How To Delete Game Data On Steam

How to Delete Game Data on Steam

Sometimes, you might want to clear out old game data on Steam. Maybe you’re making space on your computer, or perhaps you want to start a game fresh. It’s a pretty common thing, and it’s not too tricky once you know how. This article will walk you through all the ways you can get rid of game data on Steam, step by step. We’ll cover deleting local saves, uninstalling games, removing cloud saves, and even cleaning up workshop content. Let’s get started!

Understanding Different Types of Game Data

Before diving into deleting things, let’s talk about the different kinds of game data you might encounter on Steam. Knowing what you’re dealing with will help you make the right choices when deleting. Here are the main types:

• Local Save Data: This is data stored right on your computer. It includes your game progress, settings, and anything else that’s specific to your playthrough of a game. If you delete local saves, your progress in that game goes away on this computer.
• Cloud Save Data: Steam also saves your game data on its servers, this is known as cloud save. This allows you to play a game on one computer, and then continue playing from where you left off on a different computer. The cloud save helps you to keep your game data synced with your steam account.
• Installed Game Files: These are the main files of a game itself that Steam downloads and installs on your PC. It includes the core game files that make the game run.
• Workshop Content: Games that support the Steam Workshop often have user-created content, such as mods, maps, and skins. This content also takes up space on your hard drive.

Knowing this difference is key because each type needs to be deleted differently.

Deleting Local Save Files

Local save files are usually stored in specific places on your computer. Steam doesn’t keep all saves in one folder, each game save its data in different places. The exact location will change depending on the game. Here’s how to locate and delete them:

Finding Local Save Locations

The easiest way to find your game saves is often by checking the game’s official website or community forum. Usually, game developers or experienced players discuss where the save files are stored.

Here are some common places to find local save files:

• Documents Folder: Look for folders named after the game developer or the game itself in your Documents folder. For example: Documents/My Games/GameName or Documents/GameName.
• AppData Folder: This is a hidden folder. To access it, you can type %appdata% into your Windows file explorer address bar and press enter. Then look inside the Local folder and the Roaming folder for game-specific folders.
• Game Installation Folder: Sometimes games keep their save files inside the game’s own installation folder. To find that, right-click on the game in your Steam library, select “Manage” and then “Browse Local Files”.

Once you find the save folder, you can delete the entire folder or just the files within it. Be careful with this! If you delete save files by mistake, you may not be able to get your progress back.

Example: Deleting Save Files Manually

Let’s say you want to delete the save files for “Awesome Game”. You have already found the game saves in your Document folder at “Documents/My Games/Awesome Game/saves”. Here’s what you can do:

1. Open File Explorer: Open your File Explorer (the folder icon).
2. Go to Documents: Click on “Documents” in the left-hand navigation pane.
3. Locate Game Folder: Look for the “My Games” folder, then find “Awesome Game” inside of that folder.
4. Enter the ‘saves’ folder: You should now see a folder named ‘saves’, enter this folder.
5. Select Files to Delete: Here you’ll find all the save files. You can select the files you want to delete, or you can delete all of them.
6. Delete the Files: Right-click on the selected file(s) and choose “Delete.” They will move to your Recycle Bin.

Remember to empty your Recycle Bin if you want to make sure the files are completely gone from your computer.

Important Note: Deleting local save files does not remove your cloud saves. We’ll discuss that next.

Removing Cloud Save Data

If you’re using Steam Cloud, your save data is also stored online. Deleting local saves won’t always remove them from the cloud. Here’s how you can remove or disable cloud saves.

Disabling Steam Cloud Sync for a Game

The easiest way to deal with cloud saves is to disable the cloud sync. This way, the game will use only your local saves. Follow these steps:

1. Open Steam: Launch the Steam application.
2. Go to Your Library: Click on “Library” at the top.
3. Find the Game: Right-click on the specific game for which you want to disable cloud saves.
4. Click on Properties: Select “Properties” from the menu.
5. Go to the “General” Tab: The Properties window should have tabs on the left, find and click the “General” tab.
6. Uncheck Steam Cloud Synchronization: Find the checkbox that says “Keep game saves in the Steam Cloud” and uncheck it.

Now, the game will only use the save files on your computer. If you delete the local saves after disabling cloud sync, your saved progress will be gone and will not be restored from the Steam Cloud.

Deleting Cloud Saves (More Complex)

Directly deleting cloud save data can be more complex, as Steam does not provide an option to directly remove cloud saves. The method involves disabling Steam Cloud and then manipulating local files.

Note: This method can be risky and you could lose save data permanently. Consider this method carefully and back up save files first if possible.

