Steam may be facing stiff competition from Epic and Uplay, but it is still a reliable source of games at the moment. As digital downloads have gradually replaced game discs, Steam simplifies the management of hundreds of games. But what happens when you run out of storage space? Is it possible to change the game’s location on Steam? Can you transfer games to another drive?
While Steam does an excellent job of managing your library, you can control where games are installed and even move them if your storage space is upgraded or you prefer different locations. If you desire to check another issues for steam like The Best Free Online Games Multi-Player you can play with Friends Anywhere
Changing Steam Game Locations
The size limit for games that come on a disc is determined by storage capacity. The games necessitate updates, which are saved on a hard drive. With minor exceptions, downloaded games are massively large, but all files easily fit on hard drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs) in one central location. It’s not uncommon for a game to consume 60-120GB of storage, and with downloadable content (DLC), add-ons, mods, and save files, space is extremely limited.
Steam creates a game storage folder by default, but you can specify where it is created. You can also use Steam to create different game folders and store them in different locations to suit your needs. Here’s how to go about it.
- Launch Steam, then go to the top and select “Steam -> Preferences.”
- Select “Downloads” from the left-hand navigation menu.
- Select “STEAM LIBRARY FOLDERS” from the “Content Libraries” section.
- In the resulting “STORAGE MANAGER” window, create a new folder to download/install your games. Select the “+” button.
- Navigate to a new folder and click “SELECT” to add it. You can also create a new folder by right-clicking the one you want to replace and selecting “NEW FOLDER.”
When you add a new game, Steam will now ask you where you want to download and install it.
How to Transfer Existing Steam Game Downloads
Many Steam users discover that they have run out of space on the currently used partition of their existing storage or that they need to replace or upgrade their drive due to failure. If Steam already exists and you have games on it, you can move them if you so desire. Here are a few methods for changing game download locations in Steam.
There are two ways to move your games: the clumsy way and the sensible way. I’ll describe both because I tried them both. This first method is not exact, but it works.
- For a replacement or upgraded drive, have your operating system recognize and format the new device. The Apple File System (APFS) is used by Mac, while the New Technology File System is used by Windows (NTFS).
- Remove any games you no longer require from the existing games location to speed up the entire process.
- Transfer the Steam folder to the new drive.
- Launch Steam, wait for it to load, and then choose a game.
- Select “Properties” from the context menu when you right-click the game.
- Select “Local Files” and “Verify Local File Integrity.”
When Steam reports that it cannot find local files, choose the new location.
Copying your Steam folder will take some time, so remove any games you don’t need first. This solution may not work with all games, so uninstall it from Steam and reinstall it in the new location. You will not have to redownload the files. Steam can recognize the game and add it to your library.
Creating a new games folder in that drive is a better way to move games to a new drive.
How to Make a New Steam Games Folder
Creating a new Steam game folder is arguably a better way to relocate games. Because the process is built into Steam, you can add games wherever you want. This method is preferable for changing a game’s folder because it avoids the need to uninstall and rediscover games within Steam.
- In Steam, go to the top menu and select “Settings.”
- From the center, select “Downloads,” then “Steam Library Folders.”
- Choose “Add Library Folder” and navigate to your new games directory.
- Give your folder a name and choose it to add it to your “Games Library.”
Moving Games Between Steam Game Folders
You can move games between folders once you’ve created them. If you’ve added an extra drive to accommodate more games, you can move games between them by adding your new folder to the new drive. This is how.
- Choose the game, then right-click and choose “Properties.”
- Select “Local Files,” followed by “Move Install Folder.”
- Choose “Move Folder” after selecting your new games folder.
This procedure keeps all Steam links for the move and does not affect saved games or other settings.
In Windows 10, combine multiple disks into a single partition for Steam games.
If you add a new drive to your system, rather than moving games, expand the volume to include both the old and new drives. Both Windows and Steam see a single partition, but it is spread across two HDDs or SSDs. This can be done multiple times and is a simple way to manage disk space. Here’s how to go about it.
- Connect your new drive to your computer and format it with Windows.
- In Windows Explorer, right-click any drive and select “Manage.”
- On the left side of the new window, click “Disk Management.”
- Right-click and select “Convert to Dynamic Disk” to convert your game disks from “Basic” to “Dynamic.”
- Choose your original game disk, right-click it, and then choose “Extend.”
- In the new window, select the new disk and click “Add.”
- On the right, enter the size of your new partition and click “Next.”
- Click “Finish” to save your changes.
The preceding procedure is a much more elegant method of managing games in Steam. When the disks are full, you can theoretically add more disks and expand the partition as far as you want!