How to speed up download

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Steam has never been as popular as it is today, thanks in part to the success of the Steam Deck. Although Steam has come a long way in terms of user experience, there is room for improvement. For example, many players still struggle with slow loading issues, which can be frustrating.



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Steam users will be happy to know that they don't just have to settle for lower speeds when downloading games. There are many tips that you can apply to speed up Steam loading. With that in mind, this guide will cover some important tips to increase your Steam download speed, as well as other useful information.


Seven top tips to speed up Steam downloads

Steam downloads menu

Here are some basic tips you should try to increase your download speed on Steam.

Tip #1 – Disable the option to limit the download speed

First of all, make sure the “Limit download speed” option is disabled. You can do this by following these simple steps:

  • Access to Steam.
  • Access Steam settings.
  • Select Downloads.
  • Uncheck the box Limit download speed option.

You can too
uncheck Throttle downloads
during streaming to improve Steam downloads.


Tip #2 – Change the download region

While in the Steam download settings menu, you'll also find a 'Download Region' option. Steam automatically chooses the download region it thinks is best for you, but it may not necessarily be the best. You can change the download region to find the one that offers the best performance.

Tip #3 – Clear your downloads cache

Another great way to improve Steam downloads is to clear your download cache. While in the Steam download settings menu, select Clear the cache.

Tip #4 – Disable VPN

If you use a VPN most of the time, it's likely that your download speed on Steam will slow down. While a VPN can help you access content from other regions, there is a downside: it can affect download and upload speeds. For this reason, you should ensure that your VPN is disabled whenever you start downloading content on Steam.


Tip #5 – Have you tried turning it off and on again?

Sometimes the biggest problems can be solved with simple solutions. If your Steam downloads are complicated, you should exit and re-download Steam. Also, you can try restarting the device just to be safe.

Tip #6 – Switch to a wired connection

If your device is connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi, you'd better choose a wired connection. There are wired connections faster and much more stablewhich can improve download speed.

Tips #7 – Disable metered connection on Windows device

Windows has a built-in option that helps you save data by restricting apps from accessing the Internet. however, this feature may reduce download speedso you should disable it (the option is shown in the image below).

The metered connection setting is disabled

Now that you know how to speed up Steam downloads, make the most of this information. If you used to struggle to download your favorite games, it won't be a problem anymore.


SteamCompanyTagPageHeader

Cf

Marco
Valve

Original release date
September 12, 2003

Original MSRP (US Dollars)
N/A

Weight
N/A

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