Why you might want Roblox Studio on a different drive

Roblox Studio installs to your C: drive by default, which can fill up quickly if that drive is small or already crowded. Moving it to a D: drive (or any secondary drive) frees up space on C: without uninstalling the program. This is especially useful if you have a smaller solid-state drive for your operating system and a larger mechanical drive for storage.

The process involves telling Windows to install Studio on D: during setup, or moving the existing installation after the fact. Both methods work, but installing to D: from the start is cleaner and faster than moving files later.

Key Takeaways

  • Roblox Studio defaults to C: drive installation, but you can choose D: during the setup wizard by clicking "Browse" and selecting your D: drive folder.
  • If Studio is already installed on C:, you can uninstall it and reinstall to D:, or use a third-party tool like Steam Mover or FreeFileSync to move the folder manually.
  • You will need at least 4 GB of free space on your D: drive, plus extra room for projects you create.
  • After moving Studio, Windows shortcuts and file associations may still point to the old C: location, so reinstalling is the safest approach.

Installing Roblox Studio directly to D: drive

read the Roblox Studio installer from the official Roblox website (roblox.com/create). Run the .exe file and you will see the installation wizard. When it asks where to install, click the "Browse" button instead of accepting the default C: drive path.

In the folder browser, navigate to your D: drive and create a new folder called "Roblox Studio" or similar. Select that folder and click "OK". The installer will now place all Studio files on D: instead of C:. Let the installation finish completely before closing the window.

Once done, Studio will launch from D: and all your projects will save there by default. Shortcuts on your desktop and Start menu will point to the D: installation automatically.

Moving an existing Studio installation from C: to D:

If Studio is already installed on C:, the simplest method is to uninstall it completely, then reinstall to D: using the steps above. Open Settings, go to Apps, find "Roblox Studio", and click "Uninstall". Follow the prompts to remove it fully.

After uninstall, read the installer again and install to D: as described in the previous section. This ensures all file paths, shortcuts, and Windows registry entries point to the new location.

If you want to keep your existing projects during the move, copy your project files to a backup folder on D: before uninstalling. Your projects are usually stored in a "Roblox" folder in your Documents or AppData directory — search your computer for folders containing .rbxl or .rbxlx files to find them.

Moving files manually without reinstalling

If you prefer not to reinstall, you can move the Studio folder itself using file management tools. Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Roblox (or wherever Studio installed). Right-click the Roblox folder and select "Cut".

Navigate to your D: drive, right-click in an empty area, and select "Paste". Windows will move the entire folder to D:. This can take several minutes depending on your drive speed and how many projects you have stored.

After moving, Studio shortcuts will no longer work because they still point to C:. You will need to either reinstall (which updates the shortcuts), or manually create a new shortcut by right-clicking the Studio executable on D: and selecting "Create shortcut". This workaround is more fragile than a clean reinstall, so reinstalling is recommended if you have the time.

Checking your D: drive has enough space

Roblox Studio itself takes about 2 to 3 GB of disk space. Your projects can range from 50 MB to several hundred MB each, depending on how many assets and scripts you include. Before moving or installing, right-click your D: drive in File Explorer, select "Properties", and check the "Free space" number.

Aim for at least 4 GB free before installing Studio, and more if you plan to store multiple large projects. If your D: drive is nearly full, you may need to delete or move other files first, or consider using an external drive instead.

Fixing shortcuts and file associations after moving

If you moved Studio manually without reinstalling, Windows may still try to launch it from the old C: location when you click a shortcut. The easiest fix is to reinstall Studio to D:, which updates everything automatically.

If you want to avoid reinstalling, delete all old Studio shortcuts from your desktop and Start menu. Then navigate to your D: drive, find the Studio executable (usually called "RobloxStudioBeta.exe" or similar), right-click it, and select "Send to" > "Desktop (create shortcut)". This creates a new shortcut that points to the correct location.

For file associations (so .rbxl files open in Studio when you double-click them), right-click a Studio project file, select "Open with" > "Choose another app", find Roblox Studio in the list, and check "Always use this app". If Studio does not appear, click "More apps" and browse to your D: drive to select the executable manually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will moving Studio to D: make it run slower?

No, not noticeably. If D: is a mechanical hard drive and C: is a solid-state drive, Studio may load slightly slower, but the difference is usually under a second. If both drives are the same type (both SSD or both mechanical), you will see no performance change at all.

Can I move Studio to an external USB drive?

Technically yes, but it is not recommended. External drives are slower and may disconnect unexpectedly, which can corrupt your projects. If you must use external storage, keep your projects there but install Studio on an internal drive (C: or D:).

What if the D: drive is a network drive or mapped drive?

Studio works best on local internal drives. Network or mapped drives can cause lag, crashes, and file corruption because Studio needs fast, reliable access to thousands of small files. Install Studio on a physical drive inside your computer instead.

Do I need to move my projects too, or just Studio?

You only need to move Studio itself. Your projects can stay in Documents or move to D: separately — Studio will find them either way. If you want projects on D: as well, copy them there after Studio is installed and open them from the new location.

What if installation fails when I choose D: drive?

Make sure D: has at least 4 GB free space and that you have write permissions to it. If the drive is full or read-only, the installer will fail. Also check that D: is not a recovery partition or system drive — right-click the drive in File Explorer and select "Properties" to confirm it is a regular data drive.