"Locate Installed Game" option for Steam

[ON_POINT]

Hi, I was just wondering if there is any chance of getting a "Locate Installed Game option" for steam like on UPlay. Moving your install to another drive or playing your game after reinstalling Windows is really so long on Steam.

I have a game that's like 80GB and even though there is space for it on the HD I want it to run from, steam will not allow me to just install form there. Because steam tries to allocate space to install and I don't have another 80GB spare after the game files are there.

I have seen someone tricking Steam into using the files by starting the install and then moving the files before it's finished allocating space. But this is clearly far longer than the "Locate Installed Game" option in UPlay. That option lets you move your game at anytime to any drive any play it with no issues.

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

If games is not on main drive of the OS, simply go into Steam settings folder, and point to the Steam folder that are ok the other drive's, then restart Steam.

The key is the .acf files found in the Steamapp folder, which tells the client the condition of your game, either up to date, remaining downloads, if it installed, or uninstall, and etc...

[Crazy Tiger]

Why not simply use "Move install folder" in the options?

[ON_POINT]

I reinstalled Windows so it's no longer installed. But I copied the whole game folder to another drive before formatting to install Windows. So I can't use "Move install folder" because the game is not installed. This is why I want a way to install the game from a local folder, which Uplay lets you do.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by ON_POINT:

I reinstalled Windows so it's no longer installed. But I copied the whole game folder to another drive before formatting to install Windows. So I can't use "Move install folder" because the game is not installed. This is why I want a way to install the game from a local folder, which Uplay lets you do.

When I had to reinstall Windows I simply moved the whole Steam folder to an external drive before moving it back. All I had to do was create the library folder in Steam and then click install on all games, which it recognized without having to install much.

It seems you didn't move all the files. Are you sure you also moved the .acf files in the Steamapps folder?

[ON_POINT]

I guess I didn't move everything. What I actually did was move this game into a different "SteamLibrary" on another drive. But now I can see the other games I had in there as installed but not this game. And even if I try to install it, it starts to download the game instead of detecting the whole thing is there.

[Crazy Tiger]

That means that you didn't move the .acf file. Might give this guide a try:

If you lost your appmanifest.acf, try this. 

A Guide for Portal 2

By: Ice

If you find a game(here we take portal 2 as example) you installed appeared as uninstalled,but the game (portal 2) files are still in you computer.

[ON_POINT]

Thanks, I will try it out. Don't know why steam can't add the basic function to install from a local folder. If uplay can do it why can't steam

[Uueerdo]

Originally posted by ON_POINT:

Thanks, I will try it out. Don't know why steam can't add the basic function to install from a local folder. If uplay can do it why can't steam

For most games, Steam can recognize a previous install. Just move the install directory into a current Steam library (steamapps\common) folder. Then, when you go to install it, choose that library folder; one of the first steps of the install progress dialog should say something to the effect of "discovering existing files". Sometimes, it will download a little more, or even look like it is going to redownload the whole thing again, but if you watch the bandwidth usage it often doesn't really download much of anything.

Note: This is not for all games, just most; some titles seem to behave better than others. For example, I've never gotten any Total War game, except maybe the first one or two, to restore this way. Of course, I don't usually bother with the acf files previously mentioned either.

[JD777]

Those .acf files are really important if you are going to move your game installs. I moved my game folders allot in the past. I have used "Hardlink Shell Extension" (Free) for years . Be careful where you download it from

"The implementation of an extension to the Windows shell explorer is performed, so that HardLinks, Junctions, and SymbolicLinks can be comfortably created via a right mouse click on a selection of one or multiple files." - pasted from description on website.

[ON_POINT]

I think this would be quite straight forward if it were not for the disk space allocation thing.
So I can't simply move my backup into that drive and install because when steam tries to install it reserves the space for the full install. But I don't have 160GB free space on there.

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Manage your system spaces, not really recommended to fill them up.

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

[ON_POINT]

That article has nothing to help me. Did you even read my issue? lol
In fact, I already said I had multiple libraries on different disks.
Steam needs to stop over-complicating this and add the function I mentioned like on Uplay.

By the way the SSD which I tried to install this on is only 225GB.
And I have over 100GB free...but not 160GB which I need because of Steam space allocation before installing a game. Which means I need TWICE the space of the game spare, in order to trick steam into recognizing the game files AFTER I start the installation.

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Originally posted by ON_POINT:

That article has nothing to help me. Did you even read my issue? lol
In fact, I already said I had multiple libraries on different disks.

It does, it tells you how to move your games.

Also you didn't read what I said, manage your space. If you have issues managing your space, then it's your own problem you need to resolve, either make the space for the game, or don't bother putting that game on that storage drive if you don't have the room for it.

[ON_POINT]

Originally posted by Dr.Shadowds 🐉:

Originally posted by ON_POINT:

That article has nothing to help me. Did you even read my issue? lol
In fact, I already said I had multiple libraries on different disks.

It does, it tells you how to move your games.

Also you didn't read what I said, manage your space. If you have issues managing your space, then it's your own problem you need to resolve, either make the space for the game, or don't bother putting that game on that storage drive if you don't have the room for it.

Yea I edited my comment and pointed out why the issue has got NOTHING to do with my space management. I did it before you left your reply.

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Originally posted by ON_POINT:

That article has nothing to help me. Did you even read my issue? lol
In fact, I already said I had multiple libraries on different disks.
Steam needs to stop over-complicating this and add the function I mentioned like on Uplay.
By the way the SSD which I tried to install this on is only 225GB.
And I have over 100GB free...but not 160GB which I need becuase of Steam space allocation before installing a game.

That how it works. If you don't have the space, then nothing anyone can do to help you, can't force something onto a drive if you don't have the space for it in the 1st place, that how it been for storage since forever of any storage device on any system.

Originally posted by ON_POINT:

Originally posted by Dr.Shadowds 🐉:

It does, it tells you how to move your games.

Also you didn't read what I said, manage your space. If you have issues managing your space, then it's your own problem you need to resolve, either make the space for the game, or don't bother putting that game on that storage drive if you don't have the room for it.

Yea I edited my comment and pointed out why the issue has got NOTHING to do with my space management. I did it before you left your reply.

Then you understand what I said, and know what your own issue is then, what is the problem?