Many modern PC games are quite large, making storage management challenging for gamers. However, if you play your games on Steam, you're in luck. Steam allows you to move or store your games on an external hard drive, which helps free up space on your internal SSD or HDD. Transferring your Steam games to an external SSD offers several other benefits, including faster load times, portability, the ability to fix game launching issues, and the convenience of using the same library across multiple PCs. It's even more beneficial if your internal drive isn't an SSD.

I recently shifted some of my Steam games to my SSD. Here's the process I followed.

Precautions to take before moving Steam games to an external drive

Before you continue with the process of moving your Steam games to an external hard disk, it's essential to take some precautions to avoid data loss or corrupted files.

1. Check SSD compatibility and file system: Ensure that your SSD is compatible with your operating system and has the NTFS file system. If the SSD is in FAT32 or any other format, reformat it to NTFS to avoid incompatibility.

   Reformatting will eradicate all the data on the SSD, so back up essential files stored in it.

2. Confirm sufficient storage space: Before transferring your games to an SSD, ensure that it has adequate space to accumulate them. Also, make sure that enough space is left free for future game updates and patches.
3. Back up your favorite game folders: Before transferring, back up your favorite games to be ready in case of data loss or file corruption. To do so, navigate to the Steam folder where games are stored (usually, C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common). Copy the folder of the game of your choice and paste it into a safe place.
4. Use a high-quality USB connection: If your external SSD connects via USB, use a USB 3.0 or higher cable and port for optimal speed and reliability. A slower USB 2.0 connection can cause reduced performance and extended transfer times.
5. Avoid interruptions during the move: Ensure your PC and external hard disk remain powered on and connected throughout the transfer process. Disruption during the move, such as power loss or accidental disconnection, can result in incomplete transfers or corrupted files.

Create a new Steam Library in the external drive

To transfer the game to your external SSD or HDD, you first need to add the drive to Steam, which will create a new Steam Library. Here's how to do that.

1. Connect your SSD to your PC and launch the Steam app.
2. At the top left, click the Steam button and select Settings from the menu.
3. Switch to the Storage section on the left and expand the storage drop-down menu on the right.
4. Click the + Add Drive option.
5. You can select your external hard disk from the list or select the "Let me choose another location" option if you want a specific folder on your drive for Steam games. Click the Add button.
6. That's it. The SteamLibrary folder will be created. Launch your hard disk and check for it.

You can now transfer your Steam games to this folder in two ways: Storage Settings and Steam Library.

Move Steam games to the external drive from the storage settings

The first and most straightforward way to transfer Steam games to your SSD or HDD is through Steam's storage settings. This allows you to move multiple games together. Here are the steps for that.

1. Connect your external drive to your PC and open the Steam app.
2. Navigate to Steam -> Settings -> Storage section.
3. Now, check the games you want to shift to the SSD and click the Move button at the bottom right.
4. Expand the drop-down menu and select your hard disk from the options. Then, click the Move button.
5. Your selected games will start moving to your external drive. Depending on your games' size, it could take several minutes to transfer.
6. Wait for the successful transfer notification.

To check if the transfer was successful, open the SteamLibrary folder on the external hard disk and navigate to steamapps -> common folder.

Move the game to the external drive from the Steam Library

If you want to move any specific games to your external drive, you can do that from Steam Library. Here's how.

1. Open Steam and switch to the Library section from the interface.
2. From the left pane, right-click on the game you like to move and select Properties.
3. Switch to the Installed Files section on the left and click the Move Install Folder button on the right.
4. Next, expand the drop-down menu and select your external hard disk from the list. Then, click the Move button.
5. Let the game-moving process to complete. Depending on your game's size, it could take several minutes.
6. Wait till you get the message about successful completion.

Open the hard disk and check if the game is transferred to the SteamLibrary -> steamapps -> common folder.

Manually move Steam games to the external disk

If you have trouble moving the game using the above two methods, you can manually transfer your Steam games to an SSD. You don't have to download the game again. Just ensure you have created a new Steam Library on your external disk and follow these steps.

1. Connect your hard disk to your PC.
2. Navigate to the Steam Library folder location on your PC (generally, C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common, in my case, it's E:\Steam\steamapps\common).
3. Look for the game folder you want to transfer, right-click, and select Cut.
4. Now, navigate to the external hard disk's Steam Library folder (in my case, it's F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common).
5. Paste the game folder that you cut from the PC's Steam Library.
6. It could take a few minutes to complete, depending on the size of the game folder.
7. Now, launch the Steam app and go to Steam -> Settings -> Storage.
8. On the right, expand the drop-down menu below Storage and select your external hard disk.
9. Next, click the three dots next to your selected drive address and select Make Default.
10. Switch to the Steam Library, and on the left, look for the game whose folder you have transferred to your external disk.
11. Right-click on it and select Manage -> Uninstall.
12. Next, click the Uninstall button to confirm uninstallation.
13. After the game is uninstalled, select it under your Steam Library.
14. Click the Install button to begin the installation.
15. Select your external hard disk to install the game and click Install.
16. You'll notice the game download is skipped because you have already transferred all the files to your disk. Steam will now validate and verify game files.
17. Within seconds, the game should be available to play. Click the Play button to begin playing.

This method is a bit long but will work if the other two don't.

Verify the game files' integrity after the transfer

After transferring your games, it's crucial to ensure they work correctly. Steam's built-in verification tool checks for missing or corrupted files.

1. Launch Steam and switch to its Library.
2. Right-click on the game you recently transferred to the external SSD and select Properties.
3. Switch to the Installed Files section on the left and click the Verify Integrity of Game Files button on the right.
4. Let the process complete. It should usually take 10–30 seconds.
5. After completing the process, you'll see a message with all the files validated successfully.

Enjoy your Steam games from external storage

Moving your Steam games to an external SSD or HDD might seem daunting, but as you can see, it's pretty straightforward. This guide makes it even simpler by providing detailed step-by-step instructions. The first two methods should work for you; if not, the third will definitely work. Transferring the games to SSD helped me fix the game not loading issue and, of course, cleared valuable internal space for system files and apps. Don't forget to verify the integrity of the game files and run the game to ensure a successful transfer.