How to Change Epic Games Install Location on Windows

To change where Epic installs future games: open Download Manager in the lower-left corner of Epic Games Launcher, choose Download Settings, then select Change beside Default Install Directory. Choose a folder such as D:\Epic Games.

That setting affects future installations only. To move a game that is already installed without downloading the entire title again, use Epic’s backup, uninstall, partial-install, copy, and verification procedure. Do not simply drag the game folder to another drive and delete the original.

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This guide applies to Epic Games Launcher on supported 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems. Epic’s current requirements page lists 3 GB of storage for the Launcher itself; individual games require much more space and may need additional temporary space during installation. Check Epic’s current Launcher requirements if you are troubleshooting an older Windows installation.

First, identify what you want to move

Epic Games install location can mean two different things. The Epic Games Launcher is the application used to sign in, browse the Store, and launch games. A game installation is the much larger folder containing files for Fortnite, Rocket League, GTA V, or another title. They are separate.

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Change the default location for future Epic games

1. Open Epic Games Launcher.
2. Open Download Manager from the lower-left corner of the Launcher.
3. Select Download Settings.
4. Under General, find Default Install Directory.
5. Select Change.
6. Choose an existing folder or create one, for example:

   D:\Epic Games

7. Confirm the folder, then check the location shown in the next game’s installation prompt before starting the download.

These are the current labels documented by Epic’s instructions for changing the default install directory. Launcher labels can change slightly after an update, so look for the equivalent setting under Download Manager if your interface is different.

Choose a different location for one new game

If you only want to put one title on another drive, you do not need to change the global default.

1. Open Library.
2. Select the game you want to install.
3. Click Install.
4. In the installation prompt, select the desired installation directory. Depending on the current Launcher interface, this may be labelled Browse, Change, or Installation Directory.
5. Click Install to begin.

Epic documents this per-game location choice in its new-game installation instructions. If the current drive is full, Epic also identifies Browse as the way to select another directory in its storage troubleshooting guidance.

Move an installed Epic game without downloading it again

Epic does not currently document a universal one-click Move button for every title. Its official no-full-redownload procedure makes the Launcher create a new installation record first, then replaces the small partial installation with a backup of the existing game files.

This can avoid downloading the whole game again, but it is not guaranteed to transfer zero bytes. Epic may still download missing, changed, or damaged files during verification.

Before you start

• Close the game and pause any active Epic downloads or updates.
• Make sure the destination drive is online and has a stable drive letter.
• Confirm that the destination has room for the installed game, temporary installation and unpacking files, updates, and—if possible—a duplicate backup.
• Back up the entire game folder outside the folder that Epic will remove during uninstall.
• Back up local save files separately. Save locations vary by game and publisher, so do not assume every save is inside the installation directory.

Epic warns that uninstalling a game can remove files in its installation directory. Games with Cloud Saves should keep progress in the cloud, but games without Cloud Saves may store progress locally and can lose it during uninstall. Read Epic’s save-data guidance before uninstalling.

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Official backup-and-verify procedure

For this example, assume the old folder is C:\Program Files\Epic Games\GameName and the new parent folder is D:\Epic Games.

1. Back up the entire existing game folder. Copy GameName to another safe location. Keep this copy until the game works from the new drive.
2. Open Epic Games Launcher and select Library.
3. Open the game’s three-dot menu and choose Uninstall.
4. Start installing the same game again. In the installation prompt, choose the new drive or folder, such as D:\Epic Games.
5. Allow the download to reach approximately 2–3%. This creates the new installation directory and installation record.
6. Open the game’s three-dot menu and choose Cancel Install.
7. Exit Epic Games Launcher completely. Close it from the system tray as well, rather than leaving the Launcher running in the background.
8. Open the new directory Epic created. If the expected path is D:\Epic Games\GameName, copy the backed-up game files into that exact folder and replace duplicate or partial files when Windows asks.
9. Check the folder structure before continuing. The game files should not end up one level too deep, such as D:\Epic Games\GameName\GameName when Epic expects D:\Epic Games\GameName.
10. Relaunch Epic Games Launcher and resume the installation.
11. Allow Epic to inspect and verify the copied files. It should download only files it considers missing, changed, or invalid, although the exact result can vary by game.
12. Launch the game once. Keep the old backup until the game starts correctly and your save or progress is present.

This sequence follows Epic’s current instructions for moving an installed game to another directory. The temporary 2–3% download is not the final game download; it gives the Launcher the directory and metadata it needs to process the copied files.

