You can move an installed Steam game to another drive on the same computer without uninstalling it or downloading it again. In Steam, create a library on the destination drive, open Settings > Storage, select the drive that currently contains the game, select the game, and choose Move.
This procedure moves the selected game installation. It is not the same as moving the entire Steam client, and it does not guarantee that every save file moves with the game. The steps below follow Steam Support’s current documented workflow.
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What Steam’s Move feature does
Steam treats game files and the Steam client as separate things. When you use the Move command in the Storage settings, Steam relocates the selected game’s installation from one Steam Library path to another library on a different drive. The game remains installed in your Steam account; you do not need to uninstall it, enter a product key again, or start a fresh download for the documented same-computer move.
The destination must be a Steam Library. A drive appearing in Windows or another operating system’s file manager is not enough by itself. Steam needs a library path there so it can register the moved files and continue managing updates, launching, and uninstalling normally.
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This guide is for moving one or more installed games. Moving the entire Steam client folder is a larger operation with different instructions and backup implications; that process is covered separately below.
Check these conditions before starting
Use a destination that can hold the installation
Make sure the destination drive has enough free space for the game you selected and that you can write to the chosen folder. Steam will not be able to complete a move if the target library cannot accept the files. If you are moving several games, check the available space before selecting them together.
Decide whether you really need to move the client
If your goal is simply to free space on one drive, move the individual game. Do not move the whole Steam folder unless you also need Steam’s own program files and libraries in a new location. The whole-client method requires Steam to be closed and calls for a backup of the steamapps folder.
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An internal drive can be used as an alternate Steam Library. Steam Support says, “It is not recommended that you install Steam to an external hard drive, due to potential performance issues.” Steam does not quantify those issues or compare external-drive types in its guidance, so treat an external hard drive as a special case rather than the default destination.
Protect saves separately
A game installation and a save file are not necessarily in the same directory. Steam says that many third-party saves for games that do not use Steam Cloud may be in C:Users[Windows user name]DocumentsMy Games, but each developer decides where saves are stored. Before moving a game, check that game’s own documentation or settings and confirm what Steam Cloud does for it if the save matters.
Step-by-step: move a game to another Steam Library
- Open Steam’s settings. Start Steam on the computer that already has the game installed. Open the Steam menu, choose Settings, and select Storage. Steam’s labels and visual layout can change, but the official support path is currently Settings > Storage.
- Create the destination library if necessary. In Storage, use the + control to add a library. Choose the drive and folder you want Steam to use, then complete the prompt. If the destination library already appears in Storage, you can use it without creating another one.
- Select the source drive. In the Storage view, choose the drive that currently contains the installed game. Steam will show the games associated with that library.
- Select the game or games. Mark the game you want to relocate. You can select more than one when you are preparing a batch move, provided the destination has enough room.
- Choose Move. Use the Move command, select the destination Steam Library when Steam asks where the files should go, and confirm. The wording of confirmation dialogs may vary with the client, but the operation is the Storage tab’s Move feature.
- Wait for Steam to finish. Leave Steam open and allow the transfer to complete. Do not launch the game from another shortcut while the move is in progress, and do not manually drag the same folder at the same time. The game should remain listed as installed when Steam has finished updating its library information.
- Launch from Steam. Start the game from the Steam Library after the move. If it opens normally, the game installation is now using the destination library. If it does not, use the troubleshooting section before moving files manually.
That is the complete documented route for a same-computer game move. Reinstalling is unnecessary unless the installation itself is damaged or you intentionally want a clean download.
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Why creating the destination library matters
Steam’s Move command works between Steam Library paths, not arbitrary folders. A newly connected drive may be visible to the operating system while still being absent from Steam’s Storage list. Adding it with the + control gives Steam a managed location and makes it selectable as the target.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteIf the destination does not appear, return to Settings > Storage and add the drive there before selecting the game. Do not create a random folder and then expect Steam to discover it automatically. The library must be registered first.
Troubleshooting a game move
The destination drive is missing
Confirm that the drive is connected and mounted, then reopen Settings > Storage. Use + to add a library on that drive. If the drive is an external device, reconnect it before opening Steam and keep in mind Steam’s warning about potential performance issues with installing Steam to an external hard drive.
There is no Move command
Check that you selected an installed game under the source drive, rather than an entry that is only in your account or queued for download. Also confirm that a second Steam Library exists. Steam requires a different library path as the target; without one, there is nowhere for the Move command to send the files.
The move cannot complete because of space
Choose a destination with sufficient free space, or move fewer games at a time. A batch selection can fail when the combined installations do not fit even though one of them would fit separately.
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Return to Steam’s Storage view and check both the old and new library entries. A move should leave the game registered in Steam, but a disconnected drive can make a library temporarily unavailable. Reconnect the drive that contains the active library and restart Steam before attempting another move.
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The game will not start afterward
First confirm that the destination drive is connected and that Steam shows the game as installed in the new library. If you moved the entire Steam installation rather than one game, Steam specifically advises verifying the installed game’s files after that larger relocation. The full-client procedure and its verification advice are different from the one-game Move workflow.
You started a manual copy by mistake
Stop copying files into a second folder and return to Steam’s Storage tab. Steam’s managed Move command is the supported way to relocate a game while keeping its installation registered. Avoid deleting the original folder until Steam reports that the move has completed and the game launches from the new library.
Moving one game versus moving the entire Steam client
These two jobs are often confused because both involve changing where Steam files live. They have different scopes and risks.
