The safest way to reclaim space is to open Steam > Settings > Storage in Gaming Mode. Uninstall games you no longer play or move large installations to a formatted microSD library. Only investigate shader caches and Proton compatdata after Steam’s own storage screen fails to explain the missing capacity; deleting or relocating those folders is an advanced, community-documented technique with launch and redownload risks.
Valve supports UHS-I (class 3 or better) microSD cards. A card formatted by the Deck uses ext4 with casefolding, giving you a straightforward way to keep more games installed without editing hidden files.
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Start with Steam’s Storage screen
In Gaming Mode, open Steam > Settings > Storage. Valve identifies this page as the place to manage the Deck’s internal drive and connected storage. It shows the libraries Steam can use, which drive each game occupies, and how much space remains.
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- Check the SD-card library separately. A game can exist on the card while updates, compatibility data, or other generated files remain on internal storage. Note both totals before changing anything.
- Choose the least disruptive action. Uninstall a game you can re-download, or move it to an existing Steam library on the card. These controls are easier to reverse than deleting folders manually.
Use the displayed sizes to make a plan rather than deleting random files. A single large game may recover more space than many small utilities, and Steam can reinstall an uninstalled title later if you have enough download bandwidth and time.
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Uninstall games without losing a save
From the Storage page, select a title and use Steam’s uninstall control. Before confirming, establish where that game stores progress. Steam Cloud may preserve saves for supported games, but cloud support is not universal and a local save can be separate from the installed game files.
- Open the game’s Steam properties and verify whether cloud synchronization is enabled for that title.
- Launch the game once while you still have access to its current installation, then exit normally so the latest save has a chance to synchronize.
- For a game with important progress or uncertain cloud support, copy its save folder in Desktop Mode to another location before uninstalling.
- Do not assume that achievements, settings, mods, screenshots, and saves all share the same folder. Confirm what you need to keep before removing the installation.
Uninstalling removes the main game files and is usually the largest no-cost recovery. It does not necessarily remove every generated file associated with the title, which is why the internal drive can still look unexpectedly full afterward.
Move large installations to a microSD card
If you want to keep a game installed, move it to a Steam library on a formatted microSD card instead of uninstalling it. In Steam’s Storage interface, choose the game, select the move option, and choose the SD-card library as the destination. Keep the card inserted whenever you want to launch games stored there.
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When moving does not recover as much as expected
The game’s principal files may move while generated data stays on internal storage. Shader caches and Proton prefixes are separate from the game payload. If the Storage screen still reports a large unexplained “Other” category, follow the inspection procedure below instead of repeatedly moving the same title.
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Add and format a microSD card
Steam Deck supports microSD expansion. Valve says that any UHS-I (class 3 or better) microSD card is supported. Valve’s 2022 capacity context listed 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB internal-storage configurations and up to 2TB of additional microSD storage; those figures describe the published hardware context, not the amount of free space available after the operating system and updates.
- Back up anything already on the card that you need. Formatting changes the card’s filesystem and can remove existing contents.
- Insert the card into the Deck.
- In Gaming Mode, open Steam > Settings > System > Format SD card.
- Confirm the format operation and wait for Steam to finish preparing the card.
- Return to Steam > Settings > Storage and confirm that the card appears as a usable library location.
- Create or select the Steam library on that card, then move games from the internal drive.
The Steam Deck formats supported cards as ext4 with casefolding. That is the expected filesystem for a card prepared by Steam; do not reformat it on another device merely because a desktop computer displays a different format.
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Check four things before buying: the advertised capacity, the UHS-I and class rating, seller authenticity, and warranty. A reputable card that meets Valve’s compatibility guidance is the sensible baseline. No particular model, price, loading-time improvement, or sustained speed should be treated as guaranteed without a current test under the same games and conditions you use.
Capacity is a trade-off. A larger card costs more but reduces how often you have to uninstall and redownload games. A smaller card may be enough if you rotate a few titles. Remember that card-stored games are unavailable when the card is removed, so keep frequently played or offline-critical titles on the drive you can always access.
Understand what is consuming the internal drive
Installed games are only one category of storage. The Deck also keeps operating-system files, downloads, screenshots, shader caches, Proton compatibility prefixes, and game-specific data. Steam’s Storage page is the authoritative first view of libraries, but it may not make every generated directory obvious.
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| Data type | What it contains | Why it matters | Usual first action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installed game files | The title’s downloadable content and executable files | Usually the largest, most visible portion of a game install | Move through Steam or uninstall through Steam |
| Shader cache | Generated graphics-shader data used to reduce compilation work | Can accumulate across games and may remain after a move or uninstall | Inspect only after checking Steam Storage; removal can trigger rebuilding or downloading |
compatdata |
Proton prefixes and per-game Windows-compatibility environment data | Can grow independently of the main game and may be needed for launch settings or saved state | Identify the associated game before changing anything |
| Saves and user data | Progress, configurations, mods, screenshots, or other personal files | Deleting it can permanently remove work or progress | Back up and verify cloud status first |
Shader-cache files and compatdata are not interchangeable copies of the installed game. Removing one does not automatically remove the other, and a small-looking folder can still be important to a particular title.
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Find unexplained usage in Desktop Mode
If the installed-game totals do not account for the used space, switch to Desktop Mode and use a disk-usage analyzer to identify large directories. Let the scan finish, then look for directories named shadercache and compatdata under Steam’s data locations. The exact total can vary as Steam downloads updates or regenerates files.
- Close running games and allow downloads or updates to finish.
- Switch to Desktop Mode and open a disk-usage tool.
- Scan the home storage, then expand only directories that account for a meaningful share of the used capacity.
