Downloading games onto USB

[ChrisFR12]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I´m a complete computer noob and I want to be 100% sure before I spend money on this...

I use Steam on my laptop, but my storage on there is very limited. There are some games which I could easily run, but my lack of space makes this impossible. It would be really nice if this is an option.

Can I buy and download a game via Steam onto a USB stick (on which I have enough space) and can I normally play the games I downloaded?


Thanks in advance for your help!

[󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡]

Ya you can if it's a external hard disk. but if it's a usb pen drive it can be crazy slow.

[The Giving One]

You can do that, but it is just not "recommended".

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

It is not recommended that you install Steam to an external hard drive, due to potential performance issues.

Here is what I suggest in situations like yours...

Don't install the games to the USB using the "add a library folder" feature or other, but simply STORE the files there instead.

You can simply drag and drop the games from the USB to the internal drive on your laptop when you want to play. Yes, this does limit the number of games you can have installed and running from Steam all at once, but it does solve your storage space problem, and helps to avoid the potential issues from running them from an external drive.

You "can" do it from the USB, as in actually installing the games there, but it is just not "recommended".

You also must have the .acf file for that game when you drag and drop them this way. If it interests you to do this, further explanation can be given if needed.

EDIT..This method is especially much better if your laptop has an SSD. You'll want to run games from your laptop's internal SSD anyway, in such a case, especially if that game can benefit from the performance of an SSD.

[Marcy]

yes sure

[Marcy]

yjj

[MancSoulja]

Originally posted by The Giving One:

You can do that, but it is just not "recommended".

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

It is not recommended that you install Steam to an external hard drive, due to potential performance issues.

Here is what I suggest in situations like yours...

Don't install the games to the USB using the "add a library folder" feature or other, but simply STORE the files there instead.

You can simply drag and drop the games from the USB to the internal drive on your laptop when you want to play. Yes, this does limit the number of games you can have installed and running from Steam all at once, but it does solve your storage space problem, and helps to avoid the potential issues from running them from an external drive.

You "can" do it from the USB, as in actually installing the games there, but it is just not "recommended".

You also must have the .acf file for that game when you drag and drop them this way. If it interests you to do this, further explanation can be given if needed.

EDIT..This method is especially much better if your laptop has an SSD. You'll want to run games from your laptop's internal SSD anyway, in such a case, especially if that game can benefit from the performance of an SSD.

This is a fantastic idea.

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by MancSoulja:

This is a fantastic idea.

Thanks, my friend. Of course, the downside is more writes to that SSD if that applies, and that may place more wear on the drive, but that is not really a big deal these days. It just makes sense when the computer has an internal SSD also, as well as possible issues that can be seen installing them on the external.

It's a win-win.

[󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡]

lol this stuff was old when there was 2.0 you won't have any performance issues playing your games from a modern USB 3.0 just some difference in loading times maybe.but if you really want to copy paste everytime that's fine :/

[†CŔłStI† ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.COM]

... :)

[Sin]

If you got time and a bit of cash it is 100% doable via plugging in a USB storage, but instead of using your usual USB drive you'll need an m2 enclosure and an m2 drive to fit in it plugging in to your USB port.

And it will not be slow, it'll actually perform pretty fast than your normal USB drive.

Plan on doing this in the future.

https://youtu.be/OwNr_WCpzRc

[Banny Vader]

great info

[Yamalameyooooo]

just add a library folder into the USB and download the game into USB

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by 󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡:

lol this stuff was old when there was 2.0 you won't have any performance issues playing your games from a modern USB 3.0 just some difference in loading times maybe.but if you really want to copy paste everytime that's fine :/

We see cases all the time posted about in Help and Tips where users have issues and we find out their Steam and/or games are/were installed on an external drive, some of them USB sticks.

It's not just about performance. There can be security issues, as well as Windows Power Saving features that make the drive disconnect at inopportune times. Not everyone knows how to set that stuff up to be avoided, so that is why Valve says it is "not recommended".

Yes, people do it all the time and it works, but it is still not recommended for the average user, copy and paste or not. And "drag and drop" is not the same as "copy and paste". Or, right click and "move" instead of "copy".

[Spy_Kek]

Originally posted by The Giving One:

You can do that, but it is just not "recommended".

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

It is not recommended that you install Steam to an external hard drive, due to potential performance issues.

Here is what I suggest in situations like yours...

Don't install the games to the USB using the "add a library folder" feature or other, but simply STORE the files there instead.

You can simply drag and drop the games from the USB to the internal drive on your laptop when you want to play. Yes, this does limit the number of games you can have installed and running from Steam all at once, but it does solve your storage space problem, and helps to avoid the potential issues from running them from an external drive.

You "can" do it from the USB, as in actually installing the games there, but it is just not "recommended".

You also must have the .acf file for that game when you drag and drop them this way. If it interests you to do this, further explanation can be given if needed.

EDIT..This method is especially much better if your laptop has an SSD. You'll want to run games from your laptop's internal SSD anyway, in such a case, especially if that game can benefit from the performance of an SSD.

This would work if I could download the game and move the files to a usb. But it is a little difficoult to download a 50gb game and move the files to the usb when i only have 2gb of space left