Not able to run steam. (Case-Sensitive Filesystem error)

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Quini98 May 11, 2018 @ 1:57pm

Not able to run steam. (Case-Sensitive Filesystem error)

I know you need a Case-Insensitive filesystem to install steam on mac... But does anyone know any workarounds or ways to do it.
I've read about using partitions but I really don't understand how to do it with that. (In depth guide would be appreciated!)
If you have any other way to install steam on my mac then please let me know!
(I would really like to have someone to explain to me how to really do this.)

Macbook Pro - MacOS version 10.13
(I'm not used to using a mac that's why I am having this much trouble.)

Last edited by Quini98; May 11, 2018 @ 1:59pm

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Showing 1-8 of 8 comments

jmtanzillo May 11, 2018 @ 2:18pm

Sounds like you have a SSD boot drive with APFS format. Do you have an external HDD that you can use? If so, you should be able to format it as HFS+ and install Steam and your games on that drive.

Quini98 May 11, 2018 @ 2:30pm

Originally posted by jmtanzillo:
Sounds like you have a SSD boot drive with APFS format. Do you have an external HDD that you can use? If so, you should be able to format it as HFS+ and install Steam and your games on that drive.

Yeah my SSD boot drive is in APFS format... And sadly I do not have an external HDD spare for me to use. Would also be more handy if I didn't have to take this external HDD with me all the time...

Last edited by Quini98; May 11, 2018 @ 2:30pm

Quini98 May 11, 2018 @ 2:39pm

Originally posted by jmtanzillo:
Sounds like you have a SSD boot drive with APFS format. Do you have an external HDD that you can use? If so, you should be able to format it as HFS+ and install Steam and your games on that drive.

I do have a USB in HFS+ but how do I select that steam should be installed on that drive? (USB is big enough for a couple of games and I will only download some small games on it, so it has enough space)

turd4guson May 12, 2018 @ 10:37am

Steam kinda blew chunks on their MAC client implementation.
Numerous complaints. No fixes.

But here is a workaround:
https://twitter.com/N8OUZ/status/982613574991384576

There are those in the twitter community competent enough to be offering help to Steam to actually fix it some day, also - https://twitter.com/EnabrenTane/status/986720961809473536

Quini98 May 12, 2018 @ 12:46pm

I fixed it myself. I moved my Steam folder from Application Support to a USB/External Drive. Then I created a symbolic link to this Steam folder on the USB/External Drive.
After this I removed the Steam folder from the Application Support folder. After this I moved the Symbolic link to the Steam folder on my USB/External Drive to the Application Support folder and renamed it to Steam.
And woop woop Steam works!

turd4guson May 12, 2018 @ 7:53pm

Originally posted by Quini98:
I fixed it myself. I moved my Steam folder from Application Support to a USB/External Drive. Then I created a symbolic link to this Steam folder on the USB/External Drive.
After this I removed the Steam folder from the Application Support folder. After this I moved the Symbolic link to the Steam folder on my USB/External Drive to the Application Support folder and renamed it to Steam.
And woop woop Steam works!

Nicely done!
Yep, there's no reason Steam can't fix this very easily and quickly. They just haven't and apparently won't. There's no real "IT" reason. It's poor programming and assumptions. No modern macOS installation defaults to case-insensitive. So you end up needing to either bastardize the way macOS operates, or use an external volume or image as a workaround.

just dumb.

Anyway, three workarounds now that I know of. Nicely done!

CeDeROM Mar 27 @ 1:48am

Greetings from year 2025 Steam Client still does not run on macOS with case-sensitive filesystem and this is a totally ignored BLOCKER BUG lol :D :D :D