Some of the most frustrating things that can happen while gaming include lag, slow load times and even those cut scenes that seem to go on forever. Something else that can creep up on you is a lack of space for updates and new games, especially on Steam. Thankfully, there are ways around this, so you don’t have to miss out on the most anticipated releases because you ran out of space.
If you don’t have a spare disk, you will need to install an internal SATA SSD or NVMe SSD for your desktop or buy an external SSD to store your Steam library. Let’s walk through the best ways to move Steam games to another device, so you don’t have to worry about running out of space again.[PD1][PD1]Added for internal link opportunities
Creating a secondary Steam library
Creating a secondary library on Steam is the first thing you need to do when prepping your system for more space. With Steam, you can create several libraries and choose which library you download purchased games into. With additional libraries, there is also an option to move games in your primary library to other libraries. This process saves you time and effort as there is no need to re-download games that already exist in your primary library.
Navigate to Steam library folders
Find your Steam library folders by visiting Settings > Downloads >Steam LibraryFolders.
Press the ‘plus button’
When you are in the Steam library folders, there will be a plus button next to ‘Local Disk.’. Pressing this will prompt you to choose which drive you want to add the folder to if you have multiple drives available.
After choosing your preferable location for a secondary Steam library, you will now have an additional folder appearing in ‘Steam Library Folders’. When you’ve completed this step, you’ll then be able to start moving games effortlessly.
Moving Steam games to an external drive
Moving your Steam library to an external SSD can prove to be a sensible option when your internal storage is limited. The process of moving your existing Steam library to an external hard drive is seamless too, so you’ll be able to get back to your game in no time. There are slight variations between Windows and Mac with how you move your library to an external drive, however neither are too complicated.
Crucial X10 Pro Portable SSD
Learn more Learn more
How to move your Steam library to an external drive on Windows
On Windows, there are only a few steps to take, starting with the most important step of shutting down Steam. After this all you need to do is:
1.) Locate Steam locally on your device
2.) Drag your Steam Library to your other drive
Once completed, rerun Steam to double check the transfer was successful.
How to move your Steam library to an external drive on Mac
Similarly to the process on Windows, the most important first step is to shut down Steam before any other step. Once you have done that, do the following:
1.) Locate Steam locally on your device
2.) Drag the folder to your other drive
3.) Open up ‘terminal’
Type cd ~/Library/Application/Support/Steam and follow that command up with ln -s /path/to/new/SteamApps SteamApps
Before taking any of these steps, it is best to do some research regarding the best hard drives for both Mac and gaming. One external SSD that can provide everything you need for gaming on your Mac is the Crucial X9 Pro for Mac Portable SSD. With this, you have a plug-and-play storage right out of the box for your Mac. You can also have access to up to 4TB, plenty of storage space for your Steam library.
Playing Steam games from an external hard drive
External hard drives provide a multitude of benefits for everyday use of devices, and gaming is no exception. As storage is a luxury that’s needed when it comes to accumulating an extensive Steam library on your PC or laptop, external hard drives can save the day.
If you are gaming on a laptop, portability is a big benefit of external hard drives. Having the ability to travel with your gaming library without compromising data if your laptop malfunctions is a huge benefit to external hard drives, adding an element of security to your library.
The ease of playing games from an external hard drive continues to improve. The implementation of USB 3.2 Gen-2 on external hard drives has vastly improved their speed and efficiency in how they can access data. This means that playing games saved onto your external hard drive is no different to accessing those games from your internal SSD.
The Crucial X10 Pro Portable SSD offers all of this and more to provide the best gaming experience when using an external hard drive. With up to 4TB of space available, there’ll be plenty of space to keep expanding your Steam library. With read and write speeds of up to 2,100/2,000MB/s as well, you’ll have no trouble accessing your games directly from the drive.
Check out the Crucial System Scanner to guarantee the compatibility of your next computer upgrade.
FAQ
- Will I have to reinstall my games when I move them to the external SSD?
Moving your Steam games to an external drive typically doesn’t require a reinstallation. You can simply move the game files to the external drive and then point the Steam client to the new location.
- Will I lose my game progress when I move my steam game to a different drive?
When you move your Steam library to an external drive, your game progress should be preserved, including saves for games that don’t use cloud storage. However, it’s always a good idea to back up your saves manually just in case.
- Will moving the games affect my installed mods or custom content?
Moving your Steam games to an external drive shouldn’t affect installed mods or custom content if you move the entire directory. By moving the entire game directory, you should retain all installed mods and custom content associated with the game.
- Can I uninstall games from my internal drive after moving them to the external drive?
Yes, you can uninstall games from your internal drive after successfully moving them to an external drive. Once the games are safely transferred and confirmed to be working properly from the external drive, you can uninstall them from your internal drive through the Steam client without any issues. This helps free up space on your internal drive while keeping your games accessible from the external drive.
- Will moving games to an external SSD affect their performance or loading times?
Moving games to an external SSD can actually improve their performance and loading times compared to running them from a traditional HDD. SSDs generally have faster read and write speeds, resulting in quicker loading times for games and potentially smoother gameplay, especially for games with large open worlds or frequent loading times like Hogwarts Legacy. However, the actual performance improvement might vary depending on factors such as SSD speed, connection type, and the game’s optimization.
- Can I still play my games while they’re being moved to the external drive?
No, it’s generally not recommended to play Steam games while they’re being moved to an external drive. Moving files while they’re in use can lead to data corruption or incomplete transfers, potentially causing issues with game functionality or save files.
