Windows 7 - Moving My Documents

Most folks use the My Documents folder to keep all their personal data. Unfortunately, this folder is by default located on the C: drive, the same drive that contains the Windows operating system.

Storing these two things together on the same drive is not a great idea for several reasons. Here are just two:

First, your personal data is very likely to be growing in size while Windows is not. This progessively degrades Windows performance. Sooner or later you'll fill up the disk and have to make more space by deleting some of your personal files or get into the complex and problem- fraught exercise of increasing the size of your primary disk partition.
Second, it complicates backup. Your personal data is changing all the time while the Windows operating system changes much less frequently. That means your personal data needs to be backed up more frequently than Windows. With both on the same drive you'll end up making very large drive images and having to create them more frequently as well.

Follow these easy steps to change the location of the My Documents folder and repeat for each User Account.
1) Click on the Start button and then click on Documents

   

2) In the left panel of the Libraries\Documents window, click on the arrows to expand Libraries>Documents>My Documents (C:\Users\[User Name])

3) Right click on My Documents and then click on Properties in the menu that opens.

4) In the My Documents Properties window, click on the Location tab
5) Click on the Move button in the Location tab of the My Documents Properties window

6) Navigate in the Select a Destination window to the location where you would like the My Documents folder located

7) Create a new folder. Name it whatever you would like.

8) Click on the Select Folder button and then click on the OK button in the My Documents Properties window.
9) click on the Yes button in the Move Folder warning window that pops up, since the objective is to move the My Documents folder.

10) It may take some time to move the contents of the My Documents folder, so be patient...
11) When it has finished moving the contenets of the My Documents folder, you can close the Libraries > Documents window