Steam: move game library - how it works

In this practical tip, we will show you how you can move your game library from Steam to another hard drive without having to download all games again.

Move Steam games to another folder with Steam Mover

Steam's game library can consume plenty of hard drive space over time. If you don't want to uninstall the games, you can also move to a larger hard drive. This process turns out to be problematic, however, since Steam simply reloads the games from the Internet after just moving the library directory. The free Steam Mover can help.

• Download the Steam Mover. The tool is available for free download from CHIP Online. Installation is not necessary, the program is ready for use immediately after unpacking.
• The Steam Mover automatically recognizes the library directory of Steam. However, you can also adjust the path manually.
• In the field at the top right corner, enter the directory to which you want to move your Steam games.
• The list shows an overview of all installed Steam games. Select all the titles you want to move. Then click on the blue arrow at the bottom left, which points to the right. The games are now being postponed.
• You can see whether a game has been postponed by the arrow symbol in the table. If the arrow points to the right, the game has been postponed.
• If you want to move the games back to their place of origin, you have to mark the respective titles again and this time click on the arrow pointing to the left at the bottom left.
• Steam Mover requires Windows Vista, 7 or 8. In addition, both hard drives must be formatted in the NTFS file system.