How to Back Up Games on Steam

Last Updated: August 3, 2019

Are you planning to change your computer system, or to reinstall or upgrade your OS? Are you worried that your Steam games will have to be re-installed? There is a simple way to avoid all this. Steam allows you to back up your installed games so they can be restored later at your convenience.

Steps

1
Log into Steam.
2
Go to "Library" > "Games". This view will show you all the games you have bought and installed.
- Only those currently installed in your system will be highlighted and can be backed up.
- If you click on the games installed, it will show Play.
- If you click on uninstalled games, it will show Install.
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3
Click "Steam" > "Backup and Restore Games".
4
Choose "Backup currently installed programs" and click Next.
5
Choose the games you want to backup and click Next.
6
Choose your destination folder.
- By default, the destination folder will be C:\Program Files (x86)\steam\Backups. You may want to choose another.
- Use an external hard drive, especially if you are re-installing or installing an upgraded OS, where all your data may be deleted.
- Click Next.
7
Choose the file size.
- You can choose between CD, DVD or Custom.
- Use CD for games smaller than 1 GB.
- Use DVD for games larger than 1 GB. For 100GB data, up to 25 DVDs will be created.
- Use custom only if necessary, especially if your games go beyond 100GB data.
- Click Next.
8
Finish the backup.
- Wait for Steam to finish backup. Then click Finish.
- You may open the backup folder to check.
- You need not burn these on an external DVD / CD. Steam's restore function can directly read the data.
- Do not delete or modify the name or contents of the folder.
- Do not rename the folder at all, or else the Steam program may not recognize your backups.

Warnings

You can do a backup in offline mode, but to restore the backup games, you must be online.

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You can only backup your currently installed games. Uninstalled games cannot be backed up.

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