Steam changed the location of my folders

[wayneout]

All of my games are in program files (86)\steamapps\common I have been playing them from there for quite some time. I recently bought Fallout 3 and Steam put it in this folder
program files (86)\steam\steamapps\common. They created a folder inside Steam which has steamapps inside of it. I tried to change the folder for the install but it will not let me. When I go to my Library, it is not showing the games that I have in the separate steamapps folder. One example is that I have Skyrim SE in the separate steamapps folder but my Library does not mention it. Is there any way to correct this? I could move the games from the separate steamapps folder to the steamapps folder inside Steam.. But that would be a lot of work if it doesn't work.

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

I'm going to assume you only have one storage drive. So there reason why you're messing with your games, and folders?

Move your game to your current common folder, and move the game .acf files to the Steamapp folder, restart Steam, and your Steam should see your game, as long the .acf is correct.

[wayneout]

Where are the .acf files located? If there are in the games, shouldn't they move as well when I move the games? Thanks for the reply

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

The appmanifest_######.acf game file is always in the Steamapp folder.
The game is always in the common folder.

Steam > Steamapp > Common.

Steam reads in this folder 1st > Steamapp, it reads the all the appmanifest_######.acf files there, as it tells the client what games installed, and checks if it need to be updated, or not. Steam will launch the game .exe when you click play, which then search for the game folder in the common folder.

appmanifest_######.acf The ##### replace with the game ID. Use steamdb.info to search for the game ID. Example appmanifest_65540.acf that for game called Gothic.

[wayneout]

Okay I found the .acf files and moved them. Then I moved the games including the steamworks shared folder. Started Steam and it found three of my games but didn't find 4 of them. I did a search for steamdb.info and it had a bunch of games but just the popular ones. Did not see a way to show more. Thanks again.

[Cathulhu]

Steamdb.info has a search bar. Use it.

[wayneout]

Everything is working now. Thanks for all the help.