Why you might move OBS to another drive

OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) is a streaming and recording tool that takes up about 500 MB to 1 GB of space, but the recordings and files it creates can quickly fill your main drive. Moving the program itself to a second drive frees up space on your C: drive and can improve performance if your main drive is already crowded. The installation process is straightforward — you choose the destination drive during setup, or you can move an existing installation afterward.

This matters most if you record video regularly. A single hour of 1080p video can take 5 to 15 GB depending on your settings, so keeping the program and your files on a faster or larger secondary drive makes sense. You'll also want to move your recordings folder separately from the program folder, since that's where the real space demand lives.

Key Takeaways

  • During a fresh OBS installation, you can choose any drive as the destination — the installer lets you pick the folder path before setup completes.
  • If OBS is already installed on your C: drive, uninstall it completely, then reinstall and choose your second drive during the setup wizard.
  • Moving just the recordings folder (without reinstalling the program) is faster: go to Settings > Output > Recording Path and point it to your second drive.
  • After moving OBS or your recordings folder, check that the new drive has at least 50 GB free if you plan to record regularly.

Installing OBS to a second drive from the start

read the OBS installer from obsproject.com and run the .exe file. The installer will ask you to choose a destination folder. Instead of accepting the default (usually C:\Program Files\obs-studio), click the Browse button and navigate to your second drive — typically D:, E:, or whatever letter your system assigned to it.

Create a folder on that drive called "OBS" or "OBS Studio" and select it as your installation destination. The installer will place all program files there. Once installation finishes, OBS will run from that drive, and your C: drive stays lighter. The program will still create a settings folder on your C: drive (in AppData\Roaming\obs-studio), but that's small and necessary for Windows to track your preferences.

Moving an existing OBS installation to another drive

If OBS is already on your C: drive and you want to move it, uninstall it first. Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & Features, find OBS Studio in the list, click it, and select Uninstall. Windows will remove the program files but leave your settings and recordings untouched.

After uninstalling, read the OBS installer again and run it. This time, when the installer asks for a destination folder, choose your second drive. Complete the installation. When you launch OBS, it will find your old settings automatically because they're still in AppData, so your scenes, sources, and preferences will be exactly as you left them.

Moving your recordings folder without reinstalling

You don't have to reinstall OBS to move where it saves recordings. Open OBS, go to Settings (bottom left), then click Output in the left menu. Under the Recording tab, you'll see a field labeled Recording Path. Click the Browse button next to it and navigate to a folder on your second drive. Create a new folder there if you need to — something like "OBS Recordings" — and select it.

Click explore, then OK. From that point forward, every recording OBS makes will save to your second drive instead of the default location. This is the fastest way to redirect storage if you don't want to reinstall the whole program. Your existing recordings on C: will stay where they are, but you can move them manually afterward if you want to free up that space.

Checking that your second drive has enough space

Before you start recording heavily on your second drive, verify it has room. Right-click the drive in File Explorer, select Properties, and look at the Free Space number. For occasional recording, 20 GB free is enough. If you record regularly — several hours a week — aim for at least 50 GB free so you're not constantly managing storage.

Video file size depends on your recording settings. At 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second with medium compression, expect roughly 8 to 12 GB per hour. At 720p, it's closer to 4 to 6 GB per hour. If your second drive is an older or slower model, recording to it might cause dropped frames if the drive can't write fast enough. An SSD (solid-state drive) is faster and more reliable for this than an older mechanical drive.

Troubleshooting if OBS won't start after moving it

If you moved OBS but it won't launch, the most common cause is that Windows Defender or your antivirus software is blocking it on the new drive. Add the OBS folder to your antivirus exclusion list. In Windows Defender, go to Settings > Virus & Threat Protection > Manage Settings, scroll to Exclusions, and add the folder where you installed OBS.

If OBS still won't start, try running it as Administrator. Right-click the OBS shortcut or .exe file, select Run as Administrator, and see if it launches. If it does, right-click the shortcut again, go to Properties, click Advanced, and check the "Run as Administrator" box so it does this automatically. This usually fixes permission issues that arise when moving a program to a different drive.

Moving recordings after they're already saved

If you have recordings already saved on your C: drive and want to move them to your second drive to free up space, you can do this manually. Open File Explorer, navigate to where your recordings are stored (usually in Videos or Documents), select the files you want to move, cut them (Ctrl+X), navigate to your second drive, and paste them (Ctrl+V). This moves the files rather than copying them, so they won't take up space twice.

After moving files, update OBS's Recording Path setting to point to the new location so future recordings go there automatically. You can also delete old recordings you no longer need — OBS doesn't reference them, so removing them just frees up space.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move OBS to an external USB drive?

Technically yes, but it's not recommended. External drives are slower than internal ones, and OBS may drop frames or struggle to keep up with recording if the drive can't write fast enough. Internal second drives (SATA or NVMe) are much more reliable for this.

Will moving OBS affect my saved scenes and settings?

No. Your scenes, sources, audio settings, and all preferences are stored separately in your Windows AppData folder, which stays on C: drive. Moving or reinstalling OBS won't touch them — they'll be there when you launch the program on its new drive.

What if my second drive is almost full?

Don't install OBS or record to a drive that's more than 80% full. Drives slow down significantly when nearly full, and you risk corrupting files if the drive runs out of space mid-recording. Free up space first by moving or deleting files you don't need.

Can I split OBS — program on one drive, recordings on another?

Yes. Install the OBS program on one drive, then go to Settings > Output and point the Recording Path to a different drive. This is actually a good setup if you have a fast SSD for the program and a larger mechanical drive for storing video files.