Steam is one of the modern pioneers of the contemporary digitalization of games where you can install and uninstall games at ease. It is user-friendly and free to download/use. Additionally, you can download a game on one computer and stream it on another computer using Steam. Isn’t that cool? You can purchase modern games on the platform which are stored under Library. If you are annoyed by the storage issue & slow performance of your PC due to Steam games, read below to learn how to uninstall & delete Steam games from your PC.
How to Uninstall Steam Games
During its initial stages, Steam had no competition. But, due to the arrival of another similar Epic Games & Discord platform, users were attracted & confused. Steam allows you to install and uninstall a game very quickly.
- If you have uninstalled a Steam game, it will still appear in your Library to make the reinstallation process easier, if & when needed.
- In addition, the Steam games you have purchased will be linked to your account. Hence, you need not worry about the loss of package over the platform.
Uninstalling Steam games is as simple as installing a new one. There are three different ways that will help you delete Steam games, save storage space, and speed up your PC. We recommend you to read our guide on 18 Ways to Optimize Windows 10 for Gaming.
Note: Always make sure to back up the progress of your game so that you may restore the backup files in case of unintentional uninstallation. Read our guide on How to Backup & Restore Steam Games to do so.
Method 1: Through Steam Library
This method is the easiest way of removing Steam games and can be implemented within seconds. Follow the given instructions to delete games from Steam:
1. Launch Steam and LOGIN with your credentials.
2. Now, navigate to the LIBRARY tab as highlighted below.
3. Here, right-click on the Game you want to uninstall from the library.
4. Then, navigate to Manage and click Uninstall, as depicted below.
5. Now, click Uninstall option to confirm the prompt received on the screen.
6. Finally, click on Delete to complete the Uninstallation.
The game that you have uninstalled will be greyed out in the Library.
Also Read: How to Move Origin Games to Another Drive
Method 2: Through Windows Apps & Features
If you could not log in to your Steam account for any reason, then you can proceed with this alternative method of uninstalling Steam games.
1. Go to the Start menu and type apps and features. Now, click on Open, as shown.
2. Type and search the Steam game (e.g. Rogue Company) you want to uninstall.
3. Click on the Game and click on Uninstall, as illustrated below.
4. Again, click Uninstall to confirm.
Note: If the program has been deleted from the PC, you can confirm by searching it again. You will receive a message: We couldn’t find anything to show here. Double check your search criteria.
Also Read: How to Download Steam Games on External Hard Drive
Method 3: Through Steamapps Folder
Though other ways on how to delete Steam games will delete the said game, this method will remove all Steam-related game files from your desktop/laptop.
Note: This method does not remove the game from the Steam library, but the game files are removed from your storage.
Here’s how to delete Steam games on Windows 10 PC:
1. Press Windows + E keys together to open File Explorer.
2. Now, navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam.
Note: The path may vary as it depends on the location where you have installed the Steam app. Read our guide on Where Are Steam Games Installed? to find out the Game directory.
3. Here, scroll down the list and double-click the steamapps folder to open it.
4. Next, double-click the common folder to open it.
5. The list of Steam games that you have installed from Steam will be displayed on the screen. Open the game folder (e.g. Rogue Company) by double-clicking on it.
6. Select all the files within the game folder by pressing Ctrl + A keys together, right-click and select Delete, as depicted below.
If you try to play the game on Steam, then you will receive an error message stating missing executable. If you play the game again then, the game files will be downloaded automatically and installed in your system, again.
Also Read: How to Open Steam Games in Windowed Mode
How to Disable Steam Cloud Synchronization
Whenever you install a game in Steam, a few configuration files are stored in the cloud. If you do not want to save every game file in the cloud, follow the below-mentioned steps to disable Steam client synchronization:
1. Launch Steam and Sign-in using your login credentials.
2. Now, click on the Steam tab from the top left corner of the screen.
3. Next, select the Settings option in the drop-down menu.
4. Here, click on Cloud tab in the left pane and uncheck the option marked Enable Steam Cloud synchronization for applications which support it, as shown highlighted.
5. Finally, click on OK to save the changes and exit the application.
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We hope that this guide was helpful and you have learned how to uninstall or delete Steam games on your PC. Let us know which method worked for you the best. Also, if you have any queries/suggestions regarding this article, feel free to drop them in the comments section.