Getting a new PC doesn’t mean losing your Steam library. For most games, saves transfer automatically through Steam Cloud. For the rest, you have a few options — and doing it right takes less than an hour.

Step 1: Sync Everything Before You Start

Before touching the old PC:

  1. Launch Steam and let any pending cloud syncs complete
  2. Right-click each game you care about → Properties → General
  3. Confirm “Keep game saves in the Steam Cloud” is checked
  4. Note which games don’t have this option — those need manual transfers

Games with cloud sync active will restore automatically on the new PC after you log in.

Step 2: Transfer Game Files (Skip the 100GB Download)

Steam can move game installation files directly so you don’t redownload everything.

Method 1: Steam Backup and Restore (built-in)

On your old PC:

  1. Right-click the game in Steam → Manage → Back Up Game Files
  2. Choose a destination (external drive, USB drive, or network share)
  3. Repeat for each game

On your new PC:

  1. Install Steam and log in
  2. Go to Steam menu → Backup and Restore Games → Restore a backup
  3. Point it at the backup location

Method 2: Copy the steamapps folder directly

Faster for moving everything at once:

  1. Find your Steam library folder (default: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\)
  2. Copy the entire steamapps folder to an external drive
  3. On the new PC, paste it into the same path (or a new Steam library location)
  4. In Steam: Settings → Downloads → Steam Library Folders → Add Library Folder and point to it
  5. Steam will detect installed games without redownloading

Step 3: Transfer Saves for Games Without Cloud Sync

For games that don’t use Steam Cloud, copy saves manually.

Common save locations on your old PC:

  • %APPDATA%\[GameName]\
  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\[GameName]\
  • Documents\My Games\[GameName]\
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\[SteamID]\[AppID]\remote\

On your new PC, paste the copied saves into the same paths. These folders may not exist yet — create them if needed, or launch the game once first to generate the directory structure.

Step 4: Transfer the Steam userdata Folder

Your Steam userdata folder holds saves for games that store them inside Steam’s own directory. Copy the whole thing:

Old PC:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\[YourSteamID]\

New PC, paste into:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\[YourSteamID]\

Your SteamID must match (it will, as long as you log in with the same account).

After the Move: First Launch Checklist

  1. Log into Steam on the new PC
  2. Let Steam sync cloud saves (it may take a few minutes)
  3. If prompted about save conflicts — “Use Cloud Save” for cloud-enabled games, “Use Local Save” for anything you copied manually
  4. Launch each game and confirm your progress is intact before formatting the old drive

What About Other Launchers?

If you also use Epic, GOG, or EA App, each has its own transfer process. Your Steam progress won’t be affected by moving those — they’re completely separate.

Find the Exact Save Location for Any Steam Game

Not sure which folder a specific game uses? Look it up.

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