How to Change Steam Install Location: Mac and PC

To change Steam install location on a PC or Mac, you need to add a new Steam Library folder in the Storage settings and set it as the default for future downloads. For existing games, use Steam’s built-in “Move Install Folder” feature to transfer them to the new drive without re-downloading, or manually relocate the entire Steam installation folder if you prefer.

Where Are Steam Games Originally Stored?

Steam automatically creates a default installation folder when you first install the client. All games are placed inside this folder unless you manually change the install location later. Knowing these default paths is essential before you attempt to move anything.

Default Steam Game Path on Mac

On macOS, Steam games are stored in the following directory:

~/Library/Application Support/Steam/SteamApps/common/

To access this folder quickly:

1. Open Finder and press Cmd + Shift + G.
2. Type ~/Library/Application Support and press Enter.
3. Open the Steam folder, then steamapps, and finally common.

All your installed game files will be visible here. After you change the Steam install location, this folder will become empty on your Mac.

Default Steam Game Path on Windows PC

On Windows, the default installation path is:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common

To find it:

1. Open File Explorer and go to This PC.
2. Double-click Local Disk (C:).
3. Navigate to Program Files (x86) > Steam > steamapps > common.

Once you move your Steam install location, this folder will no longer contain your games.

How to Change Your Default Steam Install Location

Changing the default install location ensures that all new games you download will be saved to a different drive. This is useful if your primary drive is running low on space.

Follow these steps on both PC and Mac:

1. Launch the Steam client.
2. Click Steam in the top-left corner and select Settings (on Mac, this is Preferences).
3. In the left sidebar, click Storage.
4. In the Storage tab, click the + button next to the current storage disk.
5. Select the new drive or folder where you want games to be installed. You can create a new folder and name it SteamLibrary.
6. Once the new folder appears in the list, right-click it and select Make Default Folder.

After this, any new game you install will be downloaded to the new location. Existing games will not be moved automatically, you’ll need to use the method below to relocate them.

How to Move Existing Steam Games to a Different Folder

Steam includes a built-in feature to move individual games to another library folder without re-downloading the entire game. This is the safest and fastest method.

1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
2. Right-click the game you want to move.
3. Select Properties from the dropdown menu.
4. In the Properties window, click the Local Files tab.
5. Click Move Install Folder.
6. Choose the new Steam Library folder from the dropdown list.
7. Click Move and wait for the process to complete.

Steam will transfer all game files to the new location, and the game will remain playable immediately. Repeat these steps for each game you want to relocate.

How to Move the Entire Steam Installation to a New Drive

If you want to move the Steam client itself (including all games, settings, and user data) to a completely different drive, you can do so manually. This process is different for PC and Mac.

Moving Steam on Windows PC

1. Exit Steam completely (right-click the Steam icon in the system tray and select Exit).
2. Open File Explorer and navigate to the current Steam folder, usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam.
3. Delete everything inside this folder except the steamapps folder, the userdata folder, and steam.exe.
4. Cut the remaining folder (with those three items) and paste it to the new drive (e.g., D:\Steam).
5. Rename the folder to Steam if needed.
6. Double-click steam.exe in the new location to start Steam. It will run from there.

Your games and login data will be preserved because you kept the steamapps and userdata folders.

Moving Steam on Mac

1. Quit Steam completely.
2. Open Finder and go to ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/.
3. Move the SteamApps folder to an external drive or another internal volume.
4. Uninstall Steam by dragging the Steam app from your Applications folder to the Trash.
5. Reinstall Steam from the official website and install it to the new location.
6. Once installed, quit Steam and move the SteamApps folder back to the new Steam installation directory.
7. Launch Steam, it will recognize your existing games.

This method is more involved but works reliably for relocating the entire client.

How to Download Steam Games to an External Hard Drive

You can install and run Steam games directly from an external hard drive, but there are a few extra steps and performance considerations.

Setting Up the External Drive

1. Connect your external hard drive to your computer.
2. Create a folder on the external drive named SteamLibrary.
3. Inside it, create another folder named steamapps.
4. Inside steamapps, create a folder named common.

This folder structure matches what Steam expects.

Adding the External Drive to Steam

1. Open Steam and go to Settings > Storage.
2. Click the + button and select your external hard drive.
3. Navigate to the SteamLibrary folder you created.
4. Right-click the external drive in the list and select Make Default Folder.

Now any new game you download will be saved to your external drive.

Moving Existing Games to the External Drive

Use the Move Install Folder feature described earlier, but select the external drive as the destination. You can also drag-and-drop game folders from the old common folder to the external drive’s common folder, but using Steam’s built-in tool is safer.

Performance note: Running games from an external drive via USB can be slower than from an internal SSD. Load times may increase, and some games may stutter. It’s not recommended for fast-paced or multiplayer games, but it works fine for older or less demanding titles.

How to Fix Steam Games Appearing Uninstalled

After moving games or changing drives, Steam might not recognize your installed files and will show them as “uninstalled.” Here’s how to fix that.

1. Check if the drive containing your games is listed. If not, click + and add that drive or folder.
2. Once added, right-click the correct drive and select Make Default Folder.
3. Close the Storage window and restart Steam.

If the games still appear uninstalled, you may need to re-add the library folder manually:

1. Go to Settings > Downloads.
2. Click Steam Library Folders.
3. Click Add Library Folder and select the folder where your games are located.
4. Restart Steam again.

Your games should now show the Play button instead of the Install button.

These steps cover every scenario for changing Steam install location on both Mac and PC. Whether you’re freeing up space on your main drive, moving to an external SSD, or relocating the entire client, you now have the tools to do it correctly.