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| Task | Where you work | Main steps | Backup implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move one installed game | Steam Settings > Storage | Create or select a destination library, select the source drive and game, choose Move, and wait for completion. | The one-game instructions do not require a separate backup drive. Save files still need game-specific checking. |
| Move the entire Steam installation | The Steam installation folder in the file system | Exit Steam, retain steamapps, userdata, and steam.exe, move the Steam folder, then launch Steam from its new location. |
Steam strongly recommends backing up steamapps before attempting this larger move. |
The Storage-tab method is the appropriate choice when one game is consuming space on the wrong drive. The manual client move changes the location of Steam itself and can affect every library and user-data folder associated with that installation.
How to move the whole Steam installation
Use this section only if you mean the Steam program and its surrounding folders, not just an individual game. Steam’s separate instructions require Steam to be closed first.
- Exit Steam completely. Close the client rather than leaving it running in the background.
- Back up
steamapps. Steam strongly recommends this precaution before moving the full installation. Keep the backup until Steam is working from the new location. - Retain the required files and folders. Steam’s guidance identifies
steamapps,userdata, andsteam.exeas the items to retain during the move. - Move the Steam folder. Relocate the Steam installation folder to the new path while the client is closed.
- Launch Steam from the new location. Open the retained
steam.exein the moved folder. Steam should use the files and libraries at that location. - Verify installed-game files if something is wrong. Steam includes file verification in its full-client relocation advice when an installed game does not behave correctly after the move.
Do not substitute this manual process for the Storage-tab Move command when only one game needs relocation. The larger procedure touches the client installation and carries a different failure-recovery plan.
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What happens to saves and Steam Cloud
Moving the installation folder does not establish that every save moves with it. Save behavior is determined by the individual game. Steam notes that many third-party saves for games not saved through Steam Cloud may be found under C:Users[Windows user name]DocumentsMy Games, but that location is not universal.
Before relocating a game whose progress matters, identify whether it uses Steam Cloud and where its local saves reside. If saves are stored outside the game library, the Storage-tab move changes the installation location without necessarily touching those files. If you are also changing computers, treat the save transfer as a separate task and confirm the developer’s instructions.
For a full Steam installation move, retain userdata as Steam specifies, and keep the recommended steamapps backup. Those precautions address the broader client relocation; they are not a promise that every game’s save format or cloud state is identical.
External drives: the specific Steam warning
Steam Support’s official FAQ, “Moving a Steam Installation and Games”, states: “It is not recommended that you install Steam to an external hard drive, due to potential performance issues.” The statement does not provide a speed measurement, a failure rate, or a comparison between USB, network, solid-state, and mechanical storage.
You can add another drive as a Steam Library when it is suitable for your setup, but the available guidance does not establish a preferred capacity, interface, model, or transfer-time estimate. Choose hardware based on your own compatibility and reliability requirements rather than treating an unquantified performance concern as a benchmark.
Transfer time, drive speed, and what is not established
Steam’s support instructions explain how to move the files but do not publish a transfer-speed figure for this operation. They also do not rank HDDs and SSDs, specify a required interface, or state how long a particular game should take to move. The duration will therefore depend on the source, destination, connection, and amount of data, but no dependable number can be promised from Steam’s documentation.
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| Question | What Steam’s guidance establishes |
|---|---|
| Is a new drive required? | No. A new drive is optional; the procedure applies when you have another suitable destination library. |
| Must the destination be a Steam Library? | Yes. Create or select a different Steam Library path before moving the game. |
| Is reinstalling required? | No for the documented same-computer Move workflow. |
| How fast will it be? | No transfer-time figure is stated. |
| Which drive type is best? | No HDD-versus-SSD or interface comparison is provided. |
| Will every save move? | Not guaranteed; save locations and cloud behavior are game-specific. |
Post-move validation checklist
- Steam still lists the game as installed.
- The destination library remains visible in Settings > Storage.
- The game launches from the Steam Library without asking for a new download.
- Your expected save or cloud state is present, based on that game’s documented save method.
- The original drive is not disconnected if another installed game or library still depends on it.
- If you moved the entire client, you retained the recommended backup and used Steam’s file-verification advice when needed.
Keep the old location untouched until these checks pass. Once Steam launches the game successfully from the destination library and you have confirmed the save situation, the old installation copy can be treated as no longer needed.
When reinstalling is actually appropriate
Reinstalling is not part of Steam’s documented same-computer move. It may become appropriate only when the installation is damaged, the files are missing, or you deliberately want a clean copy rather than a relocation. A normal move should preserve the installed game and avoid a fresh download.
If your problem is limited to drive space, use the Storage-tab Move command first. If the problem concerns Steam’s program files, follow the separate full-client procedure instead of mixing manual folder copies with a one-game move.
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Quick decision guide
You want to free space on the current drive
Create a library on another suitable drive and use Settings > Storage > source drive > game > Move.
You want Steam itself on another path
Use the full-client method: exit Steam, back up steamapps, retain the specified folders and executable, move the Steam folder, and launch Steam from the new location.
You are changing computers
A same-computer game move does not cover the complete migration. Check each game’s save location and Steam Cloud behavior, and preserve the relevant Steam folders before moving data to the new computer.
You plan to use an external hard drive
Read Steam’s warning about potential performance issues and understand that its support page does not quantify the impact or endorse a particular external-drive specification.
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