Change Default Install Location of Windows 8 Store Apps

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We had, some time back, identified the location of the folder, where the Windows 8 Metro Apps get installed. The next question which logically comes to one’s mind is whether there is any way a user can change the default install location of Windows Store apps.  Fortunately, there is a way to do this too. You might want to change the location, if you find yourself running out of disk space on your system drive. Sure, you can consider moving the default location of the user profile folders or the default Program Files folder to another drive – but if you want, you can also change the default installation folder for Windows Store apps.

Change location of Windows Store Apps default installation folder

To change the location of Windows 8 Store Apps default installation folder, you will have to tweak the Windows Registry. To do so, press Win+R to bring up the Run dialog box. Type ‘regedit’ and hit Enter. A posting on TechNet tells you that the settings are present in the following key, so navigate to it:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Appx

Next right-click Appx and choose ‘Permissions’ from the context menu.

appx permissions 400x254 Change Default Install Location of Windows 8 Store Apps

The Permissions for Appx box will open. You will now have to take full control and ownership of the registry key. You can see here how to take full control of Windows Registry keys or you could simply use RegOwnIt.

Once you have taken ownership, you can edit the PackageRoot registry key by right-clicking on it and selecting Modify. Enter the new path of the folder where you want the Windows Apps to be installed. It could be say, D:\WindowsApps.

appx reg 400x254 Change Default Install Location of Windows 8 Store Apps

Do note that you will not be able to update the apps installed prior to changing the default location, since these apps will still have their data in the original location. To avoid possible updating errors, it is recommended that you uninstall the apps, change the installation location and then reinstall the Windows Store apps.

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Anand aka HappyAndyK is an end-user Windows enthusiast, a Microsoft MVP in Windows Desktop Experience since 2007, and the Admin of TheWindowsClub.com, TheGeeksClub.com & WinVistaClub.com. Creating a System Restore Point before trying out a new software or a tweak is always recommended.

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  • Rajendra Dixit

    Great article! One quick question – Is there a way for me to share same windows store application on same PC with multiple users by installing it just once? Let’s assume that it’s a free application. This saves me disk space and avoids un necessary duplication

  • http://www.thewindowsclub.com Anand Khanse

    No.

    You are forgetting the Registry keys which the app may be installing. :)

  • Rajendra Dixit

    Thanks Anand for quick response. In previous versions of windows while installing (conventional) applications, there was choice whether to install it for the logged in user or for all users. Is there something similar possible on Windows 8 while installing apps from Windows store?

  • http://www.thewindowsclub.com Anand Khanse

    I don’t think there is such an option.