Using Robocopy for a large game folder

Windows Explorer is adequate for many transfers, but robocopy can be useful for very large folders or transfers that may be interrupted. Microsoft documents Robocopy for Windows 10 and Windows 11 and describes the options used below:

robocopy "C:\Program Files\Epic Games\GameName" "D:\Epic Games\GameName" /E /Z /J /R:2 /W:5 /LOG:"%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\epic-move.log"

• /E copies subdirectories, including empty ones.
• /Z uses restartable mode.
• /J uses unbuffered I/O, which Microsoft recommends for large files.
• /R:2 and /W:5 limit retries and the wait between retries.
• /LOG: records the result in a log file on the desktop.

Do not use /MOVE for the first transfer. Microsoft documents that /MOVE deletes source files after copying; that defeats the safety of keeping the original until Epic verifies and launches the game. See Microsoft’s Robocopy reference.

Verify a moved or repaired game

After the copied files are in the exact directory Epic expects, verification can repair files that differ from the current version.

1. Open Epic Games Launcher.
2. Go to Library.
3. Click the three dots beside the game.
4. Select Manage.
5. Select Verify.
6. Wait for the validation process to finish, then launch the game.

Epic says verification checks local files and repairs files that are different or corrupted. It does not affect saved data, but it can download replacement files when the local copy is incomplete.

If Epic starts downloading the entire game again

Pause or cancel the download as soon as you notice that Epic is starting a full transfer. Then check the following before resuming:

1. Folder nesting: confirm that the executable and other game files are directly inside the folder Epic created, not inside a second copy of the game folder.
2. Exact Launcher-created path: copy the backup into the directory created by the partial installation, rather than an adjacent folder that merely has a similar name.
3. Launcher state: close Epic completely before replacing partial files, including its system-tray process.
4. Folder name: make sure the final game folder name matches the directory Epic expects.
5. Drive letter: confirm that the destination is still assigned the same letter used when the installation was started.
6. File copy result: check that the copy completed and that Windows did not skip files because of permissions, a disconnected drive, or a file in use.

If the structure is wrong, remove only the incomplete destination copy after confirming that the original backup is safe, repeat the partial-install step, and copy the files again. Verification may still download some data, but a correctly copied and matching folder should not normally require the entire title.

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Move the Epic Games Launcher itself

Changing the game installation directory does not move the Launcher. If you want the Launcher application installed in a custom location, use the Epic Games installer with the /installdir switch.

1. Download the current Epic Games Launcher installer.
2. Right-click the installer and select Copy as path.
3. Open Command Prompt.
4. Paste the installer path, add a space, and then add /installdir.
5. Press Enter and choose the custom Launcher directory in the installer.

"C:\Users\YourName\Downloads\EpicInstaller.exe" /installdir

The quotation marks are important when the installer path contains spaces. The /installdir switch goes after the closing quotation mark. Epic documents this custom Launcher installation method.

This is an installer option, not a command that migrates an existing Launcher installation in place. It also does not change where your games are installed. Configure the game directory separately using Default Install Directory or the per-game installation prompt.

Check disk space before moving or installing

The destination drive needs more than the final installed size shown in the Launcher may suggest. Depending on the title, Epic may need space for:

• The completed installed game.
• Downloaded archives and temporary installation files.
• Decompression or unpacking during installation.
• Updates and patches.
• A partial installation while you perform the backup-and-verify method.
• A temporary duplicate copy if you keep a backup on the destination drive.

There is no universal percentage or fixed overhead that applies to every Epic game. Epic notes that installation can require more free space than the displayed game size because files may be decompressed during installation. If the destination is nearly full, free space before moving the game rather than deleting the original backup prematurely.

Fix an inaccessible or invalid installation path

If Epic refuses to use the selected folder, work through these checks:

• Confirm that the drive is online and visible in File Explorer.
• Confirm that the target folder exists, or create it before selecting it.
• Use a folder where your Windows account has both Read and Write access.
• Check free space, including temporary installation requirements.
• Do not copy, rename, or delete game files while Epic is downloading or updating them.
• Pause other downloads and close the game before changing its files.

Epic’s installation troubleshooting guidance specifically calls for Read and Write access to the selected path.

External drives and changed drive letters

An external SSD or hard drive can be used as a game location when Windows and Epic can access it, but it must remain connected before launching, updating, or verifying the game. Keep its drive letter stable. If Windows changes the drive from D: to E:, Epic’s saved installation path may no longer point to the files.

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Epic identifies changed drive letters as one possible cause of an Invalid Drive error. See Epic’s Invalid Drive troubleshooting page. Load times will also depend on the external drive and its connection; an external drive should not be assumed to perform like an internal SSD.

