No need to move Steam. you can create a new Steam game installation directory in the Steam download settings. Then when installing a game you can select the drive you wish to install it to.

I guess my question wasn't exactly clear. I am replacing a drive that is going bad. It has my Steam install on it. Can I just copy the install to the new drive and have it work?

Originally posted by BlitzPig_EL:

I guess my question wasn't exactly clear. I am replacing a drive that is going bad. It has my Steam install on it. Can I just copy the install to the new drive and have it work?

You could just copy over the installation of Steam + games, yes.

If you only want to copy over the games you will only need to move the game files and the game's appmanifest file located in steam/steamapps.

In my opinion, Steam is portable. So you will be fine with moving Steam over to another drive.

Thanks folks. Much appreciated.

it can be moved, but its easier to just make a new game library on the other drive
steam manages libraries pretty good by itself

steam -> settings -> downloads -> [steam library folders] -> [add library folder]
select drive and path for the new library

when installing it will ask what library to use, or you can move games
steam -> library -> select game -> properties -> local files tab -> move

Originally posted by BlitzPig_EL:

I guess my question wasn't exactly clear. I am replacing a drive that is going bad. It has my Steam install on it. Can I just copy the install to the new drive and have it work?

You can clone the drive easy enough, that might be simplest for what it sounds like you're asking.

If the drive is still accessible to get data off of, then turn off that PC, wait til new drive arrives. Then clone the old drive to new drive. Then remove old drive, plug up the new drive and boot from that. Now you're right back to where you were.

I made a copy of my library to another drive and can carry the copy to another computer and plug it in and it works fine. I just have to confirm to Steam that the new computer is allowed to use my username and password. The Steam app helps with that.

So keeping the copied drive in the same computer will work. You may have to use disk management to change the drive letters if you want to keep the same letter. (I like to use S:\ for the steam install)

Cloning will make the new drive the same size as the old drive. If they are the same, then great, if the original is bigger it will not work, if the original is smaller, it will make the new drive the smaller size and you could lose some space.

Steam client never requires an install. All you ever need is a steam.exe file and where ever this is run from, is where it will be seen as installed by the OS.

I've been moving steam from pc to pc since 2011 or so, all this time, never once had to install steam on a Windows PC. And not just my Steam exe but all my Games too. I have over 500 games, about 400 are installed and I can easily migrate them pc to pc whenever needed with ease.

I know this thread is a little old, but I need some help with this. I have a situation that's a little different. I already have my games installing on a separate drive, but my Steam Client and all the primary files are located on my main drive. Now I want to move the client and all of those associated files (there are a lot) to the same drive as my games.

The problem is that there is already a Steam folder on that second drive. I don't want to cause a conflict/error such as "Steam folder already exists". I don't want to rename the folders, either. I essentially need to merge the one on my main drive into the one on my secondary drive. The one on my second drive doesn't have as many folders in it, but it has a few that are the same as the other. Short of uninstalling the client and just reinstalling it on my second drive, (not what I want to do), I'm not sure how to safely move everything w/out causing conflicts.

Just copy the whole Steam folder from C drive over to your other drive. Steam is one of the few apps you can easily do this with. Steam never needs an installer.

For example:
D:/steam (client)
D:/steamlibrary (games)

Once the steam folder is on new drive, delete your steam shortcut. Go to the new Steam folder and right click steam.exe > send to > desktop as shortcut. Right click it, run as admin.

Done.

Once it's working ok. Delete the old Steam folder off C Drive.

https://steamhost.cn/help_steampowered_com/en/faqs/view/4BD4-4528-6B2E-8327

Originally posted by Bad 💀 Motha:

Just copy the whole Steam folder from C drive over to your other drive. Steam is one of the few apps you can easily do this with. Steam never needs an installer.

For example:
D:/steam (client)
D:/steamlibrary (games)

Once the steam folder is on new drive, delete your steam shortcut. Go to the new Steam folder and right click steam.exe > send to > desktop as shortcut. Right click it, run as admin.

Done.

Once it's working ok. Delete the old Steam folder off C Drive.

Is there any way to set the permissions so I don't have to run as admin every time?

Also, I already have a folder in my secondary drive (B) called "Steam", which is where my game library is. I want to safely merge the one on C to the one on B w/out having to rename the folder on B. Can I do this or is it better to rename the library folder, and then add that folder to my library in Steam's settings through the client and then copy the folder from C?

Then just copy the contents from.old steam folder to new. It's really that simple. Then run steam.exe from the new location.