You can move Steam games between drives without reinstalling them

Steam lets you move installed games from one drive to another by using the built-in library manager. You do not have to uninstall and reinstall — Steam can transfer the game files directly, which saves hours of read time. The process works the same whether you are moving to an external drive, a second internal drive, an SSD, or any other storage location your computer recognizes.

The key is telling Steam where your games live now and where you want them to go. Steam handles the file movement itself. You can move all your games at once or pick individual titles, and you can pause and resume the transfer if you need to.

Key Takeaways

  • Steam's built-in library manager moves game files without requiring a reinstall, preserving your save data and settings.
  • You must have enough free space on the destination drive before starting the transfer, plus a small amount extra for Steam's temporary files.
  • The transfer happens in the background while you use your computer, but moving large games can take several hours depending on your drive speed.
  • You can move games between internal drives, external drives, and SSDs using the same method.
  • If a transfer fails partway through, Steam will resume it the next time you open the process.

Check your destination drive has enough space

Before you start, find out how much space your games take up and whether your destination drive can hold them. In Steam, open your Library, then click the Settings icon (gear symbol) in the top right. Select "Storage" from the left menu. You will see a list of all your installed games with their file sizes. Add up the games you want to move, or note the total if you are moving everything.

On Windows, right-click the destination drive in File Explorer and select "Properties" to see how much free space it has. On Mac, click the drive in Finder, then press Command+I to open the info window. You need at least as much free space as the games you are moving, plus an extra 10 to 20 percent for Steam's temporary files during the transfer.

If your destination drive does not have enough space, you have two options: delete files from that drive to make room, or move only some of your games instead of all of them.

Add the destination drive as a Steam library location

Steam organizes games into separate library folders. To move games to a new drive, you first have to tell Steam that drive exists as a valid location for games. Open Steam and go to Settings (the gear icon in the top right). Click "Storage" on the left side.

At the top of the Storage window, you will see a dropdown menu that says "Steam Library Folders" or shows your current drive. Click the dropdown or the button next to it to add a new location. Select "Add Library Folder" or the plus icon. A file browser will open — navigate to your destination drive and select it (or create a new folder on that drive if you want to organize your games separately).

Steam will confirm that the drive is now a valid library location. You should now see both your original drive and the new drive listed in the Storage window. Do not close this window yet.

Move individual games or your entire library

With both drives now visible in the Storage window, you can move games. Find the game you want to move in the list. Click on it, and a menu will appear with options including "Move" or an arrow icon. Select the move option.

A dialog box will ask you to choose the destination drive from the list of library folders you have set up. Select the new drive and confirm. Steam will begin transferring the game files. The game will show a progress bar, and you can close Steam or use your computer normally while the transfer happens in the background.

To move multiple games at once, select them by holding Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and clicking each one, then choose move. Steam will queue them and transfer them in order. Large games can take 30 minutes to several hours depending on whether you are moving to an external drive, a second internal drive, or an SSD, and how fast your drives are.

What to do if the transfer gets interrupted

If your computer loses power, you close Steam, or the transfer fails for any reason, Steam will not lose your progress. The next time you open Steam, it will detect the incomplete transfer and ask if you want to resume it. Select yes, and Steam will pick up where it left off rather than starting over.

If Steam cannot find the destination drive (for example, if you unplugged an external drive), it will show an error. Reconnect the drive, restart Steam, and the transfer will resume. If a game is stuck and will not resume, you can delete the incomplete files from the destination drive and try moving it again.

Verify games work after moving them

Once a game finishes moving, Steam will automatically update its library to point to the new location. The next time you launch the game, it will start from the new drive. Your save files, settings, and achievements stay with the game — they are part of the files Steam moves.

If a game does not launch after moving, or Steam shows it as "not installed," right-click the game in your library and select "Verify integrity of game files." Steam will check that all the files are in the right place and read any that are missing or corrupted. This usually takes a few minutes and does not require you to move the game again.

Moving games to external drives or SSDs

The process is identical whether your destination is an external USB drive, a second internal hard drive, or an SSD. The only difference is speed: SSDs and internal drives transfer much faster than external USB drives. A 100 GB game might take 20 minutes to an SSD but an hour or more to an external USB 3.0 drive.

If you are moving to an external drive, make sure it stays connected while Steam is running. If you unplug it, Steam will show those games as not installed until you plug it back in. External drives are useful for storing games you do not play often, but for games you launch frequently, an internal drive or SSD will give you faster load times.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I lose my save files when I move a game?

No. Save files are part of the game folder that Steam moves. Your progress, settings, and achievements stay with the game and work when ready after the transfer. Cloud saves (if the game supports them) are stored separately on Steam's servers and sync automatically.

Can I move games while Steam is running?

Yes. Steam transfers games in the background, and you can keep using your computer and launching other games while the transfer happens. You can even close Steam, and the transfer will resume the next time you open it.

What if I run out of space on the destination drive during the transfer?

Steam will pause the transfer and show an error. Delete files from the destination drive to free up space, then resume the transfer from Steam's Storage window. Steam will pick up where it stopped.

Can I move a game back to my original drive?

Yes, using the same method. Open Storage, select the game, choose Move, and select your original drive as the destination. Steam treats all library folders the same way.

Do I need to uninstall a game before moving it?

No. Steam's move function transfers the installed game directly. Uninstalling and reinstalling would take much longer and require redownloading the entire game from Steam's servers.