Steam not allowing games to download on my secondary drive? (Resolved)

[Yuri]

Before I was able to download all of my games on my secondary storage drive, but all of a sudden I can't anymore. When I get the prompt on where I can download it, it doesn't give me the option to choose from any drive, just my main one. I'm so confused.

[ReBoot]

Do you get the option to create another library?

[Yuri]

No it just gives me the option to download the game and make shortcuts n stuff

[ReBoot]

Create a library there from Steam settings

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Ensure that Steam can still see your 2nd drive, visit settings, and check the library manager, if it see it can try right click, and do repair, afterwards restart steam, and see if issue resolve itself.

Ensure you have enough space in the first place for the 2nd drive for whatever you're trying to download.

[crunchyfrog]

Originally posted by Yurex:

No it just gives me the option to download the game and make shortcuts n stuff

Go to Steam settings. From the window that pops up, choose "Downloads". Then you'll see the top button is something like "add new library folder" or similar.

Click that and add the drive/folder you want to use.

[The Giving One]

Just to add, and I think this is in a message that is shown at some point when creating a new library folder, but the library folder that you create must be totally empty.

So you CAN add an entire drive as your second or third or whatever library, but that drive must be totally empty.

So instead, it's best to create an empty folder ON that drive, and add that as the other library folder.

As others have said, you should have or be able to make a new, empty folder on your secondary hard drive, call it for example "My Second Steam Library", using Windows to just create an empty folder on the drive.

Then go to the settings menu mentioned here by others above, and once you get there, "My Second Steam Library" should now appear in the list of folders that you can add for downloads.

The folder must be totally empty to be able to add it to the list.

Now as far as why you can no longer but once were able to download to that drive, that might be an underlying issue that needs looking into first.

[Iceira]

I think this is another one them crash steam client that change default and lost previous steam library, hence why you are not ask about it anymore

then you add new steam lib folder again then its the new patch location "?:\SteamLibrary" move old lib to athta place reboot steam, that worked for me , i dont recall need to even repair the steam lib, but that is same places at steam storage manager.

[dinkojebona]

comment me :D

[Yuri]

Originally posted by The Giving One:

Just to add, and I think this is in a message that is shown at some point when creating a new library folder, but the library folder that you create must be totally empty.

So you CAN add an entire drive as your second or third or whatever library, but that drive must be totally empty.

So instead, it's best to create an empty folder ON that drive, and add that as the other library folder.

As others have said, you should have or be able to make a new, empty folder on your secondary hard drive, call it for example "My Second Steam Library", using Windows to just create an empty folder on the drive.

Then go to the settings menu mentioned here by others above, and once you get there, "My Second Steam Library" should now appear in the list of folders that you can add for downloads.

The folder must be totally empty to be able to add it to the list.

Now as far as why you can no longer but once were able to download to that drive, that might be an underlying issue that needs looking into first.

Thank you guys so much! I got the issue fixed!

[Cheek Delighter]

Alternatively; if anybody is still having this issue in 2025, what I did: Moved GTA V from C: Drive to my new Drive “H Drive” is what I chose. So I moved GTA from on SSD to the other and then I was able to install directly onto the H drive (the new ssd) so you don’t have to create a new library ETC.