Steam discovers game files, but still decides to reinstall & download whole game?

[gigglebox43]

I was moving one of my games from one directory to another and when I clicked the install button to get the game back, it discovered the files I put there, but it just ignored that and downloaded the entire game.

[punchobastardo]

Help and Tips sub-forum

[[SK] Kaldaien]

Move application manifests along with any data directories. There is no way to reconstruct which depots were installed without the app manifest. The manifests are always one directory up from the game's directory and take the form appmanifest_<gameid>.acf Use Steamdb to search for "AppID" if you don't already know it.

There's a feature in the Steam client to move local files between Steam libraries, this does all of what I just described a million times faster. "Move Install Folder" is an option you will see in the game properties if you have setup multiple libraries.

[Brujeira]

Originally posted by SK Kaldaien:

Move application manifests along with any data directories. There is no way to reconstruct which depots were installed without the app manifest. The manifests are always one directory up from the game's directory and take the form appmanifest_<gameid>.acf Use Steamdb to search for "AppID" if you don't already know it.

There's a feature in the Steam client to move local files between Steam libraries, this does all of what I just described a million times faster. "Move Install Folder" is an option you will see in the game properties if you have setup multiple libraries.

Still only works with games where the devs keep the version of the game that’s on Steam’s servers up to date. This doesn’t always happen with games that patch through their own launchers.

If there’s any mismatch between the installed version and the ‘current’ version on the servers then the installed version gets wiped and replaced with Steam’s version. I spy Warframe on the OP’s games list - that’s renowned for having this issue.

[MrSnoopEastwood]

Hi, I have a similar problem but I won't just find a way to use my games without redowloading them (I'm stuck on vacation due to well, issues, so my main access to internet is 4G data)

I got about 15 games on an external SSD to bring the games from my home computer to my laptop but despite trying to install them from Steam in the folder where they already are,

it ends up downloading it all from the beginning every time (steamapps folder is 550 Go big so if I could not spend a week and 500€ of data to get what I already have on my computer it would be great).

I kind of understood my problem must come from the appmanifest.acf files, I don't really know what I'm supposed to type in each one so Steam detects all the files and stops downloading things I already have.

If anyone knows how to have Steam fill the appmanifests I'd like to know, I tried several things I found online in the past hours but it keeps doing the same processes every time.

Thank you in advance for your help.