Moving League of Legends to a Different Drive Without Reinstalling

How to Move League of Legends to Another Drive

You can move League of Legends from one drive to another using the Riot Client's built-in relocation tool, which takes 10 to 30 minutes depending on your drive speed and internet connection. The process does not require you to uninstall and reinstall the game — you straightforward tell the Riot Client where your new installation folder is, and it moves the files for you. This method preserves your settings, login information, and game progress.

The alternative is manual relocation: you close the Riot Client, cut the League of Legends folder from your current drive, paste it on the new drive, and then point the Riot Client to the new location. This works but carries a small risk of file corruption if the process is interrupted. The built-in method is safer and takes the same amount of time.

Key Takeaways

Open the Riot Client, click the settings gear icon, select "About League of Legends", and choose "Repair" to access the relocation option without reinstalling.
The Riot Client's built-in tool moves your entire League of Legends folder to the new drive while keeping your account and settings intact.
Make sure your destination drive has at least 150 GB of free space, as League of Legends typically occupies 100 to 120 GB depending on your region and installed content.
Do not close the Riot Client or restart your computer while the move is in progress, as interrupting the process can corrupt game files.
After the move completes, you can delete the old League of Legends folder from your original drive to free up space.

Using the Riot Client's Built-In Relocation Tool

The Riot Client includes a feature that lets you change where League of Legends is stored without reinstalling. Open the Riot Client and look for the settings icon (a gear symbol) in the top right corner. Click it, then select "About League of Legends".

In the About window, you will see a button labeled "Repair" or "Move" depending on your client version. Click it. The Riot Client will then show you a folder browser where you can select your destination drive and folder. Choose an empty folder on your new drive — the client will create a subfolder called "League of Legends" inside it if needed.

Once you confirm the new location, the client begins moving your files. This process runs in the background and typically takes 10 to 30 minutes. Your internet connection speed and the read/write speed of both your source and destination drives affect how long it takes. Do not close the Riot Client, launch the game, or restart your computer during this time.

When the move finishes, the Riot Client will show a confirmation message. Your game is now on the new drive, and you can launch it normally. The old League of Legends folder on your original drive remains until you manually delete it.

Checking Drive Space Before You Move

League of Legends occupies between 100 and 120 GB of space, depending on your region and whether you have downloaded all available content. Before you start the move, check how much free space is available on your destination drive.

On Windows, right-click the drive in File Explorer, select "Properties", and look at the "Free space" figure. On Mac, click the Apple menu, select "About This Mac", click "Storage", and check the available space. You need at least 150 GB free to be safe — this gives the Riot Client room to work and leaves buffer space in case the game receives an update during the move.

If your destination drive does not have enough space, you can delete files you no longer need, move other programs to a different drive, or use an external drive as your destination. External drives connected via USB 3.0 or faster work, though the move will take longer than moving to an internal drive.

Manual Relocation If the Riot Client Tool Does Not Work

If the Riot Client's relocation tool is unavailable or not working, you can move the League of Legends folder manually. This method requires more steps but produces the same result.

First, close the Riot Client completely. Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) and navigate to your League of Legends installation folder. On Windows, this is usually at C:\Riot Games\League of Legends or C:\Program Files\Riot Games\League of Legends. On Mac, it is typically in /Applications/League of Legends. Right-click the League of Legends folder, select "Cut", and navigate to your destination drive. Right-click in an empty area and select "Paste".

Once the folder has finished copying to the new drive, open the Riot Client. Click the settings gear, select "About League of Legends", and look for an option to change the installation path or browse for the game folder. Select the League of Legends folder you just moved to the new drive. The Riot Client will verify the files and update its records to point to the new location.

After verification completes, you can delete the old League of Legends folder from your original drive. Do not delete it until the Riot Client has confirmed the new location, as deleting it prematurely can cause the client to lose track of your game installation.

What Happens to Your Account and Settings

Moving League of Legends does not affect your account, login credentials, or in-game progress. Your account information is stored on Riot's servers, not on your computer, so changing where the game files are stored has no impact on what you own or your rank.

Your local settings — such as graphics options, keybinds, and chat preferences — are stored in a separate folder that the Riot Client does not move. These settings remain on your original drive unless you manually copy them. If you want to preserve these settings on your new drive, navigate to C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Local\Riot Games on Windows or ~/Library/process Support/Riot Games on Mac, and copy the entire Riot Games folder to the same location on your new drive before you move League of Legends.

After the move, log into the Riot Client on your new drive. Your account will load normally, and you can start playing when ready.

Troubleshooting a Stalled or Failed Move

If the move process stops or fails partway through, close the Riot Client when ready and do not restart your computer. Check your destination drive to see if the League of Legends folder was partially created. If it was, delete it entirely, then open the Riot Client again and retry the move from the beginning.

If the Riot Client reports that the move failed but does not give a specific reason, the most common causes are insufficient disk space on the destination drive, a permissions issue preventing the client from writing to the destination folder, or a temporary network interruption. Free up additional space on your destination drive, make sure you have read and write permissions for the destination folder, and try again.

If the move fails repeatedly, use the manual relocation method instead. Manual moves are less likely to fail because they do not depend on the Riot Client's background process. If the manual move also fails, your destination drive may have a hardware problem — try moving League of Legends to a different drive to rule this out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will moving League of Legends delete my account or progress?

No. Your account and all progress are stored on Riot's servers. Moving the game files only changes where the program is stored on your computer. You will log in normally after the move and see all your champions, skins, and rank exactly as they were.

Can I move League of Legends to an external USB drive?

Yes, but it is not recommended. External drives connected via USB 2.0 are too slow for League of Legends to run smoothly, and the game may stutter or lag. USB 3.0 or USB 3.1 external drives work better, but internal drives are still faster. If you must use an external drive, use USB 3.1 or Thunderbolt and keep the drive connected whenever you play.

How long does the move take?

The move typically takes 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how fast your drives are and your internet connection speed. Solid-state drives (SSDs) move files faster than hard disk drives (HDDs). If you are moving from an HDD to an SSD, expect 15 to 25 minutes. Moving between two SSDs usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.

Do I need to uninstall League of Legends before moving it?

No. The Riot Client's relocation tool moves the game without uninstalling it. Uninstalling and reinstalling takes longer and requires you to read the entire game again, which can take an hour or more depending on your internet speed.

What if I want to keep League of Legends on both drives?

You can copy the League of Legends folder to your new drive instead of moving it, but you can only have one active installation registered with the Riot Client at a time. The client will only recognize whichever folder you point it to last. If you want to play from both drives, you would need to reinstall League of Legends on the second drive separately, which requires downloading the full game again.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.