Permanent solution to download resets after pause?

[Baran B.]

This is one of those really annoying bugs that have been going on for a decade now. Is there really no solution other than copying files and hoping for the best? What can I do from my end to finally say I'll never encounter this bug again? Does it have to do with how windows handles temporary files? It's just so annoying, especially for people like me with slow internet speeds.

[Ogami]

There is really just one reason why downloads resets after you paused them for a while.
The game got a update/patch in the meantime.
When you restart the download Steam checks the version number of the files against the ones on the server. If the game got a patch/update the files on the server will come back as being "new" to the Steam client, thus the client deletes the already downloaded files and starts from the beginning with the more up to date files.
This has been the way downloads worked on Steam pretty much since it was created.
There is really nothing much you can do but to try to download games in one go without pausing or mainly only pause downloads for older games that dont get regular updates/patches anymore.

With newer games or games with a online play component that gets regular updates there is always the risk for a new update while downloading.

[kabanzai]

Just .. No. This problem is not dead and ogami's response is not a solution.
It annoys me that this keeps popping up as the #1 answer on google so I'm adding this tidbit.
EVEN IF IT DOESNT UPDATE. Steam client can delete all progress while paused.

[Pleticha]

Confirming same problem.

Before a week, on one of my PC whole War thunder has been removed without a warning - no files left. Now on another PC the War thunder, downloading from scratch, restarts download on pause, on another game launch (which is equivalent of pause as Steam client pauses downloads of other games) or on PC restart.

Both PC have Linux Mint 20.3

[76561199099820287]

one of the worst things about steam i remember getting reset twice and i burst out of frustration

[Jynx Cloudy]

Can confirm this bug still persists. Trying to download the witcher 3 next gen patch - that lovely 47.5GB download with a max speed of 3.5Mb/s download speeds - and after pausing the download twice, both times within the same day it's reset.

Fair the first time was a mistake, after downloading for a day and a half losing all that progress when having 3 hours left is devastating. But I wanted to see if it was just a onetime fluke, so... Waited a couple hours and paused, unpaused, and oh lookie! It's reset the download again!

Time to wait another 1d 16 hours to download, yet again c':

[AverageGoober]

Originally posted by Jynx Cloudy:

Can confirm this bug still persists. Trying to download the witcher 3 next gen patch - that lovely 47.5GB download with a max speed of 3.5Mb/s download speeds - and after pausing the download twice, both times within the same day it's reset.

Fair the first time was a mistake, after downloading for a day and a half losing all that progress when having 3 hours left is devastating. But I wanted to see if it was just a onetime fluke, so... Waited a couple hours and paused, unpaused, and oh lookie! It's reset the download again!

Time to wait another 1d 16 hours to download, yet again c':

i was updating mw2 then i paused it and restarted my wifi. then the game started updating again with 23gbs/58 when originally it was 32/34.. and my wifi isnt fast like it used to be :(

[MTwo_002]

Originally posted by AverageGoober:

Originally posted by Jynx Cloudy:

Can confirm this bug still persists. Trying to download the witcher 3 next gen patch - that lovely 47.5GB download with a max speed of 3.5Mb/s download speeds - and after pausing the download twice, both times within the same day it's reset.

Fair the first time was a mistake, after downloading for a day and a half losing all that progress when having 3 hours left is devastating. But I wanted to see if it was just a onetime fluke, so... Waited a couple hours and paused, unpaused, and oh lookie! It's reset the download again!

Time to wait another 1d 16 hours to download, yet again c':

i was updating mw2 then i paused it and restarted my wifi. then the game started updating again with 23gbs/58 when originally it was 32/34.. and my wifi isnt fast like it used to be :(

I was downloading the same game and it got ruined

[Papa Emeritus I]

Originally posted by AverageGoober:

Originally posted by Jynx Cloudy:

Can confirm this bug still persists. Trying to download the witcher 3 next gen patch - that lovely 47.5GB download with a max speed of 3.5Mb/s download speeds - and after pausing the download twice, both times within the same day it's reset.

Fair the first time was a mistake, after downloading for a day and a half losing all that progress when having 3 hours left is devastating. But I wanted to see if it was just a onetime fluke, so... Waited a couple hours and paused, unpaused, and oh lookie! It's reset the download again!

Time to wait another 1d 16 hours to download, yet again c':

i was updating mw2 then i paused it and restarted my wifi. then the game started updating again with 23gbs/58 when originally it was 32/34.. and my wifi isnt fast like it used to be :(

Mine CONSTANTLY keeps doing this! It just happened to me again. I started the download yesterday and it told me at like 40% it has something ridiculous like a day and 10 hours to download. So today I restarted everything, cleared my cache, etc. From 70%, it went back down to 40. This time though thankfully, it said it only needed like 45 mins. Then randomly, it shot up to a day again, so I paused at 87% to see if it would get the proper download speed back, and it reset to 40% AGAIN! I'm so pissed.

[Undeceived]

Still an issue. Got an update to Night of dead. 64.3 gb. I've paused it twice when it had come a long way and both times it started at 0% again. Even if i resume after a second it starts over again. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ useless.

[ambrxe]

having the same problem. downloaded destiny 2 again today and the lightfall update released as my original download finished up. have paused the download twice (second time was accidental) and both times it reset.

[Chris Whitty]

Originally posted by average mentally ill male:

having the same problem. downloaded destiny 2 again today and the lightfall update released as my original download finished up. have paused the download twice (second time was accidental) and both times it reset.

Literally just had this, I paused it to download 3 files, and when I resumed my ETA went from 1 hr 19 to ♥♥♥♥♥♥ 2hr 20. I swear downloads used to actually pause when you'd click the pause button?? What changed? Extremely frustrating tbh

[hot dinner]

same exact issue with lightfall and destiny 2. I find it difficult to believe that the game files are constantly getting updated every time I pause the download and have been for hours... seems like the original answer is flat-out incorrect

[Einar]

Same issue here. Anytime I pause the D2 Lightfall update, it restarts.

[aranrohani]

same here on lightfall

[stulbene]

happens with lightfall