Steam Support :: Moving a Steam Installation and Games
This?
The following instructions are a simple way to move your Steam installation along with your games:
Exit the Steam client application.
Navigate to the Steam installation folder. The default installation location is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
Delete all of the files and folders except the steamapps
and userdata
folders and steam.exe
Cut and paste the whole Steam folder to the new location, for example:
D:\Games\Steam\
Launch Steam and log into your account.Comment has been collapsed.
No not migrating the existing folder, changing the default folder.
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Changing the default folder is addressed at the top part of the page. ;)
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No, it won't let you create or change to any other folder on the same disk, other then the default installation folder) You can only create another folder on a different disk.
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Oh, okay. If you have a newish Windows OS, you can map a folder to a drive letter. ;)
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Such a quick and accurate response deserves payment.
🥒🥒🥒🥒 🥒🥒🥒 🥒🥒 🥒
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No that's not it, that's for moving the whole installation with games. And i remember while Steam itself being in the default installation folder (C:\Program Files\Steam ), the library folder being in another folder on the same disk, C:\Games for example.
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For steam itself or the installed game? go to setting, downloads, add a folder and make it primary.
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Yea for the library only, It won't let you create or change to any other folder on the same disk, other then the default installation folder. You can only create another folder on a different disk.
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Didn't know that, and you rather don't want to install steam on another drive and have c:\games for your games?
Note it's always risky if something ever happens to your windows, you also lose the games offcourse.
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I just want my games to be in C:\Games, and as for the steam itself ithe default is fine and by the way it won't even ask for the path in the setup, just installs itself in c:\program files\steam
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But it does ask you, you can even install steam in c:\games\steam f.e, might not be neat, but solves your problem
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You mean this?
Change default folder or move games in new manager. Steam->Settings->Downloads->Steam Library folders
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No i mean changing the default game library folder on the same disk as steam. Like when steam is in C:\Program Files\Steam and games are in C:\Games
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My bad. Google pulls up posts about editing the .vdf file to do that. No official way to do so, the steamapps folder is default in the Steam install location/drive and can't be changed normally.
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Yeah i think it was .vdf file, you could do it then, i read it on Redit, but now it doesn't work.
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What i thought, but apparently you can't have two folders on the same disk like that.
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Cant you just remove the drive and then select the new location?
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What do you mean remove the drive i have only one drive)
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You noticed you cant have two locations on same drive. If you want to use another location, remove old one and then add the new one.
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But you can't remove the default folder, or change it. That's the problem here.
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I googled and you can do this
edit libraryfolders.vdf if want add second library on same partition
current steam client limited to 1 library per partition
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Yes that's the method ifrom Reddit i used a few years back, but now it doesn't work, steam just resets to defaut.
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Oh that looks promising, def try it later, will write back)
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I managed to create a new folder on the same disk. So now i have two folders to choose from - the default steam installation folder and C:\games.
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The method is working, i created a new library folder on the same disk. Now i can choose from C:\Games or the default folder. Thx again =)
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Not for me. Steam just created new libraryfolders.vdf file with default C folder (and deleted all the rest)
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That's what i did, maybe you missed something, read again carefully and try these steps one by one:
0-Close Steam
1-modify C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\config\libraryfolders.vdf:
exactly before last brackets paste this
"1"
{
"path" "C:\Games"
}
2-Create the folder "Games" in C:\ , then create the folder "steamapps" in Games folder
3-Copy "steam.dll" from C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam into C:\Games
4-Start Steam
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Weird. After copying whole thing with "1" the new folder has been created in .vdf file (but it was c:\ and not c:\games and steam didn't show it in list). When I chaged it to c:\games manually it finally showed up and Steam allowed me to use it along with the default one. thanks for cooperation xD
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Yeah. I still have my old Steam client on Windows 7 with changed path to default folder on the same drive. On the new OS I just ignore that folder and use another drive by default (cause i have it, yes)
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Hmmm It's very simple... or i don't understand
When you try to install a game at the bottom you have a scrolling list, just select "create a directory"
no?
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I see you already solved the problem. But an alternative to editing the steam config files, is use the Windows SUBST command to map a folder to a drive letter.
For example to make C:\Games show up as drive X: you would do
subst X: C:\Games
However this mapping will disappear when you reboot (data remains in C:\Games). To make it persist across reboots you can add a new String value in:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\DOS Devices
with name X: and data of \\?\\C:\\Games
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Seems a bit excessive tbh)
But good to know anyway)
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why not make a new partition or even portable drive? steam is smart enough to know your discover your game, as long you made a new list first (even for portable drive)
my C: is reserved for windows and some application only, because i usually format everything on C:
when everything else is outside C:, i can just reformat C: and then link it afterwards, no need to reinstal everything again. mots of my application and games are all portable (even steam games)
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Hey so i remember a few years back changing the default steam library folder was possible, there was no option for that, but you could edit certain .vdf file and change it from default C:\Program Files\Steam to any other folder. C:\Games in my case. But now when i try it, steam resets it to default every time. So is there any way at all to do it now?
Disclaimer: I mean changing the default game library folder on the same disk as steam. Like when steam is in C:\Program Files\Steam and games are in C:\Games
Solved https://www.steamgifts.com/go/comment/5iDWVsV
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