Fix the Please use the Epic Games Launcher error

If the moved game is detected but displays the error Please use the Epic Games Launcher to start this game, Epic provides this targeted fix:

1. Open Library.
2. Open the game’s three-dot menu.
3. Select Manage.
4. Use the folder icon to open the game’s installation folder.
5. Delete the .egstore folder.
6. Restart Epic Games Launcher and try launching the game again.

This is a specific troubleshooting step for that error, not a replacement for the normal move sequence. Epic warns that the game may need to be reinstalled if detection still fails.

Clear the Epic Games Launcher cache

If the new installation path does not appear correctly or the Launcher interface behaves incorrectly, clear its web cache:

1. Exit Epic Games Launcher from the system tray.
2. Press Windows + R.
3. Enter:

%localappdata%

4. Open EpicGamesLauncher\Saved.
5. Delete any of these folders that are present:

webcache
webcache_4147
webcache_4430

6. Relaunch Epic Games Launcher and check the Library again.

Epic documents cache removal as a fix for Launcher display and technical problems. Clearing the cache does not replace a missing game installation and should not be confused with deleting the game folder.

What if Windows was reinstalled or the Launcher was removed?

This is different from moving a game while its existing Library entry is still present. Epic’s current support guidance says the Launcher does not support automatically detecting previously installed game files after the Launcher is removed or Windows is reinstalled.

In that situation, reinstall the Launcher and use your Library to reinstall the game. Epic says community workarounds for pointing a fresh Launcher at old files are unofficial and may not work reliably across all games. Do not treat manifest editing, manually changing metadata, or copying a folder into a guessed location as a guaranteed recovery method.

Read Epic’s current guidance about detecting previously installed games. If you still have the old Launcher Library entry and are deliberately relocating the game, use the official backup-and-verify procedure instead; that is the stronger supported case.

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Advanced fallback: preserve the old path with a junction

Experienced Windows users sometimes create a directory junction so the old path points to a game folder on another drive:

mklink /J "C:\Program Files\Epic Games\GameName" "D:\Epic Games\GameName"

Microsoft documents /J as the option for creating a directory junction. See the Microsoft mklink reference.

This is not Epic’s documented relocation method and should not be the first choice. The old path must not already contain a normal folder, the target drive must remain available, and the junction does not update Epic’s own installation metadata—it only preserves the filesystem path that programs see. Back up the game first and use this only if you understand how to remove and recreate junctions.

Practical checklist

• For future games, use Download Manager → Download Settings → Default Install Directory → Change.
• For one new game, choose the location in Library → Install.
• Changing the default location does not move existing games.
• Before moving an installed game, back up the entire game folder and local saves.
• Use Epic’s 2–3% partial-install, cancel, copy, and resume method.
• Do not delete the old copy until verification and a test launch succeed.
• Check folder nesting, permissions, free space, and drive letters if Epic redownloads the game.
• Move the Launcher separately with the installer’s /installdir option.
• After a Windows reset or Launcher reinstall, automatic detection of old game files is unsupported.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does changing Epic Games’ default install location move games that are already installed?

No. Default Install Directory controls future installations. Existing games remain where they are and must be moved using Epic’s separate backup-and-verify procedure.

Can I install Epic games on the D: drive or an external drive?

Yes, provided Windows and Epic can read and write to the selected folder, the drive has sufficient free space, and the drive remains connected. External drives should retain the same drive letter because a changed letter can make Epic’s recorded path unavailable.

Will moving an Epic game delete my saves?

Cloud Saves should preserve progress for games that support them, but not every game supports Cloud Saves. Because Epic’s relocation method includes uninstalling the Library entry, back up local save data before starting. Save locations vary by game and publisher.

Can I move the Epic Games Launcher without moving the games?

Yes. The Launcher and game installations are separate. Use the Epic installer with the /installdir option to choose a custom Launcher location, then configure game locations separately.

Will Epic automatically find my games after I reinstall Windows?

Epic’s current support guidance says automatic detection of previously installed files after a Launcher removal or Windows reinstall is unsupported. You may need to reinstall the games, and unofficial recovery workarounds are not guaranteed across titles.

Will verification download the entire game again?

It should check the files already present and download files that are missing, changed, or corrupted. A full redownload can occur if the folder is in the wrong location, nested incorrectly, incomplete, inaccessible, or cannot be matched to the installation record.

Is there a universal Move button in Epic Games Launcher?

Do not assume there is one. Epic’s current official instructions use the backup, uninstall, partial-install, copy, resume, and verification process rather than documenting a universal Move button for every game.

The Bottom Line

For future installations, change Default Install Directory in Epic’s Download Settings. For an existing game, back it up first and use Epic’s partial-install and verification workflow; changing the default path alone will not move it, and deleting the original before a successful launch risks losing files or local saves.

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