Install apps on SD card for Windows 8.1 / Surface 2

[Gamely Lounges]

With Windows 8 we were able to install apps onto our SD card. With the upgrade to Windows 8.1 we lost that ability.

I finally ran out of hard drive space for apps and things recently so I finally looked into this ability. I haven't been able to find any way to install apps on an external card. This is a feature that really ought to be supported. The alternative is that we are forced to uninstall older apps in order to install the newer ones and to play this app shuffling game. Furthermore, without this ability, the usefulness of the SD card is quite severely decreased.

Questions:
A). Has anyone found a way in windows 8.1 to install apps on the external card?
B). Can anyone point me to the Microsoft website where we vote for features/enhancements? (I have been unable to find that site)

Thanks!
Gamely Lounges

 

[Manoj Daran]

SOO WEIRD!! Apps can be installed directly on SD card only on WP8.1 DEV not in WP8...... And it works just fine!

 

[Gamely Lounges]

My post is about Surface 2/RT.

Regarding the Windows Phone OS, at least they are adding functionality instead of taking it away!

 

[Bharath Dasari]

yes you can do that even in windows 8.1
1)click more in store
2)then on install local apps
3)then next you will be asked to select the app you want to install
that's it

 

[Akash Patel]

There is only one way you can do that and that is by changing the registry entry of your apps default location.
Go through this proper tutorial as changing registry might give you problem if you did it wrong way.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...lt-drive/54213d95-0afe-4e54-9f69-9687609cfef3

 

[Gamely Lounges]

yes you can do that even in windows 8.1
1)click more in store
2)then on install local apps
3)then next you will be asked to select the app you want to install
that's it

I couldn't find the "more in store" that you mention, so I'm stuck at step 1!
Could you please maybe give more detail on how to find that?

Thanks,
Sam

 

[Gamely Lounges]

There is only one way you can do that and that is by changing the registry entry of your apps default location.
Go through this proper tutorial as changing registry might give you problem if you did it wrong way.

to be able to change windows 8.1 apps default drive to external sd - Microsoft Community

Akash,
When I read that thread it is about how the solution used to work in 8 and is broken in 8.1, which is why I started this thread.
Are you running 8.1 and have you been able to make this work?
Thanks,
Sam

 

[Akash Patel]

Akash,
When I read that thread it is about how the solution used to work in 8 and is broken in 8.1, which is why I started this thread.
Are you running 8.1 and have you been able to make this work?
Thanks,
Sam

I didn't tried it with any sd card or removable drive but I was able to change my default location from c drive to my other drive( d drive).
I will try with a flash drive let you know.

P.s I have a PC no tablet or surface device so cant comment if they blocked it for tablets and surface.

 

[Cobb]

*I* have a surface 2 with win 8.1 and the latest updates. Its not like the android where you can move the app. You can tell it to use the sd card for the 3 main folders my music, docs and what ever the 3rd one is. Then of course you can use one drive ie cloud.

 

[schmak01]

IF you know the directory that it is installing to, then you can copy that to your SD card, *rename the original folder (do not delete, just in case you need to restore) then set a symbolic link to the SD for that path.

I cannot post links yet, but if you google create symbolic link in windows you will see how to do it

So you would do something along the lines of below in an elevated command prompt.

copy c:\program files\windowsapps d:\yournewfolder
rename c:\program files\windowsapps c:\windows files\windowsappsbak
mklink /j c:\program files\windowsapps d:\yournewfolder

 

[anon(8195883)]

IF you know the directory that it is installing to, then you can copy that to your SD card, *rename the original folder (do not delete, just in case you need to restore) then set a symbolic link to the SD for that path.

I cannot post links yet, but if you google create symbolic link in windows you will see how to do it

So you would do something along the lines of below in an elevated command prompt.

copy c:\program files\windowsapps d:\yournewfolder
rename c:\program files\windowsapps c:\windows files\windowsappsbak
mklink /j c:\program files\windowsapps d:\yournewfolder

Probably won't work. You'll break permissions in the windowsapps folder and all apps will crash and burn.