How To Move Lol To Another Drive
For millions of players, League of Legends is more than just a game; it’s a daily ritual, a competitive outlet, and a social hub. Whether you're climbing the ranked ladder or...
For millions of players, League of Legends is more than just a game; it’s a daily ritual, a competitive outlet, and a social hub. Whether you're climbing the ranked ladder or enjoying a casual game with friends, the experience is deeply personal. However, nothing kills that excitement faster than a frantic warning: “Low disk space on your main drive.” Moving LoL to another drive isn’t just about cleaning up—it’s about preserving the smooth, uninterrupted performance that every player values. By relocating the game, you can free up precious space on your system drive, reduce load times, and ensure your computer doesn’t stutter during critical team fights.
The key purpose of moving League of Legends is to optimize your storage and system performance. Your primary drive (often the C: drive) is essential for your operating system and core applications. When it becomes crowded, your computer slows down, updates take longer, and the game may experience lag. By transferring LoL to a secondary drive—like a larger HDD or a faster SSD—you directly address these bottlenecks. The result? A smoother launch, quicker patch installations, and a healthier overall system that doesn’t force you to choose between keeping the game and having room for new files.
Consider this everyday scenario: you’ve just finished a long workday, and your SSD is almost full with projects, photos, and system files. You want to start a ranked match, but the Riot Client takes five minutes to load because your drive is gasping for space. By moving LoL to a dedicated secondary drive, you reclaim your evening. Your load times drop, and you can even install other games or software without future headaches.
To move LoL correctly, start with the Riot Client itself. Open the client, go to Settings, then to the Game Installation tab. Here, you’ll see the current path for League of Legends. Click “Move Game” or “Change Folder” (depending on your version). The client will automatically create a new folder on your target drive and transfer the files. This method ensures that all registry entries and shortcuts remain intact. Never just copy the folder manually—that can break the game’s links to your account and updates.
How to Move League of Legends to Another Drive - YouTube
If the built-in mover fails—which can happen with older clients—use a symbolic link (also called a symlink). First, uninstall LoL from the Riot Client, then move the Riot Games folder to your new drive (e.g., D:\Riot Games). Next, open Command Prompt as Administrator and type: mklink /J “C:\Riot Games” “D:\Riot Games”. This creates a virtual “bridge” that tricks the system into thinking the game is still on the C: drive while it’s actually on D:. It’s a bit technical, but it’s a powerful, space-saving trick for advanced users.
A final tip: always ensure your target drive has enough free space—LoL and its updates can exceed 25GB. Also, if you’re moving to an HDD, expect slower loading times compared to an SSD. For the best results, choose a secondary SSD. Test the move with a small file first, and keep a backup of your account login details. Once done, you’ll enjoy a faster, more reliable League experience without the nagging fear of a full drive.