Fix disk space errors on Steam [Simplest methods]

by Vlad Turiceanu
Vlad Turiceanu
Vlad Turiceanu
Editor-in-Chief
Passionate about technology, Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world. Coming... read more
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  • In case you notice that there is not enough disk space on Steam, keep in mind that you'll probably need to clear the app's download cache.
  • We suggest trying to repair your Steam library files and verify the integrity of games' files.
  • Even if it is not always recommended, you'll probably need to partially delete certain downloaded files.
Steam game doesn't show up in library [Quick fixes]

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Are you interested in discovering how to fix the disk space errors on Steam? You’re in the right place! We’ve compiled some solutions that will solve them effortlessly.

Steam is one of the most popular digital distribution platforms in the world. From 2003 when it was first released until today, millions of users worldwide enjoy downloading and playing games through it.

Once Steam only offered first-party games, but now it has developed and allows access to third-party games and developers. With more and more features on every update comes also the risk of errors.

One of the most common issues users have reported is the Not enough disk space error. It seems like it appears when trying to download a game, even though there was plenty of space on the computer.

Fortunately, there are a lot of solutions to this problem, and today we will go through them.

Why does it say I don’t have enough disk space when running Steam?

This annoying issue will probably appear when your hard drive is almost full or already full. In these terms, you won’t be able to save or properly use large files on this drive.

Keep in mind that every time you install a new game from the Steam app, it downloads a DirectX redistributable package.

Once your game is installed, that redistributable file just sits on your hard drive useless, taking up space.

It is pretty annoying knowing that you don’t have enough space on your PC, but you can clean unnecessary programs, and the easiest way to do it is automatic, through specialized software.

CCleaner analyzes your PC and recommends quick fixes, then automatically tunes and updates it so it starts and runs faster, and is more secure. Plus, keep in mind that outdated apps are a security risk.

Old systems and devices can have vulnerabilities, which can be discovered and shared amongst cybercriminals, but CCleaner updates your software automatically to close security holes before they can be found.

How do I fix the disk space errors on Steam?

1. Run Steam as administrator

  1. Right-click on the Steam icon on your desktop, then navigate to Properties.
  2. Click on the Compatibility tab, then check the Run this program as an administrator box.
  3. Select the Apply button, then the OK button.

2. Clear Steam Download cache

  1. Press on the Windows key, type Steam, then navigate to the first result.
  2. From the top-left window corner, click on Steam.
  3. Now, go to Settings.
  4. In the left panel, choose Downloads.
  5. Look at the bottom of the window, then click on the Clear Download Cache button.
  6. Restart Steam, log in with your credentials and start the game download.

It’s possible that some of the files that the app’s cache are incomplete, corrupted, or take too much memory, so if there is not enough disk space on Steam, the best solution is to clear the cache.

Also, if you have slow download speeds on Steam, you can fix the problem with ease by following our dedicated guide.

3. Repair Steam Library files

  1. Hit the Windows key, type Steam, then open the app.
  2. From the top-left corner of the window, select Steam.
  3. Now, navigate to Settings.
  4. From the left panel, choose Downloads.
  5. In the Content Libraries section click on Steam Library Folders.
  6. A new Steam Library Folders window should appear. Right-click on the Steam Registry C:Program Files (x86)Steam and select Repair Library Folder.
  7. Once the process is finished, restart Steam, log in with your credentials and start the game download again.

4. Verify the integrity of game files

  1. Hit the Windows key, type Steam, then navigate to the first result.
  2. In the main menu, go to Library.
  3. Find the game that’s of interest to you, right-click it, and choose Properties.
  4. Select the Local files tab.
  5. Now, click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
  6. Restart Steam, log in with your credentials and continue the game download.

The Steam Library is where all your games are, and sometimes it’s not configured correctly. Additionally, you can verify the integrity of the game files:

5. Delete the partially downloaded file

  1. Use the following keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Alt + Delete.
  2. Navigate to Task Manager.
  3. Find all the Steam services that are running and click on End task for each of them.
  4. Go to your Steam directory. Usually, the path is C:Program Files (x86)Steam.
  5. Go to the Steamapps folder, and then downloading folder.
  6. Locate the folder that’s causing the problems. You can identify it by the application ID.
  7. Restart your PC, log in to Steam with your credentials and continue the game download.

If the download was interrupted by an error, then the files are incomplete thus creating a Steam conflict. To fix this, follow the above steps.

If you can’t delete the folder, then you might have managed to make it read-only. To fix it, do the following:

  1. Press on the Windows key, type cmd, right-click on the result, then choose to Run as an administrator.
  2. In the cmd window type cd c:/program files (x86)/Steam and then attrib -r /S *.*
  3. This should make your folder R/W again, and you should be able to delete it.

Does uninstalling Steam games free up space?

It seems like some gamers are wondering if uninstalling Steam games will help them to fix the disk space errors.

Well, if you feel the same, the answer is yes, this might be an idea, but not necessarily a good one, so we strongly recommend using it only if you have no other alternative.

You can uninstall Steam games right from your Steam Library and this is how you can easily do it:

  1. Open Steam.
  2. Go to Library.
  3. Right-click on the game you want to get rid of, then click on Manage, and choose to Uninstall it.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

As you can see, there are a lot of solutions and workarounds to the Not enough disk space message error, and all of them are confirmed as working by users.

What can I do if Steam says there is not enough disk space? The fastest way to solve the issue is to clear the Steam download cache.

In most cases, incomplete or corrupted files are triggering the error. If that doesn’t work, repair your Steam library files and delete the partially downloaded game.

We hope that one of these solutions solved your problem. If you have any more questions, or you know other ways to solve the disk space issue on Steam, reach for the comments section below, and we’ll be sure to check it out.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Run Steam as an administrator. Additionally, we have a comprehensive list of Steam errors and their fixes where you can see how to get rid of disk write errors.

  • Because it is reading the drive’s available disk space, and it thinks it is empty. This guide dedicated to fix disk space errors on Steam will show you how to fix this issue.

  • In order to check out your disk space on Steam, you should to be logged in and go to Steam Library Folders.

  • You can uninstall Steam games or use this specialized tool which deletes temp and duplicate files.

  • If you want to make more space on your system drive, you can use the Disk Clean-up utility baked into Windows 10. For creating space on other drives, we recommend moving files to the cloud.

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