The Tool Desk
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Check which drives your Steam games use
- Open the Steam client and select Steam > Settings > Storage.
- Review the listed library locations and their installed games. Steam says this screen also shows the default installation drive.
Steam documents the Storage view in its Moving a Steam Installation and Games instructions. The exact labels or layout may vary between operating systems and client versions.
Add a library location or choose where a new game installs
To make another drive available for Steam games, open Settings > Storage and use the plus button to add a library path on that drive. When installing a new game, choose one of your configured library locations.
Adding a library only makes another location available; it does not free space on the drive that already holds your games. To reclaim space, move or uninstall games you no longer need.
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Move an installed game to another drive
The destination must already be configured as a Steam library. Steam documents two ways to move an installed game without requiring a fresh download:
| Route | Steps | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Storage settings | Open Settings > Storage, select the source drive, select one or more games, then choose Move. | Moving several games or working from the drive list. |
| Game properties | Right-click the game in your Library, open Properties > Installed Files, then choose Move Install Folder. | Moving one particular game from its own settings. |
Both routes are documented in Steam’s Moving a Steam Installation and Games guide. Steam does not claim that one route is faster; use the navigation that suits the task and the options shown in your client.
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Make Steam recognize an existing library again
- Check that the game files are still present in the expected library folder.
- Open Settings > Storage and use the plus button to add the existing library path.
- Check whether Steam now lists the games. If it still does not recognize an affected game, Steam’s support instructions recommend reinstalling it.
See Steam’s Installed games are appearing as uninstalled guidance. Adding the existing path is the recovery step to try before starting a new download.
Repair a library or verify a game’s files
These options address library or file problems; they are not routine steps for a normal game move.
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- Repair a library folder: Open Settings > Storage, select the relevant library, and use Repair Folder if available. Steam includes this option in its Update & Installation Issues troubleshooting guide.
- Check a game’s files: In the Library, right-click the game and choose Properties > Installed Files > Verify Integrity of Game Files. Use this when you suspect game files are corrupted.
Understand what update settings do
Steam’s download scheduling and update behavior are separate from library storage. To change when updates happen, open Settings > Downloads and review the available update and scheduling controls. Steam describes these in Managing Steam Downloads & Updates. Changing update timing does not reclaim disk space; move or uninstall games if you need room.
Protect game files and saves before removing Steam
Steam warns that uninstalling Steam can delete installed game content. If you want to keep those files, move the steamapps folder somewhere outside the Steam directory before uninstalling, following Steam’s Uninstall Steam guidance.
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Keeping steamapps does not guarantee that every save is preserved. Steam Cloud saves are handled separately, and non-Cloud saves may be stored elsewhere, such as a Documents folder; each game’s developer determines how and where saves are stored. Confirm the save location for each game before deleting or moving data.
Know the trade-off with external drives
Steam Support cautions that external hard drives can cause performance problems or disconnect unexpectedly, and says it is not recommended to install Steam on an external drive because of potential performance issues. If an external drive is causing trouble, Steam’s troubleshooting guidance suggests using an internal drive. Steam’s documentation does not establish a particular drive model, capacity, or type as a requirement.
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