How to Move Steam Games to SSD?

Theo Lucia

Dec 21, 2020 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

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Games are no longer as limited as they were some years back. Their physical mechanisms have transcended, and they are now big. However, the only thing that limits the size is hard drive space and bandwidth.

Many users are finding it necessary to shuffle games between drives for various reasons. Steam is the leading digital PC gaming platform in the world today. But, how do you move installed games around in this platform? By learning this, you can transfer your games whether you have a new SSD or more space on your C drive. Below are simple guidelines on how you can move your games.

Part 1. How to Transfer Steam Games to SSD through the "Move Install Folder" Function?

One advantage of Steam is that it allows users to move their games across drives. It is doable, regardless of how many drives you want to use. You can store the games on any drive as you like. With the Multiple Library Folder offered by Steam, users do not have to re-download the files if they want to move their games. It is stress-free and saves time.

Just because you have a new SSD, it does not mean you download numerous gigabytes of game data again. Similarly, you do not have to move the whole Steam library folder. It will work well if you only move a few games rather than an entire library folder. Below is the process of how to put Steam games on SSD successfully.

1 Create a New Steam Folder

Well, the first thing here you need to do is create a new Steam folder. Thus, it will prepare you for the next process as the folder is where you will move the games. You create a secondary Steam folder. So, here is how to make the folder.

Step 1. Install Steam if you do not have it on your device and once this completes, open it. Now open the Steam Client. Then, on the far-left corner, select "Steam." From the dropdown menu, select "Settings" and a separate window will be launched.

Step 2. On the navigation pane (left-hand side), you will see "downloads," click on it. After that, towards the top of your right-hand pane, you will see "Steam Library Folders." Proceed to click on it.

Step 3. In this step, select "Add Library Folder" and proceed to the drive where you want to create a folder. Select "Add new folder" and assign it to your preferred name. Lastly, to add it to the Steam library folders, click on "Select."

2 Moving the Game Files to the Second Library

You created the secondary library to move some of the games. So, you are almost there and to transfer the game's files to the created folder; you will follow the below steps.

Step 1. Firstly, the initial task you need to do is to right-click on the installed game and click on "Properties."

Step 2. A pop-up menu will show up. So, click the "Local Files" option. Below the tab, there is a list, and you should click on the "Move install folder."

Step 3. A new window will show up in this step. There is a prompt to choose a library to move the game. Here, to move the games, select the previously created Steam library before clicking on the "Move Folder" option.

Step 4. A progress bar will show up. Thus, you can guess how far the transfer of files has gone. It is at this point that the files are moved to the new folder from the original one.

Moving Steam library folders from one location to the other is no longer challenging. Through the above steps, you can easy move your Steam library folders to another solid-state drive and there is no need to reinstall the games. Sure, if you get the old Steam version without the magical function. You can scroll to find out another method.

Part 2. How to Move Steam Games to Another Drive with the Steam Library Manager?

A user needs to manage their steam libraries better, and the Steam Library Manager is the best tool to use. The libraries on your computer are listed on the Steam Library Manager interface. The games in each library are also listed. Whether you want to move, copy, or backup your games, this tool will be ideal.

Dragging and dropping games from one library to the other is easy when using Steam Library Manager. If you want to move batches, make use of the Task Manager section. While using Steam Library Manager, you can follow the below simple steps to move steam games from one drive to the other.

Step 1. The primary step would be to go to the Steam Library Manager's official website. After that, download the tool.

Step 2. On Steam Library Manager's main interface, the newly created steam library is displayed. It will also show the games stored in the library. Drag and drop the game to the preferred library.

Step 3. On the "Task Manager," you will see all the games to be moved. It is possible to relocate multiple games. To transfer steam games to a different drive, click the "Start" button.

Step 4. A log will start to generate when games are being moved. You can tell whether the move is being successful or there is a problem.

It is easy and timesaving to move Steam games using Steam Library Manager. If you do not have an idea of how to put steam games on SSD, do not worry as it is quite clear. Go to the official website of Steam Library Manager and download the tool. You can use the tool to back up steam games or move them to another drive.

Part 3. How to Move Steam Games to the SSD by Copying the Steam Games Folder?

It is possible to transfer your entire Steam to another drive. It will then shift all your steam games to a different drive. The below steps are detailed to help you move Steam to the other drive.

Step 1. Close Steam and using Windows File Explorer, go to your Steam folder. Follow this path C:\Program Files(x86)\Steam.

Step 2. The second step involves copying and pasting your Steam folder to the new drive.

Step 3. Instead of deleting the old folder, rename it. Save it as a backup in the original directory.

Step 4. From the new location, run the Steam.exe and then create a new shortcut.

Moving Steam to another drive is time-saving and easy. Once you are done with the final step, it is time to check whether you can launch the games as usual.

Part 4. What to Do if a Steam Error Happens After the Migration?

You might experience an error while launching Steam from a new location or during the move process. If this is the case, the below steps will help in a thorough process.

Step 1. First of all, close the application. For this, exit the Steam client application.

Step 2. After that, for the Steam installation, check on the Steam installation folder.

Step 3. Here, you will move the folder to the desktop. For this, the SteamApps folder on the Steam installation folder should be moved to the desktop.

Step 4. Here, you need to uninstall Steam. After that, reinstall it to the preferred location.

Step 5. If you want to copy all your downloaded settings, game content, and saved games, you need to do it at this point. For this, you need to move the SteamApps folder to the new Steam installation folder.

Step 6. It is time to confirm whether the move was successful. To do this, start Steam and then log in to the existing Steam account.

Step 7. Lastly, verify the game cache files for the installed games. You can now start playing your favorite game.

Conclusion

Now you know how to download Steam games to SSD. Before the year 2017, moving games between drives was a tedious and time-consuming task. However, it has changed ever since, and the job has become more comfortable. Moving your Steam games through Steam "Move Install Folder" function and "Steam Library Manager" is quite simple. Hope you have finished the steps of Steam game transfer.

Good Luck!