Steam lags when downloading something [SOLVED]

Steam lags when downloading something [SOLVED]: When downloading games from Steam, users have reported to experiencing lag or even worse their computer hangs and they have to restart their PC. And when they again try to download the game from steam, boom the same problem appears. Even if the PC doesn’t freeze but it lags uncontrollably and whenever you’re downloading something from steam your mouse pointer seems to take years in moving from one place to another. When even this wasn’t enough if you check your CPU usage by going to Task Manager it’s at a dangerous level of 100%.

Although this particular issue is seen on Steam it doesn’t necessarily limit to it as users have reported a similar issue when downloading drivers from GeForce Experience application. Anway, through thorough research, users have found out that the main cause of this issue is a simple system level variable which was set to true. Although the cause of this error is not limited to above as it really depends on users system configuration but we will try to list all the possible methods to fix this issue.

Steam lags when downloading something [SOLVED]

Make sure to create a restore point just in case something goes wrong.

Method 1: Set System Level Variable To False

1.Press Windows Key + X then click on Command Prompt (Admin).

2.Type the following command and hit Enter: bcdedit /set useplatformclock false

3.Restart your PC to save changes.

After the system reboots again try to download something from Steam and you will no longer experience any lag or drag issues.

Method 2: Uncheck Read-Only mode for Steam Folder

1.Navigate to the following Folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\

2.Next, right-click on the common folder and select Properties.

3.Uncheck “Read-only (Only applies to files in folder)” option.

4.Then click Apply followed by OK.

5.Restart your PC to save changes and this should fix Steam lags when downloading something issue.

Method 3: Run CCleaner and Malwarebytes

Perform a Full antivirus scan to make sure your computer is secure. In addition to this run CCleaner and Malwarebytes Anti-malware.

1.Download and install CCleaner & Malwarebytes.

2.Run Malwarebytes and let it scan your system for harmful files.

3.If malware is found it will automatically remove them.

4.Now run CCleaner and in the “Cleaner” section, under the Windows tab, we suggest checking the following selections to be cleaned:

5.Once you’ve made certain the proper points are checked, simply click Run Cleaner, and let CCleaner run its course.

6.To clean your system further select the Registry tab and ensure the following are checked:

7.Select Scan for Issue and allow CCleaner to scan, then click Fix Selected Issues.

8.When CCleaner asks “Do you want backup changes to the registry?” select Yes.

9.Once your backup has completed, select Fix All Selected Issues.

10.Restart your PC to save changes. This would Fix Steam lags when downloading something issue but if it didn’t then continue to the next method.

Method 4: Temporarily Disable Antivirus Program

Sometimes the Antivirus program can cause the Steam stopping downloads or lags when downloading something issue and in order to verify this is not the case here, you need to disable your antivirus for a limited time so that you can check if the error still appears when the antivirus is off.

1.Right-click on the Antivirus Program icon from the system tray and select Disable.

2.Next, select the time frame for which the Antivirus will remain disabled.

Note: Choose the smallest amount of time possible for example 15 minutes or 30 minutes.

3.After it has been disabled restart your browser and test. This will be temporary, if after disabling the Antivirus the issue is fixed, then uninstall and reinstall your Antivirus program.

Method 5: Uncheck Proxy Option

1.Press Windows Key + R then type “inetcpl.cpl” and hit enter to open Internet Properties.

2.Next, Go to Connections tab and select LAN settings.

3.Uncheck Use a Proxy Server for your LAN and make sure “Automatically detect settings” is checked.

4.Click Ok then Apply and reboot your PC.

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That’s it you have successfully Fix Steam lags when downloading something problem but if you still have any queries regarding this post feel free to ask them in the comment’s section.