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How to move games to an SSD without re-downloading them

Updated October 30, 2026

Games installed on a spinning hard drive (HDD) load slowly and can stutter while new areas stream in. Moving them to a solid-state drive (SSD) usually makes loading screens much shorter. Every big launcher can move a game for you, so you don't have to download it again.

Before you start

Check which drive is which. Open Settings › System › Storage › Advanced storage settings › Disks & volumes (Windows 10: Settings › System › Storage › Manage Disks and Volumes, or open Task Manager › Performance). Each disk is listed as SSD or HDD.
Check free space. The SSD needs room for the game plus some breathing space — try to keep 15% of it free afterwards.
Close the game and the launcher's downloads. Moving while a game updates can corrupt the files.
Never just drag a game folder to another drive in File Explorer. The launcher won't know where it went and will want to download it again.

Steam

Open Steam, then Steam › Settings › Storage.
Use the drop-down at the top to Add Drive and pick the SSD. Steam creates a SteamLibrary folder there.
Switch the drop-down back to the old drive, tick the games you want to move and click Move.
Choose the SSD library. Steam copies the files and deletes the old copy when it's done.

To make the SSD the default for new games, select it in Storage, click the ⋯ menu and choose Make Default.

Xbox app / Microsoft Store (PC Game Pass)

Open the Xbox app and go to your library (My Library or Installed).
Right-click the game and choose Manage, then open the Files tab.
Click Move, pick the SSD and confirm.

Default install location: Xbox app Settings › Install options (or General in older versions).

Epic Games Launcher

Epic has no one-click move, but it can reuse existing files:

Copy the game's folder (for example C:\Program Files\Epic Games\GameName) to the SSD, e.g. E:\Epic Games\.
In Epic, open the game's ⋯ menu and choose Uninstall (this removes the old copy).
Click Install on the game, set the location to the parent folder on the SSD (E:\Epic Games) and start the install.
Epic will verify the existing files instead of downloading everything. Some patches may still download.

Keep the copied folder until Epic has finished verifying.

EA app

Open the EA app, go to Library and find the game.
Click the ⋯ menu on the game and look for Move or Change install location (wording varies by version). If it isn't there, use the same copy-and-locate method as Epic.

Battle.net

Exit the game. Move the whole game folder to the SSD in File Explorer.
In Battle.net, select the game. Where you'd normally see Install, click Locate the game and point it to the new folder.

Ubisoft Connect and GOG Galaxy

Both support “locate” or “import”: move the folder, then in Ubisoft Connect use Locate installed game on the game's page; in GOG Galaxy use Manage installation › Import folder or add the new folder in settings. The launcher checks the files and keeps your progress.

What about saves?

Most saves live in your Documents, AppData or cloud saves, not in the game folder, so moving the game doesn't touch them. If a game stores saves next to the game files, they move with it. Make a quick copy of any irreplaceable save folder first if you're unsure.

Which games to move first

Move the games you play most and the ones with long loading screens. Large open-world games benefit the most. Older or small games can stay on the hard drive — they're often fast enough there.

Does it matter which SSD?

Any SSD is a big step up from an HDD for loading. Between a SATA SSD and an NVMe SSD, the difference in most games is small; NVMe is the better choice when your PC has a free M.2 slot because it costs about the same. See how to choose an NVMe SSD. If your SSD is the Windows drive and it's getting full, check how to free up space on C: first.