In Windows 8, the situation is a bit different. In Windows 8, you have libraries, which are kind of virtual folders that basically link to other folders that can be located anywhere. Also, starting in Windows 8, in addition to the My Documents folder, you also have the My Pictures, My Music, My Videos and Downloads folders.

In Windows 7/8.1, you have to manually change the location for each of these system folders if you want to move them. In Windows XP, all the other folders were inside the My Documents folder. I prefer the setup in Windows 7/8.1 because I usually don’t need to move all of the system folders, just one or two.

  1. To make it easier to find and access my documents from anywhere in the world.

  2. To make it easier to share my documents with others, whether they are in the United States or another country.

  3. Optimize your system for speed – One of the main reasons I upgraded to Windows 10 was to speed up my computer. By moving all of my programs and data off the C drive, I was able to get my computer running at its best.

If you have a Windows crash and your data is on the D drive, you can reinstall Windows on the C drive and the rest of your data remains intact!

A computer virus, spyware or other calamity of sorts has caused Windows to become unusable.

Using Libraries in Windows 7/8.1

If you want to move your system folders, here are the steps:

  1. Open the Start menu and search for “Move system files.”
  2. When the Move System Files window appears, click on the link that says “Browse for a location.”
  3. Navigate to the folder that you want to move your system files to and click on the “Select a location” button.
  4. Click on the “Next” button and wait while Windows moves all of your system files to their new location.
  5. Once Windows has finished moving your system files, close the Move System Files window by clicking on the “Finish” button. ..

To add a folder to a library, just go to the folder you want to add, right-click on it, choose Include in library and then pick the library you want to add the folder to. ..

This shortcut creates a shortcut to the folder, but it won’t look like a shortcut. It’ll seem as if the folder is actually located in that folder, where in reality it could be on a totally different disk.

You can include folders in network locations in a library, but you first have to make it available offline. To do that, just right-click on the folder and choose Always available offline. Once it has synced the folder to your local computer, you can right-click again and you will see the Include in library option.

In Windows 8.1, Microsoft suddenly hidden the libraries feature for no apparent reason, even though it still exists. So instead of seeing Libraries in the left-hand menu in Explorer, you’ll see This PC with links to the system folders (Documents, Pictures, etc).

In Windows 8.1, click on the View tab and then click Navigation Pane. Then click the checkbox next to Show Libraries.

Libraries are a great alternative to moving data around. They can store data in many different places, and you can use them without having to move it.

Move My Documents in Windows 7/8.1

In Windows 8.1, you can click on your user folder on the desktop or navigate to C:\Users\UserName\AppData.local to see the system folders. If you don’t see the user folder on your desktop, right-click on the desktop, choose Personalize and then click on Change Desktop Icons. There you can check the User’s Files box.

In Windows 8.1, just click on This PC on the left-hand menu and you’ll see the system folders. Then right-click on the folder you want to move and choose Properties.

To move a folder:

  1. Open the File Explorer window.
  2. Click on the Location tab and then click on the Move button.
  3. Choose a destination for the folder and Windows will begin to move everything over to the new location. ..

Move My Documents Folder in Windows XP

In Windows XP, you can only right-click on the My Documents folder on your desktop and choose Properties.

  1. Click Move and choose the desired location for your My Documents folder. Remember, it would be best to move it to a different partition at least. If not, move it to a different drive if possible.

You will be asked whether you want to move all of the current documents to the new location or not. Choose Yes.

Your documents will be moved to the new location and when you click the My Documents icon on your desktop, it’ll open just as before. If you have any questions, post a comment. Enjoy! ..