Steam is a digital distribution platform for video games platform that Valve Corporation developed. It was introduced in September 2003 to provide an option to allow Valve to update its games automatically. However, in the end, it expanded to include games published by third-party companies.
It is possible to browse the most recent and well-known video games on Steam. You can download or buy the game you love. A lot of PC gamers download several games via Steam.
However, they could face problems like Steam not opening correctly, the inability to transfer steam games to another drive or even steam disk write errors while installing or updating. The most common issue they face is Steam; many users seek ways to transfer steam games onto another drive over the Internet.
This procedure can help you avoid downloading tens or hundreds of gigabytes worth of game data over and over simply because you have a brand new SSD and want to move just a few games. This is different from moving the whole Steam library directory, which will move every single game. The procedure below will let you transfer a small number of games instead of the entire library.
How to Move Steam Games to Another Drive
We’ll show you how to transfer the game you’re playing or the entire Steam library to another drive with no hassle. If you’ve recently purchased an upgraded hard drive, look at our tutorials on cleaning a hard drive and partitioning the hard drive to begin operating.
Move Games using an integrated Move Install Folder Function.
Steam’s embedded feature lets users transfer individual games to a different collection or a drive. Are you interested in learning the specific steps? Read on.
With the Move Install Folder feature, you can transfer individual games to a new library or drive; however, when you need to move several games onto another drive simultaneously, You will require the assistance of tools such as Steam Library Manager and Steam Mover.
Steam can also let you have multiple download folders through Add Library Folder. This means that you can save your games on another drive by putting steam libraries to the drive you wish to.
After you have created an entirely new steam library folder on a different drive, it is possible to transfer steam games to another drive without re-downloading them using The Move Folder feature. Folder feature. Be sure that you have your Steam is current for the steps to work.
We will now look at the in-depth steps to answer the question of how to transfer steam games onto a different drive without re-downloading.
- Launch Steam, and navigate Settings > Downloads > Steam Library Folders > Add Library Folder.
- Choose a different device and then create a brand new folder. Name it, then select OK, then select to proceed.
- You will then see the folder listed on the Steam Library folders list. Close this window. Once you’ve created this new pathway, any subsequent installations will be able to be placed there.
- Select LIBRARY to create your Games library. Then, right-click the game title you wish to move and select Properties.
- Navigate onto your Local Files tab and click the Move Install Folder button.
Hit Move Folder will begin transferring steam games to a different drive. The time to finish will depend on how big the game is.
Transfer Steam Games to a different Drive by using Steam Library Manager
Steam Library Manager is a tool to help in managing Steam libraries. The primary interface for Steam Library Manager displays all of the available Libraries on your PC and the games available in these libraries. Steam Library Manager can help you move, copy, or back up your games.
Steam Library Manager enables you to drag and drop games from one library to the next without difficulty. It is possible to use the Task Manager section to transfer the games into groups. The steps in detail on transferring steam games onto a different drive using Steam Library Manager are shown below.
On the main screen in Steam Library Manager, you will see the newly created steam library and the games it holds. Drag the game into the library you wish to transfer it to.
Go to the Task Manager tab. The games you plan to transfer will be listed there. You can move more than one game by clicking the Start button to transfer steam games to a different drive.
You’ll see an activity log created when games are in motion and playing. If a glitch needs to be addressed, the issue will be made evident to you.
Steam Library Manager makes it simple to transfer Steam games. It is possible to download Steam Library Manager from its official website and give it an attempt to figure out how to move a Steam game to a different drive.
How to Move Multiple Steam Games at Once to Another Drive
If you’d like to move all of your Steam games or even batch-move a few or all of them onto a new drive, follow these steps:
Select the Steam tab, then select Settings.
Select Downloads, and then click the STEAM LIBRARY FOLDERS.
- Click the icon next to the other drives at the top of the list.
Click on the dropdown list. Select the drive you want to add a library or choose. Let me choose another location to define an additional folder and drive.
Click on Add to access the traditional Steam Library location popup window.
Select the desired drive and folder (if you wish to) and then select to create a new Folder option.
Give the folder a name you would like, then click OK.
Press the select button and select the folder you’ve created that should have already been highlighted. The folder is now visible in Steam’s library folders. So close the browser window.
Go back to your Steam Storage Manager window and select the checkboxes next to every game you wish to transfer. Click on each drive’s top of the page to see all games available to choose from.
Click Move at the lower right, then select one of the drives from the dropdown menu to move the games you’ve selected.
The games you have selected will now be displayed on the new drive.
Steam and the Cloud
Steam Cloud is a great feature. Steam Cloud is fantastic and has us wondering how we got through the early days of gaming in which cloud saves were not available, and save-files were restricted to a single machine and memory card.
Most people familiar with Steam are likely to have heard of Steam Cloud. It’s a cloud-based storage service hosted by Steam that lets users allow cloud saves and backups and restore their games. It also lets you store Steam user preferences and other similar features. But not all Steam games can use this feature, except for older games.
An alternative is to use cloud storage providers such as Sync.com and an online backup solution like SpiderOak ONE, which doesn’t limit you to just one sync folder. With one of these services, you can set up your cloud saves to ensure you’re using the latest save file for a game, regardless of where you’re playing.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve used Steam before 2017 may recall the frustration of moving games from drives and using symbolic links. Thankfully, moving Steam libraries and games is a lot simpler today; hopefully, we’ve proven this.
In terms of shifting games by batch and moving folders of library games, Steam could be enhanced. However, compared with rivals like Origin or GOG Galaxy, there’s little to be unhappy about.
Steam remains the leading gaming platform on Windows PC gaming, so maybe it isn’t a surprise. However, Steam has brought quality-of-life features to its platform. Sharing all of the games in your Steam libraries across several drives without having to reinstall games is a feature that has been long requested, which is why it’s better to wait than never.
With regards to Steam Cloud, dig into our top cloud gaming solutions to discover how cloud gaming has changed how gamers play and why it’s the way to go. In this article, you will also learn about the new gaming model called gaming-as-a-service. For consoles and cloud storage, take a look at our guide on how to use Xbox cloud storage guides or discover which one is the best cloud.