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Move an installed Steam game through Steam > Settings > Storage: add a Steam Library folder on the destination drive, select the game, and choose Move. Steam transfers the installation without requiring a fresh download when both libraries are set up correctly. This guide covers moving games on Windows—not just dragging folders in File Explorer—and explains how to check the result or recover if Steam no longer recognizes a library.
Before you move a game
- Check that the destination volume is mounted, writable, and has a stable drive letter. Leave enough free space for the selected game and room for updates; Steam’s Storage screen can show the selected games’ sizes.
- Finish or pause active downloads and updates, and close any running games.
- Back up important saves and mod-manager profiles if you cannot afford to lose them. A game’s saves are not necessarily stored in its installation folder.
- Do not format, repartition, or delete a volume just to make room for a Steam library unless its contents are backed up.
- Use a normal local folder, for example
D:SteamLibrary. Avoid a cloud-sync folder or network share for a regular library. A removable drive may work, but disconnection or a changed drive letter can make its games appear unavailable.
A partition is a logical volume; two drive letters can belong to the same physical disk. Moving a game from one partition to another can free space on C:, but it does not by itself make the game faster. Steam’s current library controls are generally under Settings > Storage; labels can vary by client build or language. See Steam’s instructions for moving an installation and games.
Add a Steam Library folder on the destination partition
- Open Steam and go to Steam > Settings > Storage.
- Click the + button to add a library location.
- Choose the destination drive and add a folder such as
D:SteamLibrary.
Add the library root, not the game’s steamappscommon subfolder. Steam manages folders and installation records inside the library. The usual Windows game directory for a default Steam installation is C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommon, but Steam may be installed elsewhere.
If the volume does not exist yet, creating one is a separate Windows task—not a requirement when a suitable volume already exists. Open Disk Management with Win+R, enter diskmgmt.msc, and press Enter to inspect volumes or assign a drive letter. Windows can shrink a volume to make unallocated space, though files that cannot be moved may limit how much; extending a volume depends on suitable unallocated space on the same disk and immediately after it. Formatting destroys data. Read Microsoft’s guidance on Disk Management, shrinking a volume, and extending a volume before changing partitions.
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Move one or more installed games with Steam
Use Storage to move several games
- In Steam, open Steam > Settings > Storage.
- Select the source drive containing the installed games.
- Check the game or games you want to relocate.
- Choose Move, select the destination library you added, and confirm.
- Let Steam finish the transfer. Do not force-close it while it is writing files.
This is the most direct option for moving several titles. Steam’s relocation instructions describe adding a second library, selecting the drive and games, and choosing Move.
Use a game’s Properties to move one title
- Open Library and right-click the game.
- Choose Properties > Installed Files > Move Install Folder…
- Select the destination library and confirm the move.
The wording may vary slightly between Steam client builds. Steam documents the per-game route under Managing Steam Downloads & Updates.
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Check that the move worked
- Steam still lists the game as installed.
- The game’s Properties > Installed Files page points to the destination library.
- The game launches, and its updates are associated with the destination installation.
- The old game folder is no longer occupying space on the source volume.
- Any mods or settings you rely on still work.
If Steam reports missing or damaged files, open the game’s Properties > Installed Files page and choose Verify integrity of game files. Steam checks the installation and may download files that need repair. Its relocation guidance recommends verification after a more extensive Steam-folder move; it is also a useful recovery check after a problematic game move.
Set the destination as the default for future installs
Adding a library does not automatically move existing games, and it may not make the new location the default for future downloads. In Steam > Settings > Storage, select the destination library and use the client’s default-location control if available. The control’s label and placement can change between client versions. Check the selected install location when starting a future installation if you need to ensure it goes to the new drive.
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If Steam shows a moved game as uninstalled
- Confirm the destination drive is connected and still has its expected letter. If Windows changed it, restore the old letter in Disk Management where appropriate.
