Uninstalling Games

[Sunset Jesus]

I looked in Steam support and couldn't find any related topics, and I'm not sure where to post this so I'll post it here.

I don't have all that much free space on my computer, so when I want to install a new game I have to delete some other ones first (or I want to reinstall a game I had to delete to make space for other games). When I select the game and click uninstall I expect it to be completely removed. But lots of data is leftover. I was looking in steamapps -> common and saw GarrysMod on the list. When I clicked properties, it said the file was almost 30 GB, so I went to steam library to uninstall Gmod only to find it's already been uninstalled. I removed Gmod thru steam by clicking uninstall, and yet there was still a Gmod file on my computer with almost 30 GB of files in it. This isn't the only game that it's happened either, there are many folders of games I've uninstalled, although not all of them have a significant file size.

Am I doing something wrong? Or does steam just not remove games when it says it's removing games. I look in programs and features and Garry's Mod doesn't show up, so I've assumed it was gone. I'm now worried my TB hard drive is filled with random crap that should have been deleted. There could be countless files of games and other things on my computer and I won't know it unless I specifically check every file.

Plz halp me :3

[𝔇ave]

steam will uninstall the majority of game files. it might leave settings and save games since they are saved elsewhere but the files in the steamapps folder should be gone upon uninstall

[Autumn_]

Originally posted by Dave:

steam will uninstall the majority of game files. it might leave settings and save games since they are saved elsewhere but the files in the steamapps folder should be gone upon uninstall

I'm not all that sure if it deletes workshop content, but it should.
However, anything that doesn't use workshop content is removed when you press uninstall.
Only a couple of files are left, but they're not a problem, because they're so small.

[𝔇ave]

Originally posted by Autumn:

Originally posted by Dave:

steam will uninstall the majority of game files. it might leave settings and save games since they are saved elsewhere but the files in the steamapps folder should be gone upon uninstall

I'm not all that sure if it deletes workshop content, but it should.
However, anything that doesn't use workshop content is removed when you press uninstall.
Only a couple of files are left, but they're not a problem, because they're so small.

i wasn't sure about workshop stuff since i don't use it

[🦊Λℚ𝓤ΛƑΛᗯҜᔕ🦊]

You can pick up a 1TB internal hard drive for about $30 shipped new. If you want I can find you a link to one for sale somewhere like newegg or brand new ones on ebay.

[Sunset Jesus]

Originally posted by Aquafawks:

You can pick up a 1TB internal hard drive for about $30 shipped new. If you want I can find you a link to one for sale somewhere like newegg or brand new ones on ebay.

Money's tight m8, and I already have 1TB

[🦊Λℚ𝓤ΛƑΛᗯҜᔕ🦊]

Originally posted by Sunset Jesus:

Money's tight m8, and I already have 1TB

So you can afford all these multiple games in steam, but you can't afford $30 for a bigger hard drive? Most steam games cost way more than $30.

Maybe you should re-consider your priorities then.. maybe not buying more games until you have room to install them in your computer.

[Sunset Jesus]

Originally posted by Aquafawks:

Originally posted by Sunset Jesus:

Money's tight m8, and I already have 1TB

So you can afford all these multiple games in steam, but you can't afford $30 for a bigger hard drive? Most steam games cost way more than $30.

Maybe you should re-consider your priorities then.. maybe not buying more games until you have room to install them in your computer.

98% of my games I've owned for some time, that aside I made this thread to ask for help not invite people to be hostile and rude.

[🦊Λℚ𝓤ΛƑΛᗯҜᔕ🦊]

Originally posted by Sunset Jesus:

98% of my games I've owned for some time, that aside I made this thread to ask for help not invite people to be hostile and rude.

To answer your question in the above post: That is normal behavior for steam games. Every time you uninstall a game via steam client you need to be in the habit of also going to manually delete it's game folder as well. Almost all steam games leave something behind.

[Poppi !!]

Why you would need to keep all those games installed is beyond my undrerstanding. I mean, hell, a TB is a lot of space !

I would suggest a decent free uninstaller utility. There's plenty out there, but Iobit has an excellent uninstaller program. I've been using it for about 3 years. Does a good cleanup of residuals as well.

As has been said though, Steam keeps separate files you have to delete manually, should you choose.