Here’s a step-by-step process for deleting cloud save data:

1. Disable Steam Cloud Sync: Follow the previous step to disable Steam Cloud sync for the specific game.
2. Launch the Game: Start the game and play for a short amount of time. This should create new local save files that will overwrite your cloud save files in next step.
3. Quit the Game: Close the game completely.
4. Re-Enable Steam Cloud Sync: Go back to the game’s Properties and re-enable the “Keep game saves in the Steam Cloud” option.
5. Launch the Game again: Now when the game launches, Steam will ask if you want to upload your local save files to the cloud. Click ‘upload to the cloud’. This will overwrite your previous cloud saves with the newly created local saves.

This process effectively overwrites your old cloud saves with the new ones from your local storage, which may seem like deleting your cloud save data because the game now shows no old saves.

Third-Party Tools

Sometimes, games offer their own settings to manage or reset save files, both locally and in the cloud. Check the game’s settings menu for any save-related options. Some online communities also provide tools designed to manage Steam cloud saves. However, use caution with third-party tools and make sure they come from trusted source.

Uninstalling Games from Steam

Sometimes, deleting just the save data isn’t enough. You might want to remove the entire game and all of its data from your computer. Here’s how to uninstall a game using the Steam client:

1. Open Steam: Launch the Steam application.
2. Go to Your Library: Click on “Library” at the top.
3. Find the Game: Right-click on the game you want to uninstall from your game list.
4. Click on Manage: Hover over “Manage” from the menu.
5. Select Uninstall: Click on “Uninstall” in the menu.
6. Confirm: Click on “Uninstall” in the popup message.

After this, the game and all its associated files will be removed from your computer. This frees up storage space. But again, this does not remove your cloud saves if you have enabled Steam Cloud Sync.

Managing Steam Workshop Content

If you subscribe to workshop content for a game, that content also takes up space on your computer. Here’s how to remove workshop content:

Unsubscribing from Workshop Items

1. Open Steam: Launch the Steam application.
2. Go to Your Library: Click on “Library” at the top.
3. Find the Game: Click on the specific game for which you want to remove workshop content.
4. Find Workshop tab: On the game page, look for the “Workshop” tab.
5. Go to Your Files: Click on the “Your Files” Tab.
6. Unsubscribe: Find the workshop items you want to remove and click on the “Unsubscribe” button.

Once you unsubscribe, the workshop content will be removed from your computer the next time you launch the game or restart Steam. However, files that were previously downloaded might still remain, and you will have to manually remove them.

Manually Deleting Workshop Content

If unsubscribing does not completely remove files, you will have to manually find and remove them from your game installation folder. You can find the workshop content in a folder called “workshop”. Locate the folder by following steps given before (Right Click game > Manage > Browse Local Files).

Look for files or folders related to the workshop items you removed, and delete them. If you’re unsure which file to delete, avoid removing anything without double-checking online sources.

Using Steam’s Storage Management

Steam now has a built-in storage management tool. This tool can help you to see how much space your games are taking up and manage installed games. Here’s how to access it:

1. Open Steam: Launch the Steam application.
2. Go to Steam Settings: Click on “Steam” in the top-left corner and then select “Settings.”
3. Find Downloads: In the left-hand menu, click “Downloads.”
4. Click on Steam Library Folder: Click on the “Steam Library Folder” Button
5. Select your Steam Library Folder: Right click on the desired Steam library and select “manage”.
6. Manage installed games: Now you can see a list of installed games and the storage space they use. You can uninstall games or use the browse local files option here to find specific data.

This tool provides a more user-friendly way to check where your games are installed and also helps you find how much storage space each game is consuming on your computer.

Tips for Safe Game Data Deletion

Deleting game data can be a bit sensitive. Here are some tips to make sure you do it safely:

• Back up Important Save Files: If you want to clear the game but are hesitant to delete your save files, consider backing up your save data by copying the save folders and pasting to some other safe location like pendrive.
• Double-Check File Locations: Before deleting any files, always double-check that you’re in the right folder. Deleting the wrong folder can cause problems for other games or even your computer system.
• Read Community Forums: If you’re unsure how to delete save files for a specific game, check online communities for tips.
• Use the Recycle Bin First: Don’t delete things permanently right away. Use the Recycle Bin first so that you can recover them later.
• Consider Game’s Setting: Always check the in-game settings of each individual game first, as many games may offer options to delete your game saves locally, and also offer an option to reset the game data.

By following these tips, you can delete your game data from Steam safely and effectively.

And that covers it all! Deleting game data on Steam might seem a bit complex at first, but with these step-by-step instructions, you should be able to manage your game data effectively. Whether you’re clearing space or starting over, you now have all the knowledge you need to handle your game data with ease.