Ultimate Guide: Where Are Steam Games Stored?

Steam is a popular gaming platform and many gamers choose to download and install games from this platform. Besides downloading game files, you can also interact with other gamers in the Steam community. Steam can be installed on Windows PCs, Mac computers and the Steam Deck. Some users need to search Steam game files to recover lost game data, deal with game corruption, or save game files Where are Steam games stored? In this passage, we’ll help you learn where the games are on Windows, macOS and SteamOS.

Where Steam games are stored on Windows

Most gamers use Steam on Windows PCs because Macs are considered a desktop version. Some users may be able to configure the backup location of game files and not be able to save game files to their C drives Users who have changed the default game backup location, you will not be able to find the messages in the Steam Default Game folder.

How to find the default save location for Steam games

This tutorial can help you determine where Steam games are stored by default on your Windows PC:

Step 1. Open the file browser on Windows 11/1

Step 2. Steam games are saved in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common. You can copy this address to open the Common folder on your PC.

Step 3. You will see labeled folder with specific games. You can save the entire game folder on an external hard drive.

Tip: If you can backup gameplay files regularly, you can fix many unexpected gameplay issues, such as missing Hogwarts Legacy saves or missing SnowRunner saves. Backing up the game helps you restore game files and replace corrupted files.

How to change the default game location on Steam

Knowing the default location of Steam game archives, you do not want to save game files to the C drive How to change the default location of Steam game settings or restore Steam save files. Keep reading the simple steps below to figure it out:

Step 1. You need to change the settings in Steam, so start Steam on your PC.

Step 2. Open the Steam Downloads app and check the “STEAM LIBRARY ARCHIS” section.

Step 3. Then the Storage Manager window will open, click the "+" button and select "I'll pick a location" to add a new game location.

Step 4. When the new window appears you can select the location.

How to Recover Deleted Steam Game Files

Sometimes you may find accidentally deleted game files. First, you need to check the Recycle Bin in Windows 10. Game files can still be found in this folder. If you don’t have Steam backups and want to recover these game files, try the  MyRecover software.

• Retrieve 200+ types of data including photos, videos, text, emails, and more.
• Support data recovery from internal/external hard drive, SSD, SD card, USB drives, and more.
• Recover deleted data by preserving the file name, path, shape, and quality.
• Support Windows 11/10/8/7/Server, NTFS/FAT32/exFAT/ReFS, and so on.

Now, follow the steps to restore deleted data in a snap.

Step 1. Install and start the application > Sit on the drive and click Scan.

Step 2. Sort the data by size, type, conversion date, and so on. Additionally, you can install jpg/png extensions to view the files you need quickly.

Step 3. Go to Started Files > navigate to the original file location > select the desired photos > click Restore x files.

Where are Steam games stored in Steam Deck

Steam Deck is a new video game console released in 2022. This console can help you play Steam games without a computer. Some developers need to copy the games to the local PC, so where are the games stored in the Steam Deck? Check out this tutorial to find the Steam game folder:

Step 1. Enter desktop mode on the Steam Deck.

Step 2. Navigate to the Steam game folder by following the path /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/.

Where are Steam games stored on Mac

Download Steam games on Windows PC, Download Steam games on Windows PC, Download Steam games on Windows PC No matter if you are using an iMac or a MacBook, the methods should be the same because Mac computers use the same operating system, macOS.

Step 1. Open Mac Finder and select Go > Go to Folder… from the top menu bar.

Step 2. Steam games are saved in ~/Library/Application Help/Steam/SteamApps. You need to enter this path to access this game folder.

Written in the end

We have provided detailed folder locations to help you know where Steam games are stored on Windows, macOS and SteamOS. If you can’t find Steam games on Windows or macOS, you can re-download games or recover game files with MyRecover.