PSE 2025: Trobles moving from C drive to D drive

Forum|Forum|2 months ago
November 19, 2025
3 replies
89 views

Windows 11, 24H2, 3year subscription to PSE 2025.

I've got two SSD drives. I initially downloaded PSE into the Program Files on the C drive. The C drive has 228GB free of 476GB and the D drive has 789GB free of 931GB, so I figured it would be a little more efficent to establish a Program Files on the D drive and moves some programs from C to D. I did this sccessfully with Affinity by Canva. So, why not with PSE?

Via Settings>Apps, I successfully removed PSE and its companion Add-on Utilites, and downloaded/installed PSE 2025 to a "New Folder" under Program Files on the D drive.

troubles started with trying to rename the New Folder to Adobe. Kept getting error messages that couldn't be done since some Adobe files were still active. I finally solved that problem by using the Task Manager and ending any tasks associated with Adobe. PSE now resided under Adobe on the D drive. However, now PSE could not be called into action...nothing opened. So, in frustration, I removed PSE via Settings>Apps, and reinstalled (using the originally downloaded installer) PSE into its original place on C. I then installed the Add-On Utilities, PSE was again fully functional.

But, here's the problem: a functional PSE was still on the D drive??? Yeah, I tested it and both PSEs work just fine. How can that be when it was removed; although I must admit after doing the Settings>Apps>Remove thing from D, I never checked to see if PSE still existed in D. I would like remove the active PSE on D, but am fearful I'll run into problems. Suggestions well appreciated. Thanks.

Installation

A

Anshul_Nautiyal

Community Manager

Hi @flycaster99,

Thanks for reaching out. Based on your query, it appears that you attempted to move Photoshop Elements 2025 from the C drive to the D drive by uninstalling it, reinstalling it on the D drive, and manually renaming or moving installation folders. After renaming the folder, Photoshop Elements on the D drive stopped launching. You then uninstalled and reinstalled it on the C drive, where it worked correctly, but later noticed that the version on the D drive was still opening even though it was removed. You would now like to properly install Photoshop Elements 2025 on the D drive. Please confirm if this is the issue you need assistance with.

To clarify, this behavior is expected. Photoshop Elements cannot be moved manually between drives by copying, renaming, or relocating folders. Adobe applications rely on multiple shared components that are installed across different Windows locations, which is why the process did not work as intended. Even after deleting the folder from the D drive, the application could still launch because core licensing components, shared Adobe files, registry entries, and background processes were still present on the C drive. This caused the system to continue using the original installation paths, making it appear as though the version on the D drive was still functional.

To avoid this issue, we recommend using the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool to remove any corrupted or incomplete installations:
https://adobe.ly/47PNZX7

After running the cleaner, please restart your machine. Then, download the latest Photoshop Elements installer and follow the steps in this documentation to specify the installation location. Be sure to select the D drive during installation:
https://adobe.ly/48osnkI

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any further questions.

Regards,
^AN

F

flycaster99Author

Inspiring

Hi,

Thank you for your thoughtful and complete reply to my issue. I got
impatient and wound up doing this...which seemed to work:

(1) Settings>Apps>Remove PSE 2025, (2) Task Manager>stopped process of
anything related to PSE, (3) Simply deleted the Adobe folder that was in
D's Program Files, (4) Rebooted, (5) Installed PSE 2025 into C's Program
Files>Adobe, (6) Installed Camera RAW from PSE's Help menu, (7) Tested
importing from PL7E, dropdown content menu, Faststone's file, (8) Ran
some PSE tools...all seemed to function appropriately.

Of course, I'm back on the C drive. But, if I get up enough courage, I
may try to follow your directions (anything to add?) and get PSE
installed onto the D drive???

Regards,

Adam

F

flycaster99Author

Inspiring

Got impatient and (1) Settings>Apps>Remove PSE 2025, (2) Task Manager>stopped process of anything related to PSE, (3) Simply deleted the Adobe folder that was in D's Program Files, (4) Rebooted, (5) Installed PSE 2025 into C's Program Files>Adobe, (6) Installed Camera RAW from PSE's Help menu, (7) Tested importing from PL7E, dropdown content menu, Faststone's file, (8) Ran some PSE tools...all seemed to function appropriately. Of course, I'm not happy enough to leave well enough alone, and still would like to properly move/install PSE 2025 into the D drive...but won't do it until I get proper directions.

F

flycaster99Author

Inspiring

Windows 11, 24H2, 3year subscription to PSE 2025.

I've got two SSD drives. I initially downloaded PSE into the Program Files on the C drive. The C drive has 228GB free of 476GB and the D drive has 789GB free of 931GB, so I figured it would be a little more efficent to establish a Program Files on the D drive and moves some programs from C to D. I did this sccessfully with Affinity by Canva. So, why not with PSE?

Via Settings>Apps, I successfully removed PSE and its companion Add-on Utilites, and downloaded/installed PSE 2025 to a "New Folder" under Program Files on the D drive.

troubles started with trying to rename the New Folder to Adobe. Kept getting error messages that couldn't be done since some Adobe files were still active. I finally solved that problem by using the Task Manager and ending any tasks associated with Adobe. PSE now resided under Adobe on the D drive. However, now PSE could not be called into action...nothing opened. So, in frustration, I removed PSE via Settings>Apps, and reinstalled (using the originally downloaded installer) PSE into its original place on C. I then installed the Add-On Utilities, PSE was again fully functional.

But, here's the problem: a functional PSE was still on the D drive??? Yeah, I tested it and both PSEs work just fine. How can that be when it was removed; although I must admit after doing the Settings>Apps>Remove thing from D, I never checked to see if PSE still existed in D. I would like remove the active PSE on D, but am fearful I'll run into problems. Suggestions well appreciated. Thanks.

F

flycaster99Author

Inspiring

Got impatient and (1) Settings>Apps>Remove PSE 2025, (2) Task Manager>stopped process of anything related to PSE, (3) Simply deleted the Adobe folder that was in D's Program Files, (4) Rebooted, (5) Installed PSE 2025 into C's Program Files>Adobe, (6) Installed Camera RAW from PSE's Help menu, (7) Tested importing from PL7E, dropdown content menu, Faststone's file, (8) Ran some PSE tools...all seemed to function appropriately. Of course, I'm not happy enough to leave well enough alone, and still would like to properly move/install PSE 2025 into the D drive...but won't do it until I get proper directions.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded