How to Move Steam Games Between Handheld Storage Drives

Running out of internal storage does not mean you need to uninstall and download every Steam game again. Steam can relocate an existing installation to another library on the same handheld. This guide covers Steam Deck and the desktop Steam client on Windows handhelds.

Prepare the destination

Close the game and check that the destination has enough free space for its installation. Keep removable storage connected throughout the move. These are practical precautions to avoid interrupting a file transfer.

On Steam Deck, manage connected storage under Steam > Settings > Storage. For a new microSD card, Valve documents Steam > Settings > System > Format SD card. Back up anything you need from the card before formatting: treat this as an operation that erases its contents. Do not format a working card merely to move a game.

Valve lists UHS-I cards, class 3 or better, as supported. UHS-II and UHS-III cards are expected to work, but the Deck does not support their higher transfer speeds. A faster card label alone therefore does not guarantee a faster Deck transfer.

On a Windows handheld, open the desktop Steam client and go to Settings > Storage. Use the add-location control, shown as a plus button in Valve's documentation, to create a Steam library on the destination drive. An available drive must be registered as a Steam library before it can be selected for a move.

Move the installed game

In Settings > Storage, select the drive that currently contains the game. Select the game, choose Move, and pick the destination library. Let Steam finish before disconnecting storage or starting the game.

For one game in the desktop client, Valve also documents Library > right-click the game > Properties > Installed Files > Move Install Folder. This reaches the same kind of relocation from the game's own settings.