How can I move the documentation to another location after install on Windows?

Question

How can I move he documentation to another location after install on Windows?

I would like to move the documentation to another partition on my Windows filesystem. Michael Hale in chat recommended "Global Options -> File Locations -> SystemHelpPath". It looked like it would do the trick but after I added the folder and moved the files, clicking on "documentation" in the start screen returns

"paclet:guide/WolframRoot" could not be found.

Windows version 8.1

Mathematica version 10.2

My "global preferences" and SystemHelpPath value, amended

http://ctrlv.in/777813

PS - what is the "x" in the last line of the SystemHepPath? I copied it directly from chat

Answer 1

I run into the same problem on Windows 10, Mathematica 13.1. The Windows installation files automatically install the documentation in C drive irrespective of the chosen installation directory for Mathematica.

What has worked for me was moving the folder

C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Programs\Common\Wolfram␣Research\Documentation.en-us\[version]\Documentation\English

to

D:\Program␣Files\Wolfram␣Research\Mathematica\[version]\Documentation\English

where

D:\Program␣Files\Wolfram␣Research\Mathematica\[version]

is the Mathematica's $InstallationDirectory.

At the first run of Mathematica after moving the files, it took about half a minute to open the documentation. Afterwards, it works at normal speed.

I found the folder locations in the official description of the current system file organisation of Wolfram language and documentation: https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/WolframSystemFileOrganization.html

[Edit] Please, note that Mathematica's 14.1 $InstallationDirectory

C:\Program␣Files\Wolfram␣Research\Wolfram\[version]

and despite the above description of the system file organization, Mathematica 14.1 puts documentation into

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Wolfram Research\Documentation.en-us\14.1\[version]\Documentation\English