How to Change the Installation Drive and Reinstall an Adobe Subscription
Question details
The user needs to change the installation drive for their Adobe subscription software because it was installed on the wrong drive.
- Product
- Adobe Subscription
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Changing the installation location and reinstalling the software to free up space or correct an installation error.
- Observed behavior
- The software is currently installed on the incorrect drive, and the user needs to know what information or steps are required to move it.
Before making changes, verify your specific Adobe subscription (e.g., Creative Cloud, Acrobat) and your operating system, as the steps to change the installation path vary by platform. Ensure you have enough storage space on the new target drive.
Change Installation Path via Adobe Creative Cloud
The most common method for managing Adobe apps is changing the default install location in the Creative Cloud desktop application before reinstalling the software.
Adobe requires you to set the new installation path in the Creative Cloud preferences before downloading the app again. Manually moving the program folders via the file explorer will break the software.
Launch the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application on your computer.
Click the gear icon in the upper-right corner to open the Preferences menu.
In the sidebar, click on 'Apps' to view your installation settings.
Find the 'Install location' section. Click the edit icon (or the dropdown menu) and choose the new drive or folder where you want future apps to be installed.
Go back to the 'All Apps' tab, click the three dots next to your installed application, and select 'Uninstall'. Once uninstalled, click 'Install' to download it directly to your newly selected drive.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I move an installed Adobe app to another drive without reinstalling?
No, Adobe does not officially support moving installed program files to another drive manually. You must change the install location in the Creative Cloud preferences and then reinstall the app to ensure registry keys and dependencies are correct.
Will reinstalling my Adobe subscription delete my project files?
Uninstalling and reinstalling Adobe applications only removes the program files. Your personal project files, assets, and exported documents saved on your computer will remain intact.
Why is my Adobe app still installing on the C: drive after changing the location?
Some shared Adobe components and core system files are required to be installed on the primary system drive (usually C:), even if you set the application install location to a different drive. Only the main application files will be moved to the secondary drive.
