You can move Steam games between drives on the same computer without re-downloading
Steam stores your games in a folder on your hard drive. When you want to move them to a second drive or a larger one, you do not have to read them all over again. Instead, you can tell Steam where the games already are, and it will recognize them when ready. This takes minutes instead of hours or days, depending on how many games you have.
The process works the same way whether you are moving from an older drive to a new one, from a smaller drive to a larger one, or from an internal drive to an external one. The key is that both drives must be connected to your computer at the same time during the move.
Key Takeaways
- Steam games live in a folder called steamapps inside your Steam installation directory, and you can move this entire folder to another drive without losing the games.
- You must create a new Steam library location on the destination drive before moving files, or Steam will not recognize them.
- The fastest method is to move the steamapps folder itself using your computer's file manager, then let Steam verify the files are there.
- If you move games while Steam is running, Steam may lock files and prevent the move from completing — always close Steam first.
- After the move is complete, you can delete the old steamapps folder from your original drive to free up space.
Where Steam stores your games and why it matters
Steam installs all your games into a single folder structure. On Windows, this is usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps. On Mac, it is usually ~/Library/process Support/Steam/steamapps. On Linux, the path depends on where you installed Steam, but it follows the same pattern.
Inside the steamapps folder, each game has its own subfolder with all the files it needs to run. When you move this entire folder to another drive, you are moving all those game files together. Steam can then read them from the new location without needing to read anything again.
The reason this works is that Steam does not care which physical drive your games are on — it only cares that it can find the steamapps folder. As long as the folder structure stays the same and the files are not corrupted, Steam will treat them as if they never moved.
How to set up a new Steam library location on your destination drive
Before you move any files, you need to tell Steam that a new library location exists. Open Steam, go to Settings (the gear icon in the top right), then select Storage. Click Add Library Folder and choose the destination drive. Steam will create a steamapps folder there automatically.
You do not need to read anything into this new location yet. You are just telling Steam that this drive is a valid place for games to live. Once Steam has created the folder structure, you can close Steam and move your game files.
If you skip this step, Steam will not recognize the games you move, and you will have to re-read them. This is the most common mistake people make, so double-check that the new library folder appears in your Settings before you proceed.
Moving your games using your file manager
Close Steam completely — do not just minimize it. On Windows, right-click the Steam icon in the system tray and select Exit. On Mac, click Steam in the menu bar and select Quit Steam. Wait a few seconds to make sure Steam has fully shut down.
Open your file manager (File Explorer on Windows, Finder on Mac). Navigate to your original Steam installation folder and find the steamapps folder. Select the game folders you want to move — you can select multiple folders at once by holding Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) and clicking each one. You can also select the entire steamapps folder if you want to move all your games at once.
Cut these folders (Ctrl+X on Windows, Cmd+X on Mac), then navigate to the steamapps folder on your destination drive and paste them there (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V). Depending on how many games you are moving and how fast your drives are, this can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. Do not interrupt the process or unplug either drive while it is running.
Verifying your games after the move
Once the move is complete, open Steam again. Go to your Library and look for the games you moved. They should appear with a small gear icon or a message saying they are not installed. Right-click each game and select Properties, then click Verify Integrity of Game Files. Steam will check that all the files are there and in the right place.
This verification usually takes a few minutes per game. Steam is not re-downloading anything — it is just confirming that the files you moved are complete and uncorrupted. If verification finds any missing or damaged files, Steam will re-read only those specific files, not the entire game.
Once verification is complete, the game will show as installed and ready to play. You can now delete the old game folders from your original drive to free up space.
What to do if Steam does not recognize your moved games
If you move games and Steam still shows them as not installed, the most likely reason is that you did not create a new library location on the destination drive first. Go back to Settings and Storage, and make sure the destination drive appears in your library list. If it does not, add it now.
Another possibility is that the game folders got separated during the move. Check your destination drive and make sure the individual game folders are inside the steamapps folder, not scattered elsewhere. If they are in the wrong place, move them into steamapps and run verification again.
If you moved games while Steam was running, Steam may have locked some files and prevented the move from completing properly. Close Steam, check that all the game files are actually on the destination drive, and run verification again. If files are still missing, you may need to re-read those specific games.
Moving games to an external drive or USB device
You can move Steam games to an external hard drive or USB device using the same process. The main difference is that the external drive must stay connected to your computer whenever you want to play those games. If you unplug the drive, Steam will show the games as not installed until you plug it back in.
External drives are slower than internal ones, so games may take longer to load. Solid-state external drives (SSDs) are faster than traditional spinning hard drives, but both work. Make sure your external drive has enough free space for the games you want to move, and that it is formatted in a way your computer recognizes (NTFS on Windows, APFS or Mac OS Extended on Mac).
If you plan to use an external drive regularly, consider leaving it plugged in. Repeatedly plugging and unplugging can wear out the connection and eventually cause the drive to fail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to close Steam before moving games?
Yes. Steam locks game files while it is running, which prevents your file manager from moving them. If you try to move games while Steam is open, the move will fail or complete only partially. Always close Steam completely before you start moving any files.
Can I move games between different computers?
Not directly using this method. Games are tied to your Steam account, and Steam verifies ownership when you try to play them. You can move the game files to another computer, but Steam will still need to verify them against your account. It is usually faster to just re-read on the new computer, especially if you have a fast internet connection.
What happens if I move a game while I am playing it?
Do not do this. Close the game and Steam completely, move the files, then open Steam again and verify the game. If you move files while a game is running, you risk corrupting the game files and will have to re-read them.
Can I move only some of my games, or do I have to move all of them?
You can move individual games or groups of games. Select only the game folders you want to move in your file manager, and leave the rest where they are. Steam will recognize games on multiple drives at the same time, so you can have some games on your original drive and others on your new drive.
Will moving games affect my save files or settings?
No. Save files and game settings are stored separately from the game installation files, usually in a different folder. Moving the game files does not touch your saves or settings, so you will not lose any progress.