How to Install Games on Steam to External Hard Drive?
**Installing games on Steam to an external hard drive is a great way to save storage space on your computer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:**
1. **Connect Your External Hard Drive:** Make sure your external hard drive is connected to your computer and recognized by the system.
2. **Create a New Steam Library Folder:** Open Steam and go to “Steam” > “Settings” > “Downloads” > “Steam Library Folders”. Click on “Add Library Folder” and select your external hard drive as the location to create a new library folder.
3. **Move Existing Games:** To move existing games to the external hard drive, right-click on the game in your Steam library, select “Properties” > “Local Files” > “Move Install Folder”, and choose the new library folder on your external hard drive.
4. **Install New Games:** When installing new games, Steam will prompt you to choose the library folder where you want to install the game. Select the library folder on your external hard drive.
5. **Play Games from External Hard Drive:** You can now play games directly from your external hard drive by launching them through Steam.
6. **Enjoy:** You now have more storage space on your computer for other programs and files, while still being able to enjoy your favorite games from your external hard drive.
FAQs:
1. Can all games on Steam be moved to an external hard drive?
Not all games can be moved to an external hard drive, as some games have restrictions on where they can be installed.
2. Will moving games to an external hard drive affect performance?
Moving games to an external hard drive may slightly affect performance, especially if the drive has a slower transfer speed than your internal drive.
3. Can I play games from an external hard drive on multiple computers?
You can only play games from an external hard drive on a single computer where the games are installed.
4. Can I disconnect the external hard drive after installing games on it?
You should not disconnect the external hard drive while playing games from it, as it may cause the games to crash or not run properly.
5. Can I uninstall games from the external hard drive?
You can uninstall games from the external hard drive by right-clicking on the game in your Steam library and selecting “Delete Local Content”.
6. Can I move my entire Steam library to an external hard drive?
You can move your entire Steam library to an external hard drive by creating a new library folder on the external drive and moving all games to it.
7. Will I need to reinstall games if I disconnect and reconnect the external hard drive?
You may need to reconfigure Steam to recognize the external hard drive if you disconnect and reconnect it, but you should not need to reinstall the games.
8. Can I use a USB flash drive instead of an external hard drive?
You can use a USB flash drive to install and run games from Steam, but it may not have enough storage space for larger games.
9. Is it possible to have multiple library folders on different external hard drives?
You can create multiple library folders on different external hard drives in Steam settings and choose where to install games.
10. Can I move games back to my internal drive from the external hard drive?
You can move games back to your internal drive by selecting the game in your Steam library, clicking “Properties” > “Local Files” > “Move Install Folder”, and choosing the internal drive.
11. Do I need to format the external hard drive before installing games on it?
You do not need to format the external hard drive before installing games on it, as Steam will create the necessary folders for game installation.
12. Can I install games on an external hard drive and play them on a Mac computer?
You can install games on an external hard drive using a Windows computer and play them on a Mac computer that has the Steam client installed.