The Steam client has a congenital-in fill-in and restore characteristic. You tin can use it to create a backup of your existing Steam library and restore your game files from the backup.

Y'all can too manually create a backup of the game installation folder and restore it after performing a clean install. Still, subsequently a make clean install or restart, Steam may not recognize your installed games and prompt you to reinstall the apps.

This is a reoccurring issue reported on both Windows 11 and 10 computers. Fortunately, you can force Steam to locate your games from the installation directory with a bit of tweaking. Here's how to get Steam to recognize installed games on your PC.

Why Doesn't Steam Recognize My Installed Games?

steam-logo-on-abstract-background

Steam may neglect to recognize installed games if you have inverse the default Steam folder. In other instances, abrupt Steam customer shutdown and missing .acf files for the games are the mutual contributors to this problem.

Here are a few things that you tin endeavour to become Steam to recognize your installed games and salve time and data downloading the games all over again.

one. Reinstall Steam Games Without Downloading

According to Steam, some games may announced not installed if the Steam client fails to recognize the installation files. Provided that you lot have the game binder in the correct location, y'all can begin the download process. This will strength Steam to recognize the existing installation files without downloading the files all once more.

Note that this requires y'all to sign in to your Steam business relationship. Explore our troubleshooting guide to gear up can't sign in to Steam upshot if yous struggle to log in.

Follow these steps to reinstall games in Steam without downloading:

  1. Open File Explorer (Win + E) and navigate to the following location: 
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\mutual
  2. Brand sure the folders associated with the affected games exist at the location.
  3. If yes, Launch the Steam desktop app on your PC and log in if not logged in already.
    exit family view steam
  4. Next, make certain you are out of the Family unit View. To exercise this, click the Family unit View icon in the top right corner of the screen and enter your PIN to exit Family unit View.
  5. Adjacent, open up the Library tab in the top left corner. It lists all the games that y'all own and installed on your PC.
  6. Click on the affected game and and so click the Install button.
    install new game steam
  7. Equally Steam begins to install the game, it volition likely recognize the existing files and complete the installation without downloading the game files all again.

2. Add Alternate Installation Location

Y'all can change the default Steam game download location to salvage large games on a different drive or partition. If you have moved your Steam games previously, Steam won't be able to find the game files and show them equally uninstalled. To ready this, add together the alternate game folders to the Steam customer using Steam Manager.

  1. Launch the Steam customer and make sure yous are not in the Family unit View.
  2. Next, click on Steam in the acme left corner and select Settings.
    steam settings
  3. In the Settings window, open the Download tab in the left pane.
  4. Click the STEAM LIBRARY FOLDERS push under Content Libraries.
    download steam steam library folders
  5. In the Storage Manager window, click the + icon beside the existing storage/drive locations.
    add library steam
  6. Click the drop-down in Add a New Steam Library Binder dialog, and select the Let me cull another location.
  7. Browse through your storage drives and select the Steam game folder y'all want to add.
    add new steam library choose location
  8. Click the Select button to add the folder.
  9. Steam volition look for files in the newly added folder and bear witness them in your Steam library. If the game doesn't appear immediately, relaunch the app and bank check your Steam library.

3. Manage .acf Files for the Steam Games

The .acf files in Steam are used to store information and configuration enshroud. Basically, each .acf file has a unique appid (App ID) and stores game information such equally install and DLC download states, buildid (Build ID), and other user preference information.

If the .acf file associated with a Steam game is missing or corrupted, Steam may fail to recognize installed games. To set this problem, you tin can move out the existing .acf files and movement them back once again, forcing Steam to recognize installed games. Before you lot begin, check if yous have enough infinite to install the Steam game.

  1. Launch the Steam client on your PC.
  2. Open up the Library tab.
  3. Next, select the game that you want to play. It volition show as Uninstalled with an choice to Install.
  4. Click the Install button, select the installation directory and click Finish.
    steam install counter strike
  5. Next, hover your cursor over the Library tab and select Download.
    pause steam install counter strike
  6. Click the Intermission button to pause the download for the affected game.
    exit steam jpg
  7. Next, click on Steam (in the top left corner) and select Exit. It is important to leave the Steam client. If you close the app without exiting, you won't exist able to make the necessary changes.
  8. Printing Win + Eastward to open File Explorer and navigate to the following location: 
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\
  9. If y'all have changed the default Steam installation folder, so navigate to the appropriate directory.
  10. Inside the SteamApps folder, locate the .acf file associated with the affected Steam game. For example, the .acf file for the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive game is appmanifest_730.acf. 730 is the appid (App ID) for this game. Similarly, all the games have different appid. Yous tin can notice the appid for all the Steam games on Steamdb.info.
    move appmanifest_730 acf
  11. Locate the appmanifest_appid.acf file for your game inside the steamapps folder and motion it to a different folder or your desktop. Don't delete the file, as you will need to move it back again.
  12. Next, launch the Steam app and open the Library tab. It will evidence the affected game as uninstalled.
  13. Exit the Steam client.
  14. Next, motion the appmanifest_appid.acf file back to the steamapps folder at C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\.
    Steam install counter strike after moving acf file
  15. Launch the Steam app and resume the Update/Download. Steam will find the existing game files and show your game in the Steam library.

Making Steam Recognize Installed Games

Installed Steam games often become unavailable or prove uninstalled after a Steam reinstallation. You can set up this effect by pointing the Steam to the proper alternate installation directory or initiating a reinstallation to force Steam to recognize the games. If the problem is considering of a corrupted .acf configuration file, you can restore the missing file with a bit of tweaking in the Steam library and the installation directory.

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About The Author

Tashreef Shareef (143 Articles Published)

Tashreef is a developer and works as a technical writer at MakeUseOf. With a bachelor'southward caste in Estimator Applications, he has over 5 years of feel and covers Microsoft Windows and everything around it. When non looking for a missing semicolon or churning out text, y'all can notice him trying FPS titles or looking for new animated shows and movies.

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