Mar 21, 2017 Steam provides over 2,000 games available to purchase, download, and play from any computer. Check out the new releases, indie hits, casual favorites and everything in between.
Every now and then Steam releases games for peanuts, like during their annual summer sales. A Steam purchase, however, is only half the battle. You’ll have to download these games too, which can be a herculean task after a buying binge. Moreover, if you have a poor internet connection you can find yourself downloading for days on end.
That is, until now. There are ways to speed up Steam downloads.
Declutter Your Connection
Seriously, close your browser. As much as internet speeds are something of a mysterious force, there are a few obvious ways to cut down on your extraneous data use. The easiest method is hiding in plain sight: your Taskbar. Right-click on your Taskbar and select the Task Manager.
Next, click on the Network category. If you see any pesky programs hogging up your network connection, particularly currently running games, right-click on the program and select End task.
Optimize Steam’s Software
Another little trick to optimize Steam’s download speeds also lies within your Task Manager. First, open Steam and locate the software in your Task Manager. Right-click on Steam Client entry and select Go to details.
Next, from your Detail panel, right-click on SteamService.exe and select Set priority, then High.
While this won’t radically alter download speeds, it will inform your PC that Steam deserves a higher priority than the rest of your programs, background or otherwise.
Optimize Your Data Connection
While Steam does do its best to provide users with the most optimal speeds available — thanks, GabeWho Is Gabe Newell And Why Do Gamers Care?Who Is Gabe Newell And Why Do Gamers Care?In every area of technology, we have figureheads. For the desktop, laptop, and now even smartphones, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs should both be names that ring bells. For our internet and social networking, someone...Read More! — Steam’s download speeds will largely depend on the speed of your own internet connectionStart Testing Your Internet Speed Right From the DesktopStart Testing Your Internet Speed Right From the DesktopWe all know about Speedtest's online interface, but now you can test your internet even more conveniently.Read More. Though it’s understandable that not everyone has access to a powerhouse internet connection, there are a few things you can immediately do to better your overall online connection.
My topmost recommendation would be to download games using a physical Ethernet connectionNetworking 101: Ethernet, LANs, and How They WorkNetworking 101: Ethernet, LANs, and How They WorkEven for modern users, the language surrounding home networking can be a little confusing. What's a LAN? Why do I need an Ethernet cable? Isn't it all the same?Read More. This also means tracking down your LAN drivers and installing the latest ones. To do so, you’ll have to locate your motherboard’s make and model.
Click on your Start Menu, type cmd, and click on the Command Prompt option. Enter the following into your prompt and hit Enter on your keyboard.
Google your motherboard’s make and model to locate its Support page. From this page, you’ll be able to locate and download the latest LAN drivers. Finally, connect your modem to your PC via an Ethernet cable. That’s it!
Server Proximity
Steam downloads are regional5 Secrets Of The Steam Client That You Should Be Using5 Secrets Of The Steam Client That You Should Be UsingAre you sure that you're getting the most out of your Steam client? If you aren't careful, there are some really useful features and tools that you could be looking over.Read More, rather than centered in one global location. At times, Steam will incorrectly read your location. This means you could be located in Los Angeles, while your downloads are centered in Philadelphia, which could dramatically affect download speeds.
To change your download region, open Steam and head to Steam, and then Settings in the upper left-hand corner.
From the Settings window, click on the Downloads category. Next, click on the drop-down menu below Download Region.
Set this option to the closest server available in your area. For added measure, set the Limit bandwidth to option in this window to No limit.
Server Relocation
While choosing your closest server is typically your best bet, it isn’t always. For example, I live in an area with high download rates and high levels of trafficCheck Website Traffic With These 7 Top ToolsCheck Website Traffic With These 7 Top ToolsChecking your website's traffic isn't hard with the right tools. This article summarizes seven of the best traffic analysis sites.Read More.
This affects the overall speed of your download: the higher the traffic, the more clogged your connection. You can, however, relocate the server in order to find the right balance of traffic and download rates.
First, head to Steam’s Download Stats. From this interactive map, you will be able to check the average download rate and percentage of global traffic.
Click on a country to see the download rates and traffic. To provide an example, let’s take the United States and China.
Although the U.S. has a slightly larger average download rate, it also has almost twice the global Steam traffic. While your download rate results may not radically change (as proximity is also a factor in download speeds) changing your current server to one with a greater download rate or less traffic will certainly help download speeds.
Don’t Be Down About Downloading
There’s nothing sadder than slow download speeds. That’s why we’re here to help. If you’re experiencing slow download speeds on Steam, take a few minutes to enact these tips. After all, those MBs add up!
And if you’re wondering how Steam account security worksThe Steam Account Security Guide for NewbiesThe Steam Account Security Guide for NewbiesWhether you're new to Steam or a veteran, it's easy to protect your games and other data using Steam Guard. Here's how to do it.Read More or how to stream your games to TV from PC5 Ways to Stream Video Games From PC to TV5 Ways to Stream Video Games From PC to TVThere are a handful of ways to stream video games from your PC to your TV. In this article, we take a quick look at them all.Read More, check out our helpful guides.
