How to Move Steam Games to Another Drive

Checking Available Space on the Destination Drive

Before moving your Steam games to another drive, you need to make sure that you have enough space available on the destination drive. If you don’t have enough space, you won’t be able to move all of your games.

To check the available space on your destination drive, you can simply right-click on the drive in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) and select “Properties” (Windows) or “Get Info” (Mac). This will show you the total capacity of the drive, as well as how much free space is currently available.

Keep in mind that you will need to have enough space on the destination drive not only for the games you want to move, but also for any future games you might want to install. It’s a good idea to leave some extra space available just to be safe.

Moving Steam Games to Another Drive

Once you have checked the available space on the destination drive, you can start moving your Steam games to the new location. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Open Steam and go to “Library.”
2. Right-click on the game you want to move and select “Properties.”
3. Go to the “Local Files” tab and click on “Move Install Folder.”
4. Select the destination drive where you want to move the game and click “Move Folder.”
5. Steam will start moving the game to the new location. This may take some time depending on the size of the game and the speed of your computer.

Repeat these steps for each game you want to move to the new drive. It’s important to note that you should only move the game folder itself, not the entire Steam folder. Moving the entire Steam folder can cause problems with your games and may require you to re-install Steam and all of your games.

Once the games have finished moving, you can launch them from the new drive and enjoy playing without taking up space on your old drive.

Verifying Game Files After Moving

After you have moved your Steam games to a new drive, it’s a good idea to verify the game files to make sure that everything was moved correctly and there are no missing or corrupted files. Here’s how to verify your game files:

1. Open Steam and go to “Library.”
2. Right-click on the game you want to verify and select “Properties.”
3. Go to the “Local Files” tab and click on “Verify Integrity of Game Files.”
4. Steam will check the game files and replace any missing or corrupted files.

Repeat these steps for each game you have moved to the new drive. Verifying the game files will ensure that everything is working properly and you won’t have any issues while playing.

It’s also a good idea to regularly verify your game files for all of your Steam games, not just the ones you have moved to a new drive. This can help prevent issues and ensure that your games are running smoothly.

Launching Games from the New Drive

Once you have moved your Steam games to a new drive and verified the game files, you can launch your games from the new location. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open Steam and go to “Library.”
2. Find the game you want to play and click on “Play.”
3. The game will launch from the new drive and you can start playing.

You can also create shortcuts to your games on your desktop or taskbar for easy access. To do this, right-click on the game in your Steam library and select “Create Desktop Shortcut” or “Pin to Taskbar” (Windows) or “Add to Dock” (Mac).

It’s important to note that you should not move or delete the game files manually from the new drive. If you want to uninstall a game, do it through Steam to ensure that all of the necessary files are removed and your game library stays organized.

Conclusion: Enjoy Your Games on the New Drive

Moving your Steam games to a new drive can be a great way to free up space on your old drive and improve the performance of your computer. By following the steps outlined above, you can move your games to a new location and start playing without any issues.

Remember to check the available space on your destination drive, move only the game folder, verify your game files, and launch your games from the new drive. With these tips, you can enjoy your games without worrying about running out of space or experiencing performance issues.

If you ever need to move your games back to the old drive or to another drive, you can follow the same steps outlined in this guide. Happy gaming!