How to Move Steam Game from HDD to SSD in Windows 11/10: 4 Ways

Can You Move Steam Games to External SSD?

If you are struggling with long load times or sluggish gameplay, you may wonder how to move Steam game from HDD to SSD. Here comes the question: Can I move a game from HDD to SSD on Steam? Fortunately, yes. Steam includes built-in features that let you relocate installed games to another drive without needing to uninstall and redownload them.

Moving from HDD to SSD offers many benefits like faster load times, improved performance, better portability, larger storage space, etc. In this guide, we will walk you through how to move games from HDD to SSD on Windows 11/10 for Steam games in 4 ways.

How to Move Steam Game from HDD to SSD on Windows 11/10 in 4 Methods

The first 3 methods can help you transfer one or multiple Steam games, and the last method aims to help you move all games from HDD to SSD at once. Please choose the method that suits you.

Note: Before starting with how to move Steam to another drive, like an SSD, from your old HDD or SSD, please make sure that the new drive is compatible with your system and has a large enough storage capacity to hold all transferred game data. It is also recommended to backup important Steam games in advance to avoid file loss or corruption during migration.

Way 1. Transfer Steam Games to Another Drive with Steam Library

For how to move a game from HDD to SSD on Steam, you need to add the new SSD to Steam first, which will create a new Steam Library. Here is what to do:

• Connect the SSD to computer and launch the Steam app> click on Steam at the top left and select Settings > select Storage and expand the storage drop-down menu > click on Add Drive to select your connected SSD > click Add to create a SteamLibrary folder on the SSD.

Now, you can proceed with the guidelines below to learn how to move game from HDD to SSD on Steam with the Steam Library:

Step 1. Open Steam and select the Library tab on the top.

Step 2. Right-click the game you'd like to move and choose Properties.

Step 3. Go to Installed Files and click Move Install Folder.

Step 4. Select the new SSD folder and click Move.

Way 2. Move Steam Game from HDD to SSD with Storage Manager

Steam's built-in Storage Manager also offers a visual method to move multiple games at once. Follow the guide below to learn how to move Steam game from HDD to SSD:

Step 1. Open the Steam app, go to Settings > Storage.

Step 2. Select the drive with installed games, tick the box next to the games that you want to move, and then click on the Move button.

Step 3. On the pop-up MOVE CONTENT screen, select the drive with your new Steam folder, and click Move.

Way 3. Manually Move Steam to Another Drive from File Explorer

If you prefer a hands-on approach, you can also move Steam save files to another drive from HDD with File Explorer, but it requires attention to detail. Here is what to follow:

Step 1. Attach the new drive to computer, and then create a new folder on your SSD for Steam games.

Step 2. Navigate to your Steam folder (typically in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common)

Step 3. Copy the game folder of the game you want to move from HDD, and then paste the folder into your new SSD folder.

Step 4. Then, rename the old Steam folder, keep it in the source directory, or delete it as you like. Then launch Steam from the new path and create a new shortcut.

Way 4. Copy All Steam Games from HDD to SSD - One-Click

For those who want to manage large libraries or transfer multiple Steam games at one time quickly, using free disk cloning software like AOMEI Backupper Standard makes data migration more seamless. It offers Disk Clone to copy all data from one drive to another with one click.

AOMEI Backupper

Easy Disk Cloning Software

• It is capable of doing intelligent clone to copy only the used space on the source drive or sector by sector clone to get an exact copy of the source.
• It is embedded with an SSD Alignment feature that helps to increase the read/write speed of the destination SSD and prolong its lifespan.
• It also provides Partition Clone, which allows you to just copy a particular partition as needed.

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Here is how to move Steam games to another drive without re-downloading using AOMEI Backupper Standard:

Step 1. After connecting the new SSD, install and run the free cloning tool. Click Clone on the left menu and select Disk Clone.

Step 2. Select the current HDD as the source disk and click Next.

Step 3. Then, select the destination SSD you have connected to your computer, and click Next.

Step 4. Tick SSD Alignment to improve the performance of the target SSD. Click Start Clone to move all Steam games from HDD to SSD.

Except for disk cloning, you can also use its Sync function to transfer files/folders from one drive to another selectively.

FAQs about Moving Steam Games to Another Drive

#1. How long does it take to move a game from HDD to SSD on Steam?

It depends on the size of the game and the speed of your drives. On average, a 50GB game might take 5-10 minutes.

#2. How to change the default installation path for Steam to put Steam games on an SSD?

Usually, the default storage location of Steam games is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common.

If you want to change the default storage location for Steam games from the internal HDD to an external SSD, add the new SSD to Steam with the foregoing steps in Way 1. Then, go to Storage Manager on Steam, select the target storage drive, click the three-horizontal icon, and choose Make Default.

#3. Should I move Steam to SSD?

Yes, especially if you play games that benefit from faster load times. Moving Steam and its games to SSD can greatly enhance the overall experience.

#4. Do Steam games run better on SSDs?

Absolutely. Games on SSDs load faster, and you'll see fewer texture pop-ins or lag in large open-world games.

#5. How to backup Steam games to an external hard drive?

You can go to Steam > Backup and Restore Games, choose the games you want to back up, and follow the prompts to save them to an external drive.

In the End

On this page, we present 4 solutions for how to move Steam game from HDD to SSD, with which choose to migrate one game or multiple games with ease. If you wish to move all large games at one time, try AOMEI Backupper. This software offers a cloning function that allows you to migrate all data across HDDs and SSDs quickly and securely.

Also, you can use this software to clone Steam Deck SD card, backup Steam games to external hard drive, USB drive, cloud storage services, and so on.