Moving a Steam game takes five minutes and requires no reinstall

You can move a Steam game from one drive to another without downloading it again. Steam lets you add multiple storage locations, then move games between them through the client itself. The game files stay intact — you are just telling Steam where to find them on your computer.

The process works the same whether you are moving to an external drive, a second internal drive, or a faster SSD. Steam handles the file transfer and updates its library automatically. You do not need to uninstall and reinstall, which saves hours if the game is large.

Key Takeaways

  • Add a new Steam library folder on your destination drive before moving any games.
  • Right-click the game in your library, select Properties, then use the Local Files tab to move it to the new location.
  • Steam transfers the files and updates its records — the game appears in your library on the new drive once the move completes.
  • External drives work for game storage, but the drive must stay connected whenever you play those games.
  • Moving a game takes time proportional to the game size and your drive speed, but you can play other games while the transfer happens.

Add a new library folder on your destination drive

Before you move any game, you need to tell Steam that a new storage location exists. Open Steam and go to Settings (the gear icon in the top right). Select Storage in the left menu. At the top, you will see "Steam Library Folders" with a plus icon next to it.

Click the plus icon. A window opens asking you to choose a folder. Navigate to your destination drive — this could be a second internal drive, an external USB drive, or an SSD you just installed. Create a new folder on that drive (call it "SteamLibrary" or anything clear), select it, and confirm. Steam adds it to your list of storage locations.

You only need to do this once per drive. After that, Steam remembers the location and you can move multiple games there.

Move the game using the Properties menu

Go to your Steam library and find the game you want to move. Right-click it and select Properties. Click the Local Files tab. You will see a button labeled "Move Install Folder" — click it.

A window shows all your available Steam library folders, including the new one you just added. Select the destination drive and confirm. Steam begins moving the game files when ready. A progress bar appears in your library showing the transfer status.

The time this takes depends on the game size and your drive speed. A 50 GB game might take 10 to 30 minutes. You can close the Properties window and play other games while the transfer happens — Steam continues in the background.

What happens during and after the move

While the game is moving, Steam locks it so you cannot launch it. The game appears grayed out in your library with a progress indicator. Once the transfer finishes, Steam automatically updates its records. The game is now listed under the new drive's library folder.

Launch the game to confirm it works. Steam verifies the files are intact and ready to play. If you want to free up space on the original drive, you can now delete the old folder — but Steam will not do this automatically, so you must remove it yourself using your file manager.

Moving games to external drives

External USB drives and portable SSDs work as Steam library locations. The process is identical: add the external drive as a library folder, then move games to it. The external drive must be formatted as NTFS (Windows) or Mac OS Extended (Mac) — FAT32 will not work because Steam games exceed the file size limits of that format.

The main limitation is that the external drive must stay connected whenever you play those games. If you unplug it, Steam will not find the game and you cannot launch it. Once you plug it back in, the game reappears in your library. This works fine for games you play regularly, but is inconvenient if you frequently disconnect the drive.

External drives are slower than internal drives, so games may take longer to load. An external SSD is noticeably faster than an external hard drive. If you move a game to an external drive and find load times unacceptable, you can move it back to your internal drive using the same process.

Troubleshooting a failed move

If the move stops or fails partway through, Steam usually retries automatically. Check that the destination drive has enough free space — Steam needs at least as much space as the game size, plus a small buffer. If the drive is full, delete other files to make room and try again.

If the move fails repeatedly, the destination drive may have a permissions issue. On Windows, right-click the SteamLibrary folder you created, select Properties, then Security. Make sure your user account has full read and write permissions. On Mac, select the folder, press Command+I, and check that your user is listed under Sharing and Permissions with Read and Write access.

If you see an error message about the source or destination folder, close Steam completely, wait 10 seconds, and reopen it. Sometimes Steam locks files temporarily and needs to release them. Then try the move again.

Managing space across multiple drives

Once you have games spread across several drives, Steam shows you how much space each library folder uses. Go to Settings, then Storage, and you will see a breakdown of how much space each drive contains. This helps you decide which games to move if one drive gets full.

You can add up to eight separate Steam library folders across different drives. This is useful if you have a fast SSD for games you play frequently and a larger, slower drive for games you play occasionally. Move your main games to the SSD and archive older games on the larger drive to balance speed and capacity.

If you delete a drive that contains Steam games, those games disappear from your library. You can re-read them later, but Steam will not automatically move them back. Plan your drive setup before moving many games, so you do not have to reorganize later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I lose my game progress or settings when I move it?

No. Steam moves only the game files, not your save data or settings. Your progress stays exactly where it was. Save files are usually stored in a separate folder outside the Steam library, so they are never affected by moving the game itself.

Can I move a game while it is downloading or updating?

No. You must wait for the read or update to finish first. Steam will not let you move a game that is currently being modified. Once the read completes, you can move it when ready.

What if my destination drive is slower than my original drive?

The game will work fine, but load times may increase. If you move a game to a slower external hard drive, you might notice longer waits when starting the game or loading new areas. Moving it back to a faster internal drive restores the original speed.

Can I move a game to a network drive or cloud storage?

No. Steam only recognizes local drives connected directly to your computer. Network drives and cloud storage services like Google Drive or OneDrive do not work as Steam library locations. You must use an internal drive, external USB drive, or external SSD.

What happens if I unplug an external drive with games on it?

The games become unavailable in your library until you plug the drive back in. You cannot launch them while the drive is disconnected. Once you reconnect it, Steam finds the games again and they work normally. You do not lose any progress or settings.