If You Uninstall a Steam Game Do You Have to Pay for It Again
Steam is a popular platform that gamers apply to detect and install their favorite games on their computers or laptops.
As a gamer, one of your near important duties is to have a reliable backup strategy.
It'd exist a shame to take chances hours of difficult work going to waste matter because of an blow or when you uninstall the game or Steam itself.
Keep reading to observe out if yous can salvage your games when you lot uninstall Steam, and acquire safe ways to uninstall the app.
If I Uninstall Steam, What Happens to My Saves?
Though uninstalling Steam is every bit easy equally most other programs on your PC, it has some repercussions y'all should be aware of.
Steam is a launcher program, pregnant information technology makes it possible for you lot to launch other programs such as games.
Uninstalling Steam will remove all the games you've installed through the software, forth with their saved data and other downloadable content.
Moreover, uninstalling the games will also delete your saves.
That may seem inefficient in many ways, only information technology does bring some benefits to the table.
If yous're ever facing a lack of storage, you can uninstall Steam, which will remove all the boosted files and free up some space.
If Steam isn't working correctly, you can uninstall it to eliminate the corrupted files that may exist causing the issue and troubleshoot errors.
At that place are means to back upward your games and saves and restore them after reinstalling Steam.
Let's find out what they are.
How to Support the Games
Go through the guide below, step past footstep, to support the games you lot desire.
Remember, you should fully download and update them before attempting a backup.
ane. Open up the Steam app.
Y'all'll discover a Steam tab on the elevation left corner of the page.
Click on it, and a bill of fare drops down.
two. Click on the Backup and Restore Games option.
A window will pop open request you what yous'd similar to exercise.
Select Backup Currently Installed Programs and then click Next.
iii. You can also practice this past right-clicking on any of the games in the Steam Library.
Then click on Backup Game Files.
v. Now, Steam volition provide you with a dialog box containing the list of the games you've installed.
Select the ones you wish to include in the fill-in.
Click on Next when y'all're done.
6. It'southward time to choose the place where yous desire to back up your games.
The default location is C:\programs files(x86)\steam\Backups.
Yous can cull another folder on your internal hard drive, or dorsum them up on an external hard drive, CD, or DVD.
To do so, click on Browse and click your fashion to the desired location.
Click Next again.
vii. On the adjacent screen, you'll see a name that Stream has chosen for the file.
You tin edit and modify it.
8. On the same window, choose the size of the files.
Steam will carve up them into equal parts of four.7GB (DVD size) or 649MB (CD size), then you can move them more than easily.
It'south also possible to choose a custom size.
Click Next later selecting your choice.
ix. Your backup will start now, and it'll take a while, depending on the sizes of the files.
How to Keep the Saved Games
Backing up your games volition non e'er comprehend the saved games and your progress in the game.
That is because there's no specific location for the games' save files.
Erstwhile games usually shop all the information in i place, significant the game files and saved games sit in one binder.
When you uninstall the games, yous'll likewise remove the saves.
Still, bankroll up the games will preserve both the game file and your saves.
Modern games tend to create a different directory for the saves, commonly under the Documents folder.
With these games, you'll continue your progress when y'all uninstall them or Steam itself.
Steam has a Cloud Service for the most recent games, which automatically saves your progress in the game.
Y'all tin achieve it when you install the game again or fifty-fifty on other devices.
Go to the Steam Store Folio and look for a Steam Cloud logo at the top correct corner.
If you detect one, information technology means you lot shouldn't worry almost that game.
The Cloud Service should be on by default, simply exist sure to check:
Open Steam, select Settings and click on the Cloud tab.
Yous should meet a switch for Enable Steam Cloud Sync.
Turn information technology on if information technology isn't already.
To check the individual games, open the Steam Library, right-click on the game of your choice, and select Properties.
Click on the Updates tab and toggle the Cloud Synchronization switch.
If the game doesn't support Cloud, yous should detect out where it stores its saves.
Expect under My Documents, My Games, the game data folder, or the awarding data folder.
Search for a folder with the game's name or the publisher's name.
You can look upward the game on Google and find out where information technology stores its data.
There's also a handy tool named GameSave Manager that maintains a database of the save locations for many games.
This will aid you runway them down and back them up quickly.
Once you find the saved files, copy them over to where you keep other backed-up files.
How to Uninstall Steam Safely
To uninstall Steam, you should first cheque the Steam directory and see if it'southward been installed correctly.
If you discover this folder: C:\Plan Files\Steam\, it'due south safe to uninstall Steam with the starting time method.
If y'all have downloaded Steam in a location containing other files and data, like C:\Programme Files\, uninstall Steam with the 2nd method manually, or else yous may damage some essential files.
If you programme on reinstalling Steam in the future, Get to C:\Program Files\Steam and find its Steamapps folder.
Movement it out of the source and keep it somewhere reliable.
Y'all should do this in addition to backing up your games to admission them afterwards on.
Start Method
1. Exit Steam, click on the Windows Start carte, and search Add or Remove Programs.
2. A tab with a gear icon should announced in the results.
Click on information technology to open up the settings window.
3. In the search bar, blazon "Steam" or detect it from the list.
Click on information technology and select Uninstall.
4. Cheque if the computer has removed the binder Steam was installed in.
If it'due south notwithstanding in that location, it means the installation was corrupt in the first identify.
You should install Steam again and try uninstalling it afterward.
Second Method
1. Exit Steam and navigate to your Steam directory.
It should be one of the 2:
- C:\Plan Files\Steam
- C:\Plan Files\Valve\Steam
two. Delete all the contents in the folder.
3. Navigate to Showtime > Run, and so type in Regedit.
4. In the left-hand column of the registry editor, go to:
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Valve\" if you have a 32-bit operating arrangement.
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Wow6432Node\ Valve\" if y'all accept a 64-chip organisation.
5. Correct-click on Valve and cull Delete.
6. Now go to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Valve\ Steam" and delete the Valve folder again.
7. Close the Registry Editor, and you're done.
How to Uninstall Steam Games
A. Uninstalling through Steam
1. Open the Steam app and click on the Library link located in the meridian left section.
2. Find the game in the list and right-click on it.
From the drop-down menu, select Manage.
3. From the second drop-down menu, choose Uninstall.
4. A window will pop open up asking you to confirm the process.
Click Uninstall once more.
B. Uninstalling Through Windows
ane. Open up your Control Panel.
Under Programs, select the Uninstall a Plan selection.
You lot tin also search for Apps & Features in the Start menu.
ii. