Skip to main content

Finally! New Windows 10 builds let users choose download drive for some Store apps

windows 10 subscription enterprise home screen 16 9
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The Windows 10 Anniversary Edition will include an update that allows the user to select where larger apps are installed when downloading them from the Windows Store.

Before, using the Windows Store was almost over-simplified. Users would select an app, the download begins, and then it’s ready to use. But if you use more than one hard drive this meant you couldn’t decide on where you would like to save the app unless you change the default location every time. This new update addresses those complaints but will only be for larger apps.

News of the update comes from several Windows Insiders that have had advance access to the latest edition of Windows 10, which is expected to be available in the coming weeks.

As for what kind of larger apps will be compatible with this new update, that remains unclear. But it is most likely targeted at games, which are generally larger app files. It is also unclear what the threshold for a large file is according to Microsoft.

A Reddit user that has access to the update has posted a screenshot (in German) that says you must select a folder with at least 26.83GB available. Smaller apps will still, reportedly, go straight to the default folder.

19fTNAU
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The update hasn’t been announced by Microsoft in any way, so it appears the company is happy to just slip this new feature in quietly. Neowin reports that it tested the feature in builds 14361 and 14366 and it was working in both. This means it’s only available to Windows Insiders so far, but if there’s no snags, it’ll roll out to everyone soon.

The ability to select a download location for games could be a significant change for the Windows Store and its attempts to woo more gamers. It will introduce much greater and friendlier ease of use that may sway some gamers over to the Windows Store from the likes of Steam for their gaming purchases but only time will tell.

Editors' Recommendations

Jonathan Keane
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jonathan is a freelance technology journalist living in Dublin, Ireland. He's previously written for publications and sites…
Top 10 Windows shortcuts everyone should know
An individual using a laptop's keyboard.

Windows shortcuts are a constantly-used feature by practically all PC users. Apart from saving you time from carrying out the specific command without having to perform a few extra clicks on your mouse, it’s simply more convenient to refer back to shortcuts via your keyboard.

Although you may be satisfied with the Windows shortcuts you already know about and utilize on a daily basis, you can enhance your general Windows experience in a big way with these 10 shortcuts everyone should know.
Ctrl + Z
Tired of always having to use your mouse to find and click the Undo button on a program like Microsoft Word or, say, entering details on a website or editing images? Ctrl + Z will basically undo whatever your last action was, providing you a convenient way to reverse edits and changes within a second. From personal experience, this shortcut proved to be especially useful for productivity applications.
Ctrl + Shift + T
We’ve all been there. Nowadays, our browsers are inundated with multiple tabs, and as such, it’s hard to keep track of at times. Eventually, you’re going to close a tab on accident when trying to select it. Instead of trying to remember what it was or spending a few seconds accessing it and reopening it via the Recently Closed feature (on Chrome), simply hit Ctrl + Shift + T to restore the last closed tab. Similarly, Ctrl + N will open a new tab.
Alt + Tab

Read more
After 10 years of headaches, I’m finally a believer in Windows on ARM
The Microsoft Surface 3 with its blue keyboard.

Almost two years in, Apple is on the verge of completing its transition to ARM. It might surprise you to know, then, that Microsoft started its own journey to ARM chips long before Apple.

But Windows' support for ARM has been far less smooth. There aren't many more Windows devices with ARM chips than there were five years ago -- and I can attest to having personally used every failed attempt along the way.

Read more
Windows 11 might pull ahead of Windows 10 in one key way
Windows 11 and Windows 10 operating system logos are displayed on laptop screens.

Windows 11 has been around for nearly a year, but the debate on how it stands up against Windows 10 is still going strong. That's why custom computer builder Puget Systems revisited that very topic, with the results finding that Windows 11 might pull ahead of Windows 10 in one key area.

This one key area involves content creation, and Puget Systems detailed that in several tests, made gains over Windows 10 in the last year. Those gains are mainly due to monthly Windows 11 patches, and the launch of new CPUs. Yet Windows 10 also performed faster in some tests, too, where the hardware running the tests were the same.

Read more