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To move installed Steam games to a Dev Drive, use Steam’s supported library-transfer workflow: open Steam > Settings > Storage, add a library folder on the Dev Drive, select games on the source drive, and choose Move. This relocates the selected game installations; it does not relocate the Steam client itself.
There is an important qualification. Microsoft describes Dev Drive as a ReFS volume for development workloads and states, “We do not recommend installing applications on a Dev Drive.” Using one for games is therefore a personal choice, not a Microsoft-recommended Steam configuration, and the cited documentation does not guarantee that every game or related component will work from ReFS.
What you are moving—and what you are not
Steam treats game-library locations and the Steam client installation as separate things. The Storage screen can move selected installed games between library paths. Moving the client involves a different, more involved procedure and different backup considerations.
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| Choice | What changes | Steam route | Important consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move selected games | The installed files for the games you select are transferred to a library folder on the Dev Drive. | Settings > Storage, add the destination library, select the source drive and games, then click Move. | This is the procedure covered by the steps below. |
| Move the Steam client | The Steam program installation is relocated as well as, potentially, its game libraries. | Use Steam’s separate Moving a Steam Installation and Games instructions. | Steam recommends backing up the steamapps folder first. Do not treat a game-library move as a client move. |
If your goal is simply to free space on another volume or put a few large games on the Dev Drive, use the selected-games workflow. Do not manually drag folders as your primary method; Steam’s Storage feature updates the library location it manages.
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Check the Dev Drive and your data before starting
Make these checks before opening the move dialog:
- The Dev Drive is already available in Windows. It must be mounted and visible to Steam. The Microsoft documentation for Dev Drive covers Windows 11.
- There is enough free space for the games. Check the destination volume rather than relying only on the size shown for an individual download; updates and temporary files can require additional room.
- You know which games are installed on which source drive. Steam’s Storage view groups installed games by library location.
- Steam is running normally and you are signed in. Close games and other installers before transferring their files.
- You have considered save files and profiles. Steam Cloud may synchronize some saves, but each developer chooses where saves are stored and not every game uses Steam Cloud.
- You are not about to format the wrong volume. Creating a Dev Drive by formatting an existing storage volume destroys the contents of that volume; that warning matters if you are still preparing the drive.
A move of installed game files is not the same as a backup. If a game has valuable local saves, copy or otherwise back them up before making storage changes, even when the game normally uses Steam Cloud.
Why Microsoft’s Dev Drive warning matters for games
Microsoft describes Dev Drive as a ReFS volume optimized for development scenarios, including source-code repositories and project files, package caches, and build output or intermediate files. Its official guidance says, “We do not recommend installing applications on a Dev Drive.” Read the current guidance at Microsoft’s Dev Drive documentation.
That warning changes how to interpret this setup:
- Steam provides a general way to create a library on another drive, but the Steam instructions do not amount to Microsoft endorsing game installation on Dev Drive.
- The cited Microsoft and Steam pages do not establish a Steam-specific ReFS compatibility guarantee for every game.
- There is no gaming performance result in those sources that proves a Dev Drive is faster than a conventional game-library volume. Do not choose it on the assumption of a benchmarked frame-rate or loading-time gain.
- Games can have launchers, anti-cheat systems, mod tools, services, or other dependencies. The official material does not guarantee that every such component will behave identically from a Dev Drive.
If broad game compatibility and a conventional application location matter more to you than consolidating files on an existing Dev Drive, keeping Steam libraries on a normal local volume avoids this particular Microsoft caveat.
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How to move selected Steam games to the Dev Drive
The following is Steam’s documented library-move pattern, applied to a Dev Drive destination.
- Open Steam’s Storage settings. In the Steam desktop client, open Steam in the menu bar, choose Settings, and select Storage. The Storage page lists your current library locations and the games installed in each one.
- Add a library location on the Dev Drive. On the Storage page, use the + button to add a drive or library path. Select the Dev Drive and create or choose the folder that will hold the Steam library. Steam’s support instructions state that an alternate library location can be created on any drive; the Dev Drive is simply the destination you are choosing.
- Confirm that the new path appears. Return to the Storage list and make sure the Dev Drive library is shown as a usable location. If it does not appear, stop here and troubleshoot the path rather than attempting a manual copy.
- Select the source drive. In Storage, choose the drive that currently contains the games. Steam will show the installed titles associated with that library location.
- Select the games to transfer. Tick the games you want to relocate. You can move a subset instead of changing every library on the source drive.
- Start the transfer. Click Move, choose the Dev Drive library path when Steam asks for the destination, and confirm. Steam then transfers the selected installation files and updates its library records.
- Let Steam finish before launching anything. Keep the client open and wait for the transfer to complete. Do not launch the game, shut down Windows, disconnect the volume, or delete the old files while the move is in progress.
- Check the result in Steam. When the operation finishes, the games should be listed under the Dev Drive library. Open a moved game from that list and confirm that Steam recognizes it as installed before removing any old, separately created copy.
The key operation is Steam’s Move command, not a File Explorer cut-and-paste. Using the Storage screen gives Steam the destination path it needs to manage updates and launch the installation.
Verify a moved game if it will not start
A successful file transfer does not prove that every game-specific dependency is happy on the new volume. If a moved game reports missing or damaged files, use Steam’s built-in file check before downloading the entire game again:
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- Open the game’s entry in your Steam Library.
- Open its Properties dialog.
- Choose the installed-files section and run Verify integrity of game files (the exact wording can vary slightly with Steam client updates).
- Allow Steam to reacquire any files it identifies as missing or corrupt, then try the game again.
If the game depends on a separate launcher, anti-cheat service, mod manager, or other software, the official sources do not promise that component will support a Dev Drive. Treat a failure in one of those components as a compatibility issue to investigate with that game’s publisher rather than as proof that every Steam game must be moved back.
