Removable Drive - Save Music, Pictures, and Videos On

How to Save Your Music, Pictures, and Videos to Removable Drive by Default in Windows 8.1

information   Information
This tutorial will show you how to set up to have your music, pictures, and videos automatically saved to a removable drive by default instead of on your Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1 PC.

This can be handy to carry a portable removable drive that you can use as one convenient central default save location for every PC you have this set up on with your account. Especially if you sign in to each PC with the same Microsoft account.

Note   Note
This does not work with USB 3.0 removable drives. It only worked with USB and USB 2.0 removable drives for me.


When you set up to save your music, pictures, and/or videos to be saved to a removable drive by default, Windows will create a folder for each (if not already created from before) on the removable drive like below. Don't worry, the removable drive will not be formatted.
Folders_on_Removable_Drive.jpg

Windows will now set each folder on the removable drive as your default save location for each corresponding library like below for only whenever you have the removable drive connected.
Library.jpg

Whenever you have the removable drive connected, and you save a file into your Music, Pictures, and/or Videos library, the file will be saved to the corresponding folder on the removable drive by default. Files saved to removable drive will remain on the removable drive, and are only accessible on the removable drive when it's connected.

Whenever you disconnect the removable drive, Windows will go back to saving files to the default save location you had set for the library before until you connect the removable drive next. Any files saved in your previous default save location will remain there, and will not be copied or moved to the removable drive whenever it's connected.

If you set to "stop saving here" in step 5 below, then the folders on the removable drive will no longer be used as your default save location until you set up to save your music, pictures, and/or videos to be saved to a removable drive again.



Here's How:

1. If you have not already, connect the removable drive to your PC.

2. Open PC settings, and click/tap on PC and devices on the left side. (see screenshot below)
PC_settings_Save_to_Removable_Drive-1.jpg

3. Click/tap on Devices on the left side of "PC and devices, and do step 4 or 5 below for what you would like to do. (see screenshot below step 3A or 4A)

4. To Set up to Save Music, Pictures, and Videos to a Removable Drive by Default
NOTE: If you had already set up to use a removable drive, and just used step 5 below to stop using it temporarily, then you could do this step again to continue using the removable drive again.
A) Click/tap on the Set up button under Default save locations on the right side of "Devices". (see screenshot below)​
PC_settings_Save_to_Removable_Drive-2.jpg
B) If you have more than one removable drive connected, then select a removable drive you want to use, select which types of media you want to save to this drive by default from your libraries, click/tap on OK, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)​
NOTE: The removable drive will not be formatted when the folders are saved to it.​
PC_settings_Save_to_Removable_Drive-3.jpg

5. To Stop Saving Music, Pictures, and Videos to Removable Drive by Default
NOTE: This is the default setting. You could also use this to temporarily stop using a removable drive until you use step 4 above to continue using the removable drive again.
A) Click/tap on the Stop saving here button under Default save locations on the right side of "Devices". (see screenshot below)​
PC_settings_Save_to_Removable_Drive-4.jpg
B) Click/tap on OK, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)​
PC_settings_Save_to_Removable_Drive-5.jpg

6. When finished, you can close PC settings if you like.


That's it,
Shawn


 

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