How do I move the Monero blockchain files safely?

Question

I am using the latest version of the monero GUI on Windows. The problem is that I do not have enough space on my main drive to download the full blockchain for synchronisation of my wallet.

I want to move the blockchain files from the lmdb folder on my C drive to my d drive, and make sure they continue to be updated on the D drive

How do I do this so I can synchronise my wallet fully?

Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

On latest GUI (version >= v0.11.0.0):

1. Stop Wallet GUI and Daemon

2. Copy C:\ProgramData\bitmonero to D:\monero\blockchain

3. Start Wallet GUI and Stop auto start of Daemon by clicking Custom Settings

4. Open Settings > under Manage Daemon or Node > Blockchain location and set:

D:\monero\blockchain

5. Restart the daemon and check that file D:\monero\bitmonero\lmdb\data.mdb is being updated
6. Delete old directory C:\ProgramData\bitmonero

Answer 2

First of all, make sure your daemon (monerod) is stopped. Then navigate to

C:\ProgramData\bitmonero (ProgramData is a hidden folder)

and copy the contents to a folder on your D drive, e.g. D:\monero\blockchain. After that you can start your GUI wallet but be carefull not to start the daemon automatically. Say no and navigate to the advanced options for the daemon and specify custom startup settings (command line arguments). Put this there:

--data-dir D:\monero\blockchain (or the directory that you used)

After this start the daemon manually (there is a button) in the same window. Now check that the files in D:\monero\blockchain are updated (timestamp, growing filesizes) so you know it worked. After this you can delete the data in C:\ProgramData\bitmonero to free up space.