Install games on whichever drive has enough space, suits the game’s requirements, and is reliable. The letter itself tells you nothing about speed or whether a drive is an SSD, HDD, internal, or external. If D: is a suitable drive with more room, using it can help keep Windows’ C: drive from running low on space. C: is also fine when it is the appropriate drive.
How to choose between C: and D:
Compare the drives themselves, not their letters. Check each drive’s type, capacity, and current usage, then consider the game’s storage requirements and how you launch it.
- Drive type and location: Find out whether each volume is on an SSD or HDD and whether it is internal or external. C: is not necessarily an SSD, and D: is not necessarily a separate physical drive.
- Available space: Make sure the destination can accommodate the game and leave usable room on the Windows system drive. Microsoft warns that low storage can affect performance or cause trouble installing Windows updates, but does not set one free-space minimum that applies to every PC. See Microsoft’s guidance on freeing up drive space.
- Game and launcher requirements: Follow any storage requirements for the specific game and choose its install location in the launcher when that option is available.
- Reliability: Prefer a stable drive that will remain connected whenever you play. A removable drive that disconnects can interrupt access to games and their library.
Windows Storage settings can help you inspect the drives: open Settings > System > Storage. Microsoft says these settings show drive type, capacity, and current usage. Read more in Storage settings in Windows.
When to use D: for games
Choose D: when it has enough room, is suitable for the games you play, and is dependable. This is useful if installing games on D: helps prevent C: from filling up. Microsoft also recommends saving new personal files on another drive with more available space as one way to address low storage; that advice does not make D: the required location for games.
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If D: is an external drive, consider the connection and whether you can keep it plugged in. Steam warns that external hard drives may have performance issues or disconnect, and does not recommend installing Steam or its games on one. Its guidance is specific to Steam; check the policies and options for other launchers.
When C: is a reasonable choice
Use C: if it is the suitable, reliable drive with enough available room for the game and Windows’ ordinary storage needs. There is no general rule that games must be installed on D:. Nor do these storage-management sources establish that a game will load faster or run at a higher frame rate on one drive letter. Performance depends on the actual storage setup and game, so do not assume the letter predicts the result.
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Set or move a Steam game library
Steam supports alternate library locations on other drives. Its instructions apply to Steam, not automatically to Xbox, Epic Games Store, or other launchers.
- In Steam, open Settings > Storage.
- Use the plus button to add a library location on the drive you want to use.
- Choose that library when installing future games.
- To move an installed game, select its current drive in Storage, select the game, then choose Move and the destination library.
Steam documents this process in Moving a Steam Installation and Games. If an external drive disconnects, Steam may stop finding games installed there; see Steam’s guidance on installed games appearing as uninstalled.
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What Windows’ save-location setting does—and doesn’t do
Windows includes defaults for where new content is saved, but those settings are not a universal game-installation control. When a launcher offers a library or install-location setting, use that to choose where its games go.
Quick Recap
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