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How To Uninstall and Delete Steam Games on Your PC

Steam is one of the most popular digital game distribution platforms, with thousands of games available for download. Over time, your Steam library can get cluttered with games you no longer play. Uninstalling these games can free up storage space on your PC. Here are some tips on how to fully uninstall and delete Steam games.

Uninstall Through the Steam Client

The easiest way to uninstall Steam games is directly through the Steam client:

  • Launch the Steam client and log into your account
  • Click on the “Library” tab at the top
  • Right-click on the game you want to uninstall
  • Select “Uninstall” from the menu
  • Confirm that you want to uninstall the game

This will uninstall the game files but keep it in your library for future reinstallation.

Uninstall Through Windows

You can also uninstall Steam games through the Windows Settings:

  • Open Windows Settings > Apps > Apps & features
  • Locate the Steam game you want to uninstall
  • Click on it and select Uninstall
  • Confirm the uninstallation

This essentially does the same process as the Steam client method.

Manually Delete Game Files

If you want to completely wipe the existence of a Steam game from your PC, you’ll need to manually delete the game files from your hard drive:

  • Open File Explorer and navigate to the Steam installation folder
  • Default location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common
  • Locate the game folder you want to delete
  • Right-click on the folder and select Delete
  • Confirm deletion

This will completely remove the game as if it was never installed.

You’ll also want to delete leftover files in other locations:

  • Saved games in C:\Users$$user]\Documents
  • Config files in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
  • Cache files in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\appcache

Tips for Managing Disk Space

Here are some tips to help manage disk space used by Steam games:

  • Uninstall games you no longer play – This is the best way to free up space
  • Use the Steam Cleaner tool to delete unused files
  • Move less played games to a secondary hard drive
  • Limit how many games are installed at once
  • Set download restrictions in Steam settings
  • Compress game files with Compactor tool

Reinstalling Uninstalled Games

If you ever want to play an uninstalled game again:

  • Open your Steam library
  • Locate the game in your library (it will be grayed out)
  • Click Install to redownload the game files

Your save data is stored in the cloud or on your PC hard drive so progress is not lost.

Uninstalling Steam games you no longer play is an easy way to free up storage space. With the tips above, you can completely delete games as if they were never installed or quickly reinstall them later on. Carefully managing your Steam library ensures you always have enough disk space for new games.

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