Explore more about: Computer Maintenance, Download Management, Steam, Windows 10.
Mr Bonilla, thank you for your advice, but your article does not live up to its premise.
If I go to the Windows 'Task Manager' and change the Priority of 'SteamService.exe,' does that 'Optimize Steam's Software?' It is neither changing any Steam software setting (it is changing a Windows setting), nor optimizing anything at all.
Does the process of updating my network adapter's drivers (a process you call 'updating LAN drivers') qualify as 'Optimizing My Data Connection?' Updating drivers can perhaps contribute, in a minor way, to the optimization of a data connection. But the two things are not synonymous (in Windows, if any of a network adapter's Advanced Properties have been adjusted, updating the driver will return them to their default settings, so any performance gains which had resulted from those adjustments will be lost, therefore resulting in a relative decrease in performance; your article should have at least pointed out that such adjustments would have to be remade, after the completion of your recommended driver update).
Your intentions are good, in that you are ostensibly trying to share tips on how to optimize Steam's performance. Yet you misrepresent your advice, because you label it as something it isn't, and you even offer a tip which could easily lead to worse performance, if precautions aren't taken.
Please revise your headlines, headings, and information, so that your work no longer resembles the mass of bad-faith deceptive clickbait garbage that chokes the world wide web today.
Thank you.
Have you ever noticed how slow Steam’s built-in web browser can be? Do you struggle with slow download speeds? Or is Steam just slow in general? These tips will help you speed it up.
Steam isn’t a game itself, so there are no 3D settings to change to achieve maximum performance. But there are some things you can do to speed it up dramatically.
Speed Up the Steam Web Browser
RELATED:5 Tips and Tricks to Get the Most Out of Steam
Steam’s built-in web browser—used in both the Steam store and in Steam’s in-game overlay to provide a web browser you can quickly use within games—can be frustratingly slow. Rather than the typical speed we’ve come to expect from Chrome, Firefox, or even Internet Explorer, Steam seems to struggle. When you click a link or go to a new page, there’s a noticeable delay before the new page appears—something that doesn’t happen in desktop browsers.
You may have made peace with this slowness, accepting that Steam’s built-in browser is just bad. However, there’s a trick that may eliminate this delay on many systems and make the Steam web browser more responsive.
This problem seems to arise from an incompatibility with the Automatically Detect Settings option, which is enabled by default on Windows. This is a compatibility option that very few people should actually need, so it’s safe to disable it—and easy to re-enable if you need to.
Press the Windows key to open the Start menu, type “Internet Options”, and then click the Internet Options shortcut.
In the “Internet Properties” window, switch to the “Connections” tab, and then click the “LAN settings” button.
Disable the “Automatically detect settings” check box, and then click “OK” to save your settings. You can then click “OK” again to close the “Internet Properties” window.
With any luck, the significant delay you experienced every time a web page loaded in Steam’s browser should now be gone. In the unlikely event that you encounter some sort of problem with your network connection, you can always re-enable the “Automatically detect settings” option.
Increase Steam’s Game Download Speed
Steam attempts to automatically select the download server nearest to your location. However, it may not always make the ideal choice. Also, in the case of high-traffic events like big seasonal sales and huge game launches, you may benefit from temporarily selecting a less-congested server.
Open Steam’s settings by clicking the “Steam” menu, and then selecting the “Settings” option.
In the “Settings” window, switch to the “Downloads” tab, and then select the closest download server from the “Download Region” dropdown menu. While you’re on this tab, make sure that Steam’s download bandwidth doesn’t have a limit applied.
You may want to restart Steam and see if your download speeds improve after changing this setting. In some cases, the closest server might not be the fastest. A server a bit farther away could be faster if your local server is more congested, for example.
Steam once provided information about content server load, which allowed you to select a regional server that wasn’t under high-load, but this information is no longer available. Steam still provides a page that shows you the amount of download activity happening in different regions, including statistics about the difference in download speeds in different US states, but this information isn’t as useful.
Accelerate Steam and Your Games
RELATED:What Is a Solid State Drive (SSD), and Do I Need One?
One way to speed up all your games—and Steam itself—is by getting a solid-state drive (SSD) and installing Steam to it. Steam allows you to move your Steam folder—which is at C:Program Files (x86)Steam
by default—to another hard drive. Just move it like you would any other folder. You can then launch the Steam.exe program as if you had never moved Steam’s files.
Steam also allows you to configure multiple game library folders. This means that you can set up a Steam library folder on an SSD and one on your larger regular drive. Install your most frequently played games to the SSD for maximum speed and your less frequently played ones to the slower drive to save SSD space.
To set up additional library folders, head to Steam > Settings > Downloads, and then click “Steam Library Folders” button.
In the “Steam Library Folders” window, click the “Add Library Folder” button and create a new game library on another hard drive.
The next time you install a game through Steam, you can choose the library folder to which you want to install it.
With the proxy compatibility option disabled, the correct download server chosen, and Steam installed to a fast SSD, most things Steam should be much faster. There’s not much more you can do to speed up Steam, short of upgrading other hardware like your computer’s CPU.
Image Credit: Andrew Nash on Flickr
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