How To Move Ea Games To Another Drive

To move EA games to another drive, you can utilize the EA app’s built-in move feature within the game’s settings.

Running out of space on your primary drive can be a real headache, especially with large game installations. Many gamers face this issue often. Thankfully, you can address the problem. This means that you do not need to reinstall the games. If you are wondering how to move ea games to another drive, it’s actually a quite simple process using the EA app. The app provides a straightforward solution for relocating your games to a different storage location. It will preserve your game data and saves a lot of time.

How to Move EA Games to Another Drive

Running out of space on your computer’s main drive? It happens to the best of us! Especially when you have a bunch of awesome EA games installed. Thankfully, you don’t have to delete your games to free up space. You can actually move them to another drive, like an external hard drive or a different internal one. It might sound tricky, but it’s not as hard as you think. This article will guide you through the process step-by-step, ensuring you can keep playing all your favorite games without sacrificing storage.

Why Move Your EA Games?

Before we jump into the ‘how’, let’s talk about the ‘why’. There are several good reasons why you might want to move your EA games to a different drive:

Free Up Space on Your Main Drive: Your main drive, often the C: drive, is where your operating system lives. When it gets too full, your computer can slow down. Moving games to another drive gives your main drive some breathing room.
Better Performance: Sometimes, a faster secondary drive, like an SSD, can make your games load quicker. If you have an SSD that isn’t your main drive, moving your games there can improve load times.
Organization: You might just want to keep all your games together on one specific drive. It can make it easier to manage your files.
Storage Capacity: If your main drive is smaller and you have a larger secondary drive, moving your games is a great way to store more.

Understanding the EA App

The EA app is your central place for managing your EA games on your computer. It handles downloads, updates, and launching your games. When you move your games, the EA app needs to know where you’ve moved them to. The good news is that the EA app provides a simple way to do this, which we will cover in the upcoming sections.

Method 1: Moving Games Directly Through the EA App

This is the easiest and recommended method to move EA games. The EA app makes it quite user-friendly to relocate your installed games. Let’s see how it works:

Step-by-Step Guide for Moving Games via the EA App

Open the EA App: First, find and open the EA app on your computer. It’s the app with the EA logo. Log in with your EA account if you’re not already logged in.
Go to Your Game Library: Once logged in, look for the “My Collection” or “Game Library” tab. This shows all the games you have installed.
Select the Game: Find the game you want to move. Click on the game’s cover or title to access its details page.
Find the “Manage” Option: On the game’s page, you’ll usually see an option to “Manage”. It might look like three dots or a gear icon. Click on it.
Choose “Move”: From the manage options, you should see a “Move” option. Select it. The EA app will then ask you to select a new location.
Select the New Location: Now you will be prompted to select the new location where you want to save the game. You can select the drive and create a new folder for it.
Confirm the Move: Once you have selected the new folder/location, you’ll be asked to confirm. This will start the process of moving the game files to the new location.
Wait for the Move to Finish: Depending on the size of the game, moving it might take a while. You can monitor the progress through the EA app. Be patient and let the app do its job.
Launch Your Game: Once the moving is complete, the game should launch normally from the new location.

That’s it! You’ve successfully moved your game to a different drive. This method is easy to understand, quick, and effective. However, if you still see an error, then try restarting the EA app or your computer and try again.

Method 2: Manually Moving Game Files (Advanced Method)

Sometimes the automatic move function of the EA app may fail, or you might need more control over where you move the game files. In such cases, manual file relocation is possible but requires more attention to detail. Be careful with this method, as incorrect steps can result in game errors. This method is better suited for more experienced users.

Finding the Game’s Installation Folder

Before you can move the files manually, you need to locate the game’s current installation folder. Here’s how you can find it:

Open the EA App: Launch the EA app and go to your game library, like you did in the previous method.
Select the Game: Choose the game you need to move and click on the game’s cover/title.
Find “Manage” Options: Find the “Manage” option on the game’s page.
Select “View Properties”: From the “Manage” options, choose “View Properties”.
Locate Installation Path: On the “View Properties” option, you’ll see a section called “Installation Path”. This will show you the exact location of your game’s files. Note it or copy it for later use.