[🦊Λℚ𝓤ΛƑΛᗯҜᔕ🦊]

Originally posted by _Stanley_:

Why you would need to keep all those games installed is beyond my undrerstanding. I mean, hell, a TB is a lot of space !

I would suggest a decent free uninstaller utility. There's plenty out there, but Iobit has an excellent uninstaller program. I've been using it for about 3 years. Does a good cleanup of residuals as well.

As has been said though, Steam keeps separate files you have to delete manually, should you choose.

It depends on the game. With some games you could run past 600GB of used space between just 5 games and I'm just thinking of a few big ones off hand.

[Sunset Jesus]

Originally posted by _Stanley_:

Why you would need to keep all those games installed is beyond my undrerstanding. I mean, hell, a TB is a lot of space !

I would suggest a decent free uninstaller utility. There's plenty out there, but Iobit has an excellent uninstaller program. I've been using it for about 3 years. Does a good cleanup of residuals as well.

As has been said though, Steam keeps separate files you have to delete manually, should you choose.

I hardly have any games installed. I have the 3 main Arma games installed and they are at least 60 gigs each, Arma 3 is almost 100 for me because I had accumulated mod packs. Said mod packs are now gone xd

Originally posted by Aquafawks:

Originally posted by Sunset Jesus:

98% of my games I've owned for some time, that aside I made this thread to ask for help not invite people to be hostile and rude.

To answer your question in the above post: That is normal behavior for steam games. Every time you uninstall a game via steam client you need to be in the habit of also going to manually delete it's game folder as well. Almost all steam games leave something behind.

That is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. When I click on "Uninstall Game" it should remove everything, not leave 30 GB behind and not tell me. Steam is it that hard to include "BTW we only remove some files" when you click that button??

[🦊Λℚ𝓤ΛƑΛᗯҜᔕ🦊]

Originally posted by Sunset Jesus:

That is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. When I click on "Uninstall Game" it should remove everything, not leave 30 GB behind and not tell me. Steam is it that hard to include "BTW we only remove some files" when you click that button??

You must be new to PC's in general then. Did you recently come from console land perhaps? All programs for PC (including games) always leave a little something behind somewhere on your system when you uninstall it. Saves, configuration files, stuff in the registry, etc. This is pretty common for using windows and this is literally why 3rd party "uninstall clean up" programs exist. It's been this way on PC for as long as I can remember going back to the windows 95 days.

[𝔇ave]

Originally posted by Sunset Jesus:

Originally posted by _Stanley_:

Why you would need to keep all those games installed is beyond my undrerstanding. I mean, hell, a TB is a lot of space !

I would suggest a decent free uninstaller utility. There's plenty out there, but Iobit has an excellent uninstaller program. I've been using it for about 3 years. Does a good cleanup of residuals as well.

As has been said though, Steam keeps separate files you have to delete manually, should you choose.

I hardly have any games installed. I have the 3 main Arma games installed and they are at least 60 gigs each, Arma 3 is almost 100 for me because I had accumulated mod packs. Said mod packs are now gone xd

Originally posted by Aquafawks:

To answer your question in the above post: That is normal behavior for steam games. Every time you uninstall a game via steam client you need to be in the habit of also going to manually delete it's game folder as well. Almost all steam games leave something behind.

That is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. When I click on "Uninstall Game" it should remove everything, not leave 30 GB behind and not tell me. Steam is it that hard to include "BTW we only remove some files" when you click that button??

i imagine it has to do with software developers covering their butts with what they can and can't delete legally. anything within the steam folder or has come directly from steam is fair game. as for anything else whether it be from another folder or a file created by the user or game developer like a settings file or save game is protected.. that's my theory

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by Sunset Jesus:

Originally posted by Aquafawks:

To answer your question in the above post: That is normal behavior for steam games. Every time you uninstall a game via steam client you need to be in the habit of also going to manually delete it's game folder as well. Almost all steam games leave something behind.

That is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. When I click on "Uninstall Game" it should remove everything, not leave 30 GB behind and not tell me. Steam is it that hard to include "BTW we only remove some files" when you click that button??

Uninstallers have always worked that way, also outside and before Steam. They delete folders with the main files, but any user created folders/files will remain. They often consist of settings, saves and mod folders.
Some uninstallers ask the question whether you want to remove said user files, but not all do. Which is understandable, as people don't always want to completely remove added stuff. It's the safer way for developers actually. This way a user has to actively remove things they downloaded and added.