Backups of your Steam games
Do you want to create a backup of your Steam games? In the following sections we are going to explain different ways to move downloads from Steam to an external hard drive. It will also help you transfer Steam games to another PC. The advantage of following the steps mentioned here is that, if you have to reinstall your computer system, you will not need to download all the games again. Likewise, when you move from one computer to another, having a backup of your games will also save you time.
Remember that, despite following the instructions that we show you here, if your intention is to transfer the games from one PC to another, you need to install the Steam launcher on the destination computer. Otherwise, you will not be able to prove that you legitimately purchased the titles and, therefore, you will not be able to play them.
Taking into account the aforementioned, it is time to know which are the most convenient methods to export your games and create a backup copy on the media that best suits you.
Backup with Steam tool
The easiest way to backup a game on Steam is to use the tool included in the app. In this way, Steam will take care of compressing the entire game and sending it to the directory you want. In this process, as you can imagine, files stored in the cloud are not included. Likewise, it will not help you safeguard games, custom maps, configurations or any other similar element. It is, therefore, a copy of the local installation of the game, which is equivalent to a clean installation of the east.
At least, this is true for most titles, although some third-party games may host games and other information within their own folder. Only in those specific cases, will you be able to save all the content of the game, including the one that pertains to your gaming sessions. All in all, it is crucial that you verify this before proceeding.
Also, remember that games that require external installers or additional downloads They don’t work well with the backup feature on Steam. This especially affects MMO games and free-to-play games from other sites. Only games that you download, install, and fully update from Steam are compatible with this feature.
To use Steam backup, do the following:
- On Steam, go to Library and click on any game you have previously downloaded.
- From the context menu, select Properties.
- In the pop-up window, select Installed files. There, click Back up the game.
- Next, select a directory. You can create one for each game or use the same one to make several copies.
- To get started, click Create backup. Wait for the process to complete, which may take a long time if the weight of the game is high.
- Once the process has finished, press Open folder. In it you will be able to see the backup that Steam has made, using the CSM and CSD file extensions.
- If you want to restore this backup to another computer (or to the same computer, after formatting Windows), you must press the menu Steamlocated at the top left of the window, and click Restore backup.
- Finally, select the directory where the game is and start the restore.
As Steam recommends on its support page, it is best that, once the backup process is complete, you check that the games restore correctly. In fact, when you try to recover a game from a backup, The application will confirm if it has found it within the indicated directory. This is an indication that the copy has been done correctly.
Finally, if you have a folder that houses the backup of various games, in that case you will have to reset them one by one. Despite this minor annoyance, this is often a faster procedure than downloading all the games on your computer.
Copy the Steam folder with File Explorer
The other possibility that you have at your disposal when it comes to create a backup of your Steam games is to copy the folder where these are downloaded. The main advantage of this method is that it helps you restore the entire library, including personal files such as saved games, by simply copying and pasting a directory. In addition, it is very easy to make a backup copy from time to time to safeguard all the elements.
The first step you should take is to go to the following path on your PC:
- C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
So, follow these steps:
- Locate the folder steamapps.
- Copy and paste it wherever you want to have your library backed up.
- You have now backed up your entire Steam games folder.
And how are you going to be able to recover the Steam library? First, you must install Steam on another computer, or on the same computer, if you have formatted. Then, go to the same route indicated above and overwrites the folder steamapps for the one you copied earlier. If it is open, you will have to completely close the Steam launcher for it to recognize the games.
Move games to another library on an external drive
Finally, you also have the possibility of create a new library, placing it on an external hard drive or on the partition you prefer. Steam will then allow you to move the installed games to that new location. This is very interesting if you plan to format the system and do not want to download all the games again.
This is how you can do it:
- Open Steam settings and press Storage.
- Next, click on the top drop-down menu and press Add unit.
- Select the external hard drive or partition where you want to create a new Steam library.
- Once this is done, select the games you want to move to the new library and click Move.
- When the process finishes, the game will have been moved to the new library, located on the disk or partition you indicated.
If in the future you need to recover your new library after moving games to it, simply add the partition or disk with the option Add unit.
Take your games wherever you want
As has been demonstrated in this guide, it is very simple create backup copies of Steam games. Being clear about all the limitations of each procedure, you will be able to choose the most convenient one, depending on what you are looking for. If you just want to avoid downloading games in the future, the tool built into Steam is very interesting. If you want to take personalized content, it is best to copy the folder steamapps or move games to an external hard drive. Be that as it may, in all cases you will need your Steam account and the launcher to start playing.
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