How to Move Steam Games to Another Drive: Best Guide

How to Move Steam Games to Another Drive? As your Steam library grows, you may find that your primary hard drive begins to fill up, especially if it’s an SSD with limited space. Moving your Steam games to another drive can help alleviate this issue without the need to reinstall games or lose your progress. This article provides a detailed guide on how to move Steam games to another drive, ensuring a smooth transition and more efficient storage management.

Understanding the Need to Move Steam Games

Steam installs games into a designated directory on your system by default. Over time, as more games are added, this can lead to storage constraints, affecting not only your gaming experience but also the overall performance of your system. Moving games to another drive helps in maintaining system efficiency and ensuring that your games load faster, especially if moving them to an SSD.

Preparing for How to Move Steam Games to Another Drive

Before you start moving your Steam games to another drive, ensure the following:

1. Ensure Adequate Space: Verify that the drive you plan to move your games to has enough space to accommodate them.
2. Backup Important Files: Although moving games within Steam is a safe process, it’s always good practice to back up your games or entire SteamApps folder just in case something goes wrong.

How to Move Steam Games to Another Drive: Step-by-Step Process

1. Create a New Steam Library Folder:
   • Open Steam and go to Settings > Downloads > Steam Library Folders.
   • Click on Add Library Folder and select the drive where you’d like to create a new library folder. Choose a name that will help you recognize it easily, such as ‘SteamGames.’
2. Move Existing Games to the New Library:
   • Right-click the game you want to move in your Steam Library and select Properties.
   • Go to the Local Files tab and click on Move Install Folder.
   • Select the new library folder you created and click Move Folder. Steam will start transferring your game files to the new drive. Repeat this process for each game you wish to move.
3. Verify the Integrity of Game Files:
   • After moving your games, it’s a good idea to check the integrity of the game files to ensure that no data was corrupted during the transfer.
   • Right-click on the game in your Steam Library, go to Properties > Local Files, and select Verify Integrity of Game Files.

Benefits of Moving Steam Games to Another Drive

• Enhanced Performance: Running games from an SSD can significantly reduce load times compared to a traditional HDD.
• Better Organization: Separate drives for your operating system and games can lead to a more organized file system.
• Increased Longevity of Your Primary Drive: Reducing the workload on your primary drive can potentially extend its lifespan.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Game Not Launching: If a game fails to launch after being moved, verify the game files or try reinstalling the game into the new directory.
• Missing Files: Ensure all files are moved correctly. If not, Steam’s backup and restore function can help recover and move missing files.

Conclusion: How to Move Steam Games to Another Drive

How to Move Steam Games to Another Drive? Moving your Steam games to another drive is a straightforward process that can significantly enhance your gaming setup. It’s an effective way to manage your storage resources, ensuring that both your games and your system run smoothly. By following the steps outlined above, you can easily organize your games across multiple drives and enjoy a better gaming experience.