Moving the steamapps folder

[Vole]

I want to set Steam to store my game files in a different location to the default (i.e. not under the Steam installation folder). However the Steam GUI only lets you add a new DRIVE as a storage location, if i try to add a new folder that is still on drive C:, Steam says something like "there is already a steam apps folder on this drive".

Can this be done, maybe by directly editing a config file?

[rawWwRrr]

You can only have one library folder per drive.

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

You can only have one library location per partition, also for default installation of Steam it Steamapp folder is stored in that Steam folder.

Let say you install Steam on D partition, you can set a folder anywhere on C partition you wanted, or vice versa.

Now if you want to have steam folder in multiple locations in the same partition, gods know why as there zero benefits of doing that, but let say you do, you can do a symbolic link, this is an advanced version of shortcut, it acts like your folder is in that location, but it is not.

Example you made a symbolic link and called it lilsteam at C:/ location that it, and the default steam library is at C:/program86x/Steam/Steamapp/common so when you open the symbolic folder lilsteam it shows as C:/lilsteam where display all your games folders in it as if your game folder at there, but actually are at the default location.

Not only that you can edit things in the lilsteam folder, which you're editing.
C:/program86x/Steam/Steamapp/common.

Let say you made a script that runs a .exe, so instead of putting C:/program86x/Steam/Steamapp/common and game folder with the target you can just put C:/lilsteam with target to game folder as if it actually there but it's not really hence an advanced version of shortcut.

There no downside, problems, or disadvantage of doing symbols link for this reason.

If you need a video for virtual understanding here a good video explaining things.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RDH5IuyPJtk

[tintingaroo]

Vole a écrit :

I want to set Steam to store my game files in a different location to the default (i.e. not under the Steam installation folder). However the Steam GUI only lets you add a new DRIVE as a storage location, if i try to add a new folder that is still on drive C:, Steam says something like "there is already a steam apps folder on this drive".

Can this be done, maybe by directly editing a config file?

Yeah, edit [Steam Installation]\steamapps\libraryfolders.vdf for multi libraries on the same drive.

There are steps here: https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/1/3395163747110198261/#c3395163747110912094

It's not necessary to make it default (part of step 7), just if you wanna.

[Vole]

Useful replies, thanks. I don't need multiple steam library folders on the C: partition, so using a symbolic link might be the simplest answer.

The backgrounbd to this by the way is that I like to set Steam, GoG, and the Epic Games app to all use subfolders of the same location (e.g. C:\Games\). This way if the drive/partition gets full I can easily see where the space is being used and decide which games to cull.

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Vole a écrit :

Useful replies, thanks. I don't need multiple steam library folders on the C: partition, so using a symbolic link might be the simplest answer.

The backgrounbd to this by the way is that I like to set Steam, GoG, and the Epic Games app to all use subfolders of the same location (e.g. C:\Games\). This way if the drive/partition gets full I can easily see where the space is being used and decide which games to cull.

Steam has a library manager to show you what taking up space.

Steam > Settings > Storage, and from here you can see what taking up space as it break it down by games, dlc, workshop, and sharders.

So make your folder called "Games" at C:\ that you want, now to do symbolic link, this what you do, open CMD as admin, then copy, and paste this.

mklink /d C:\Games\Steam C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps

This will make the symlink folder inside your games folder you made called Steam, and it will point to your Steamapps folder.

mklink /d is to make the command > you put in address where you want this to be made at > you put in address where you want ti link it to that basically it.

[Vole]

The method of editing the libraryfolders.vdf file no longer seems to work unfortunately. Steam just overwrites the edits to the file each time it starts, for whatever reason Valve seem to really want to enforce the "one library folder per Windows drive" rule.

However the symlink appreoach does seem to work. I did the opposite of what @Dr.Shadowds described, i.e. I moved steamapps and it's contents over to the new location under C:\Games\Steam then put a symlink names "steamapps" in the steam installation folder pointing at the new folder. Seems to work.

[tintingaroo]

libraryfolders.vdf editing still works, would like to confirm actions but no matter, you got things done one way or another
(also finally decided to test editing when Steam was running... :O.... Was fine, just had to restart Steam afterwards :D)