- Record which game or application a large directory belongs to before touching it. Do not delete a whole parent directory simply because its name looks temporary.
- Return to Gaming Mode and recheck Steam’s Storage page after any official uninstall or move.
Disk-usage tools show where bytes are located; they do not tell you whether a file is safe to delete. Treat the directory name, its associated game, and the consequences of regeneration as separate questions.
Shader-cache cleanup: an advanced option
Community reports describe deleting shader-cache data for games that are no longer installed or played. The possible benefit is limited to the generated cache itself, not the full game installation. Steam or the game may recreate the cache later, and a rebuild can involve additional processing or downloading.
A cautious cache-cleanup sequence
- Confirm in Steam that the game is uninstalled or that you accept the possibility of a first-launch rebuild.
- Back up important saves and configuration files separately.
- Exit Steam completely before changing files in Desktop Mode.
- Delete only the cache directory you have positively associated with the selected game; do not remove the entire
shadercacheparent directory. - Restart Steam, launch the game, and allow time for any required cache regeneration.
- If the game behaves differently, stop making changes and restore the backup or reinstall the title through Steam.
There is no general guarantee that deleting all shader caches improves performance or frees a worthwhile amount of space. The result depends on which games have generated data and whether they need to rebuild it.
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compatdata cleanup and relocation
Proton’s compatdata directories hold per-game prefixes. They can remain after a title is moved or uninstalled and may be large, but they can also contain files a game expects. Deleting the wrong prefix can reset a game’s Windows-side settings or remove locally stored data.
When deletion may be reasonable
Consider removing a prefix only when you have identified its game, confirmed that the game is no longer installed or that you are prepared to recreate its environment, and made a backup of any relevant saves and configuration. Reinstalling or relaunching may regenerate the prefix, so the recovered space may be temporary.
Moving and linking folders to an SD card
Community instructions also describe moving shadercache or compatdata to an SD card and creating links from the original location. This is not the same as Valve’s supported Storage-page workflow. It introduces additional failure points:
- The card must be mounted at the expected location whenever a game needs the linked data.
- Removing or replacing the card can make a game fail to launch or appear to lose its prefix.
- A filesystem-link mistake can point Steam at the wrong directory or hide data until the link is repaired.
- Updates, reinstalls, or verification operations can recreate directories and consume internal space again.
- Performance and reliability can vary with the card, its free space, and how the game accesses the data.
Use this technique only if the official move and uninstall controls cannot solve the capacity problem and you are comfortable reversing a filesystem change. Keep a recovery copy on the internal drive or another backup location, and document what you moved before creating any link.
Compare the practical options
| Option | Space recovered | Reversibility | Risk | Cost | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uninstall through Steam | Usually recovers the game’s installed files; leftover generated data may remain | Reinstall from Steam | Low filesystem risk; verify saves first | None | A game you do not need installed now |
| Move through Steam | Moves the main installation to another Steam library | Move it back or reinstall | Low filesystem risk; the destination card must be present | None if you already have a card | A game you want to keep installed |
| Format and use a microSD card | Adds the card’s usable capacity for a library | Move games between libraries; reformatting is disruptive | Back up card contents before formatting | Hardware purchase | A growing library that exceeds internal capacity |
| Delete selected shader cache | Only the identified generated cache | Often regenerated, but may require rebuilding or downloading | Moderate; game startup can change | None | Advanced cleanup after Storage inspection |
Move or link cache and compatdata |
Potentially relocates recurring generated data | Requires reversing links or moving data back | Highest; missing card or bad link can affect launching | None beyond storage hardware | Experienced users with backups and a recovery plan |
Troubleshoot common storage surprises
The game is on the SD card, but internal storage is still full
Open the Storage page and compare the internal and SD libraries. Then inspect “Other” in Desktop Mode for shader-cache and compatdata growth. Do not assume that moving the game payload also moved every generated file.
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The SD card does not appear as a usable library
Confirm that the card is inserted and then use Steam > Settings > System > Format SD card. Formatting prepares the card for the Deck and erases existing card data, so restore only after you have copied anything important. Once Steam recognizes it, return to Steam > Settings > Storage and create or select the library there.
A title will not launch after cache or prefix changes
First ensure the SD card is inserted and mounted. If you moved or linked data, restore the original directory structure from your backup. For a less invasive recovery, use Steam’s verify or reinstall controls after protecting saves. Do not continue deleting related folders while the cause is uncertain.
The free-space number changes after cleanup
Steam may be rebuilding shader data, downloading an update, or recreating a Proton prefix. Wait for downloads and first-launch processing to finish, then recheck Storage. A cache deletion can therefore produce a short-term gain followed by renewed usage.
You need space immediately for an update
Start with the largest internal installation shown by Steam and uninstall or move a title through the official controls. This is more predictable than trying to identify a cache under time pressure, and it leaves a clear path to reinstall the game later.
A maintenance routine that prevents another full drive
- Review Steam > Settings > Storage after installing several large games instead of waiting for an update to fail.
- Keep the internal drive for the games and applications that need to be available when the SD card is absent.
- Use the SD library for titles you play less often, and label or track which games depend on that card.
- Before uninstalling, verify cloud synchronization and back up local-only saves.
- Reserve manual cache or
compatdatawork for a clearly identified space problem, not as routine housekeeping. - Keep enough free capacity for updates, shader rebuilding, and temporary installation files; the exact amount varies by game and update.
For most Deck owners, the durable solution is simple: manage installations in Steam, add a properly formatted UHS-I card when the library outgrows internal storage, and treat generated folders as troubleshooting data rather than disposable clutter.
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