Manually Moving the Files

Now that you know the installation folder path, follow these steps to move the files manually:

Close the EA App: Before starting, make sure that the EA app is completely closed. You may have to check the taskbar to see if the app is running in the background. If it is, close it completely. This is very important, so that there are no conflicts while moving the files.
Open File Explorer: Now, open Windows File Explorer. You can do it by pressing the “Windows Key + E” or by clicking on the File Explorer icon in your taskbar.
Go to the Installation Folder: Navigate to the game’s folder location that you copied previously.
Copy the Game Folder: Right-click on the game’s folder and select “Copy” or you can also press “Ctrl+C”.
Go to the New Drive: Now, navigate to the drive and folder where you want to move the game. Make sure you have enough space in the new drive.
Paste the Game Folder: Right-click in the new location and choose “Paste”, or press “Ctrl+V”. The files will start copying, which might take a while. Be patient.

Updating the EA App About the New Location

After moving the files, you need to update the EA app, so that the app can recognize the new path. Here’s how to do that:

Launch the EA App: Launch the EA app after moving the files.
Select the Game: Go to your game library and find the game you just moved and click on its cover/title.
Try Launching the Game: Try to launch the game. The app will not be able to locate the files and would prompt you to locate them.
Select the New Folder Location: Select the option to locate the files manually. The app will prompt you to select the folder where the game is now present. Select the folder you pasted previously.
Complete the Process: After selecting the new location, the EA app should detect the game at the new path. The game should now work without issues.

While this manual method gives you more control, it’s also more complex. Always double-check every step to avoid any potential problems. However, this method can be used if the automatic method fails.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Sometimes, things don’t go as smoothly as planned. Here are some common issues that you might encounter when moving your games and how to fix them:

Game Won’t Launch After Moving

If your game won’t start after moving, it usually means that the EA app doesn’t know where the game files are located. Check these:

Verify the Path in EA App: Double-check that you have correctly updated the game’s installation path in the EA app. If you are using the manual method and it’s not correctly updated, the game won’t work.
Restart the EA App: Closing and relaunching the EA app can sometimes fix problems with recognizing the new game location.
Restart Your Computer: Sometimes, a simple restart can resolve underlying issues.
Verify Game Files: If you are using the manual method and facing issues, try verifying the game files. In the EA app, go to the manage options and select “Repair” game. This can fix any issues with missing or corrupted files after moving.

Error During the Move

If you face an error when you try to move a game, try the following:

Close All Applications: Ensure no other programs are using the game files while you’re moving them.
Free Up Space: Make sure you have enough free space on your target drive.
Restart the EA App: Close the EA app and open it again, sometimes this clears temporary glitches.
Try the Manual Method: If the automatic method fails consistently, use the manual method but follow all the steps carefully.

Game Save Files Are Missing

Game save files are typically stored in a different location than the game itself, usually in the Documents folder. Moving the main game files won’t affect game save data. If you are having issues with game saves, then check the following:

Locate Game Save Folder: Check the Documents folder for a folder named after the game.
Make a Backup: If you want to be careful, make a backup of this folder before moving it.
Copy to the New Computer: If you have moved the game to another computer, you can copy this folder to the same location on your other computer.

Additional Tips

Use an External SSD: If you’re looking for better performance, consider using an external SSD instead of a regular external hard drive. SSDs are faster.
Keep an Eye on Storage Space: Periodically check your drive space to ensure that you don’t run out of space again.
Organize Your Drives: If you have multiple drives, you can use them to manage and organize your files and games more efficiently.
Back Up Game Files Before Moving: Always create a backup of the game files before moving them, particularly using the manual method. This ensures that you have a way to restore the game if any errors occur.

Moving your EA games to another drive is a simple process, which gives you more storage space for your games, and also can make your PC run smoother. By following these methods, and troubleshooting tips, you should be able to enjoy all your favorite EA games without needing to worry about storage issues. Whether you choose the automatic method or the manual approach, it’s essential to be patient and double-check your steps.

HOW TO MOVE EA GAMES TO ANOTHER DRIVE!

Final Thoughts

In short, moving EA games involves using the EA app’s settings. You initiate the move process within the app, selecting the new target drive. This action shifts the game data to the chosen location.

Properly completing this process prevents game corruption. This is essential for maintaining game stability. A correctly done transfer ensures your game works seamlessly.

To summarize, the process for ‘how to move ea games to another drive’ involves using the EA application itself. This ensures a smooth and stable move. You must remember to perform these steps precisely.