- Open Steam > Settings > Storage, click +, and add the existing library root, such as
D:SteamLibrary. - Give Steam time to scan the library. Installed games should reappear when Steam recognizes the library. See Steam’s recovery guidance for games that appear uninstalled.
- If the game remains unrecognized, check that you added the library root rather than
steamappscommon, then restart Steam and try again.
As a fallback, start installing the game to that same library and pause the download after Steam creates its expected folders. Close Steam normally, compare the existing files and installation records, then restart and resume or verify. This discovery technique is less dependable than re-adding a correctly configured library; do not overwrite or delete files unless you have a backup.
Where saves, mods, and launcher data go
Moving the game installation does not guarantee that every save moves with it. Steam Cloud synchronizes saves only for supported games, and developers choose where non-Cloud saves are stored. Steam identifies DocumentsMy Games as one common location. Other possible locations include %USERPROFILE%DocumentsMy Games, %APPDATA%, %LOCALAPPDATA%, and a Steam library’s userdata folder; none is universal. Check the specific game’s documentation and back up important saves before moving.
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Workshop content is generally associated with a Steam library, but do not assume every manually installed mod or mod-manager setup will transfer cleanly. Managers may keep profiles, downloads, or deployment links outside the game folder. Separate launchers and anti-cheat or redistributable components can also keep settings or files elsewhere, and a game may ask you to authenticate again. Back up mod-manager profiles and check the game’s own instructions if the installation is heavily customized.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does another partition improve game performance?
Not necessarily. If both partitions are on the same physical HDD, the move primarily changes where files are organized and how much space is available on each volume. Moving from an HDD to an SSD may improve loading or asset streaming, depending on the game and hardware; moving to another partition on the same disk does not turn it into an SSD. A separate physical drive can also change performance and failure exposure, but those depend on the drives themselves.
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Move the entire Steam client only if you need to
If your aim is simply to free space on C:, moving selected games or using a second library is usually less disruptive than relocating Steam itself. The full-client procedure is different: Steam’s official move instructions describe exiting Steam, keeping steamapps, userdata, and steam.exe, removing the other files and folders as specified, moving the Steam folder, then launching Steam and verifying games. Back up steamapps first and have your login credentials available. Steam does not recommend installing the client itself on an external hard drive because of potential performance issues.
Advanced fallback: keep an old path with a junction
Use a Windows directory junction only when a game, mod manager, or other tool specifically requires its previous folder path. It is not Steam’s normal move method. Microsoft documents mklink /j <link> <target> for creating a junction, which can connect directories on different local volumes on the same computer.
- Exit Steam.
- Move the original game folder to its new location and confirm the old path no longer exists.
- Open Command Prompt and create the junction at the old path, pointing to the moved folder. For example:
mklink /J "C:GamesExampleGame" "D:SteamLibrarysteamappscommonExampleGame" - Restart Steam and test the game.
See Microsoft’s mklink reference and explanation of hard links and junctions. A junction depends on its target path remaining available; take care when deleting folders so you do not remove the target data by mistake.
Quick Recap
If a move fails or is interrupted
- No Move option: Make sure a second library has been added in Settings > Storage, the game is not updating, the destination is writable, and the game is not already in the selected library. Restart Steam and retry.
- Steam starts downloading the whole game: Confirm the correct library root is added and the drive letter is unchanged. Copying only
steamappscommon<Game>can leave Steam without its associated installation record; verify the library and existing files before allowing a large download to proceed. - Move is interrupted: Restart Steam normally, check whether the game is installed, and run file verification. Restore from backup if files or installation records are missing. Steam warns that forcibly terminating it during disk writes can corrupt library or installation information.
- Access is denied: Use a normal local folder such as
D:SteamLibraryand check whether antivirus or Windows Controlled Folder Access blocked Steam. Avoid changing permissions or routinely running Steam as administrator unless you have identified a specific permissions problem.
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