If you’re like most people, you probably have a few games installed on your computer. Whether they’re Steam games or not, it’s important to move them to another drive if you want to keep them safe and sound. Here are some tips on how to do this:
- Make a copy of the game files: This is especially important if you want to move the game files to another drive without losing any data or progress.
- Rename the game files: If you rename the game files, make sure that all of the new names are unique and include only letters that are used in the game (e.g., “CODEX”, “HDR”, etc.).
- Uninstall Steam: Uninstalling Steam will uninstall any of the games that were installed on your computer by Steam. This will also delete any progress or data that was stored in those games’ folders.
This process can save you from downloading tens or even hundreds of gigabytes of game data all over again, just because you got a new SSD and want to move a few games. It’s different from moving an entire Steam library folder, which moves every single game inside it—the following process will let you move only a few games rather than the whole library.
Step One: Create a Second Steam Folder
RELATED: How to Painlessly Move Your Steam Library to Another Folder or Hard Drive
First, you’ll need to make a Steam library folder on the second drive if you haven’t already done so. To do this in Steam, click Steam > Settings. Select the “Downloads” category and click the “Steam Library Folders” button.
Click the plus button near the top.
Select the drive you want to create the library folder on, and click “Add”. A new folder named “SteamLibrary” will be created on the chosen drive.
The new folder you created will now appear along the top with your original steam folder.
Step Two: Move the Games Files to the Second Library
There are two ways to move an installed game.
The Storage Manager Window
The first uses the Storage Manager window, where we just created a new library folder. Select the drive that has the game installed, tick the box next to the game you want to move, and then click “Move” in the bottom right.
In the prompt that appears, select the drive with your new steam folder, and then click “Move.”
Be prepared to wait for this to finish — games can take up dozens or hundreds of gigabytes, and moving them can take quite a while.
The Games List
To move a game in your library, right-click it and then click “Properties.”
Click the “Local Files” tab and click the “Move Install Folder” button.
Select the Steam library you want to move the game to and click the “Move” button.
You’re done. Steam will move the game’s files to the other library location. To move other games, just repeat this process.
When installing a game in the future, Steam will ask which library you want to install it to, but you should be able to move your games at any time.
