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Game Pass installs games where Explorer will not show you

A protected folder, a size Settings under-reports, and the one setting that puts new installs on the drive with room.

5 min read

Games installed through the Xbox app do not go where other games go, and the folder they use is locked down hard enough that Explorer refuses to open it. The result is tens of gigabytes that appear in the drive total and in no folder you can browse.

Where they actually are

PathUsed by
C:\XboxGamesRecent Xbox app installs, the current default
C:\Program Files\WindowsAppsStore titles, protected
C:\Program Files\ModifiableWindowsAppsTitles that support mods and file edits
%LOCALAPPDATA%\PackagesSaves, settings and per title caches

Sizing them without fighting the permissions

# Every installed package with its real size. Elevated PowerShell.
Get-AppxPackage | ForEach-Object {
  $p = $_.InstallLocation
  if ($p -and (Test-Path $p)) {
    $s = (Get-ChildItem $p -Recurse -Force -File -EA SilentlyContinue |
          Measure-Object Length -Sum).Sum
    [PSCustomObject]@{ GB = [math]::Round($s/1GB,2); Name = $_.Name }
  }
} | Sort-Object GB -Descending | Select-Object -First 15

# The Xbox app's own folder, which is plain and readable
'{0:N1} GB' -f ((Get-ChildItem 'C:\XboxGames' -Recurse -Force -File -EA SilentlyContinue |
  Measure-Object Length -Sum).Sum / 1GB)

Changing where new games install

  1. Open the Xbox app, then the profile menu, Settings, General.
  2. Under Game install options, set the drive for new installs.
  3. Existing games stay where they are. Moving one means uninstalling and reinstalling it there.
  4. A second drive needs to be formatted NTFS to be offered, which is the usual reason a drive is missing from the list.

Settings, Apps, Installed apps can also move some titles with a Move button, and greys it out for others. Which is which depends on how the game was packaged, so the button being absent is not something you can fix.

What stays behind after an uninstall

Saves and settings live under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages in a folder named after the package, and uninstalling the game usually leaves them. That is helpful when you reinstall and unwelcome when you were trying to reclaim space, the same pattern as uninstall leftovers.

For the rest of a gaming machine, Steam, the other launchers and shader caches are usually larger than the Xbox app's share, and the whole picture is in storage for gamers.

Common questions

Where does Game Pass install games on Windows?

Recent Xbox app versions use C:\XboxGames. Older and Store packaged titles use C:\Program Files\WindowsApps or ModifiableWindowsApps, both of which Explorer will not open.

How do I move Game Pass games to another drive?

Set the install drive in the Xbox app under Settings, General, Game install options. That applies to new installs; existing games need uninstalling and reinstalling, unless Settings, Apps offers a Move button for that title.

Why can I not open the WindowsApps folder?

It is owned by TrustedInstaller and locked down deliberately. Taking ownership breaks servicing for Store apps, so size it with PowerShell instead.

Does uninstalling a Game Pass game remove my saves?

Usually not. Saves and settings stay under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages in a folder named after the package, which is useful on reinstall and unhelpful if you were reclaiming space.

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