch Quicken and verify it works.

*** This method works best if Quicken doesn’t rely on registry entries pointing to the original path. If it fails, you may need to reinstall.

Reinstall Quicken to SSD If symbolic links don’t work or cause issues: Uninstall Quicken. Reinstall it and choose a custom install location on your SSD during setup.
Launch Quicken to confirm it works. Note: If Quicken relies on registry entries tied to the original location, this method may not work and a reinstall might be necessary.

Please let us know if these steps help resolve the issue, or if you need further assistance. We're here to help! If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Warm regards,

Edward Schlobohm

Kevin Upton 40 Reputation points

2025-07-30T13:36:29.0966667+00:00

Thanks for the response. What you're suggesting makes sense but I'm generally reluctant to do anything that might mess with the registry.

Doing a complete uninstall, then reinstalling to the SD drive would seem to be the cleanest way of handling this. Your thoughts?

Thanks,

Kevin
Kevin Upton 40 Reputation points

2025-07-30T21:54:17.82+00:00

Makes sense. Thanks for your insights.
Kevin Upton 40 Reputation points

2025-08-03T15:37:31.5766667+00:00

Thanks again for the response but there's something of a complication: Although I uninstalled Quicken and reinstalled onto the SD drive, I'm still showing a Quicken subfolder in the C:/ drive Program Files (x86) folder showing two folders and 29 files totaling 91.5 MB. (By comparison, the Quicken program file on the SD drive totals 334 MB, which sounds about right). So, the question is, can I just delete the Quicken folder in the C:/ drive Program Files (x86) without screwing something up?

Also of note, the storage function on my Surface Go 3 shows 26.6 GB in program files on the C:/ drive, which is exactly what is showed before I uninstalled Quicken and reinstalled it on the SD drive. And I still get pop-ups telling me I need to free up space. Doesn't seem to make sense.

Any insights of fixes much appreciated.

--Kevin

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How to Move an Installed App

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