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If Steam says a moved game is uninstalled
Steam can display a game as uninstalled when the library path is no longer registered, even if the files still occupy the destination volume. First return to Settings > Storage and check whether the Dev Drive library path is present. If it is missing, use the add-library control to point Steam at the existing library folder instead of starting a new download.
Steam’s support page on this symptom provides the relevant Storage Manager and external-drive guidance: Installed games are appearing as uninstalled. Do not delete the existing files until Steam has either recognized them or you have decided that a clean reinstall is necessary.
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Save files, Steam Cloud, and backups
Moving an installation does not necessarily move a game’s saves. Steam notes that some third-party saves and profiles that are not stored in Steam Cloud may be located in C:Users[Windows user name]DocumentsMy Games, but the location varies by game and developer.
- For games using Steam Cloud: allow synchronization to finish before and after the move, and check the game’s cloud status in Steam.
- For games with local saves: identify the game’s documented save location and make a separate copy before changing storage.
- For a Steam-client move: Steam recommends backing up the
steamappsfolder before moving the installation. Follow the separate client-move instructions rather than assuming the selected-game process covers it. - For a selected-game move: the game files are transferred, but your save data may remain in Documents, AppData, a publisher-specific folder, or another location.
Do not infer from a game launching successfully that every profile, configuration, screenshot, or mod file was relocated. Those items can live outside the Steam library.
Dev Drive requirements and limitations
If you do not yet have a Dev Drive, Microsoft’s setup guidance lists a 50 GB minimum size. It describes creating one from unallocated space, resizing an existing volume, or creating one in a virtual hard disk. Formatting an existing storage volume as a Dev Drive erases its contents, so use unallocated space or a properly backed-up volume when preparing it.
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Microsoft also states that a volume on a removable or hot-pluggable disk—such as an external USB drive—cannot itself be designated as a Dev Drive. A portable disk may therefore be unsuitable as the Dev Drive destination even if Windows can otherwise assign it a drive letter.
These are setup constraints, not gaming-performance specifications. The 50 GB figure is a minimum for creating the Dev Drive; it is not a recommendation for the size of a Steam library, and it says nothing about how quickly a particular game will load.
Dev Drive or a conventional Steam library?
There are two separate decisions: which games to move, and whether a development-focused volume is the right place for applications at all.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →| Question | Dev Drive | Conventional local library location |
|---|---|---|
| Can Steam use it as a library path? | Steam’s alternate-library workflow can be used to select a path on the drive. | Steam says an alternate library location can be created on any drive. |
| Microsoft’s stated purpose | ReFS volume intended for source repositories, project files, package caches, and build output or intermediate files. | Not subject to the Dev Drive-specific application warning described by Microsoft. |
| Microsoft’s application guidance | Microsoft explicitly says it does not recommend installing applications there. | No Dev Drive warning applies solely because the location is a normal Steam library volume. |
| Steam-specific ReFS compatibility guarantee | Not established by the cited official pages. | Not an ReFS question if the conventional volume uses another file system, but individual game requirements still apply. |
| Gaming benchmark in the cited material | No Steam-specific speed or frame-rate benchmark is provided. | No comparative benchmark is provided either. |
| Best fit | A user who already has the volume, understands the caveat, and accepts responsibility for testing the games and tools they use. | A user who wants the least ambiguity about Microsoft’s intended use of the volume for applications. |
Choosing the conventional location is not a claim that it is faster. It is simply the option that does not deliberately put application files on a volume Microsoft documents primarily for development workloads.
Troubleshooting by symptom
The Dev Drive is not offered when adding a library
- Confirm that Windows has mounted the Dev Drive and assigned it a usable path.
- Return to Settings > Storage and use the + control to add the library folder rather than browsing to an arbitrary subfolder from File Explorer.
- Check whether the volume is removable or hot-pluggable. Microsoft says those volumes cannot themselves be designated as Dev Drives.
- Make sure the destination has enough free space for the selected installations and their updates.
The move stops or never completes
- Leave Steam open and check whether another game, launcher, update, or security scan is holding files open.
- Do not disconnect the Dev Drive or delete the source library while Steam is still transferring data.
- After restarting Steam, inspect Settings > Storage to see which library still contains the game. If the destination path is absent, add the existing library path before attempting another move.
The game is listed but fails immediately
- Run Steam’s installed-files verification from the game’s Properties page.
- Check whether the game’s launcher or anti-cheat component has its own installation requirements.
- Remember that the official sources do not guarantee every game-related component on ReFS; a single-game compatibility problem does not establish a general Steam rule.
The game launches but saves or settings are missing
- Check Steam Cloud status and allow synchronization to complete.
- Look for the game’s local save or profile directory, including
DocumentsMy Gamesand other locations specified by the developer. - Restore from the backup you made before moving if the files are present there.
When moving the Steam client instead
If “move my Steam games” actually means moving Steam itself off the system drive, stop using the selected-game steps. Steam publishes a separate procedure for moving a Steam installation and games at Moving a Steam Installation and Games. That guidance includes the recommendation to back up steamapps and discusses recovery steps such as verifying files.
Moving the client is a larger change because it affects the program installation and potentially several libraries. Decide first whether you only need to relocate a few large games; if so, the Storage move is narrower and easier to reverse.
Quick Recap
Final pre-move checklist
- Dev Drive is mounted, writable, and has sufficient free capacity.
- You have added a Steam library path on that drive through Settings > Storage.
- You selected the correct source drive and only the games you intend to move.
- Important local saves and profiles have their own backup.
- You understand that Microsoft does not recommend installing applications on Dev Drive and that no Steam-specific ReFS compatibility guarantee is established.
- You will wait for Steam’s Move operation to finish before launching games or removing old files.
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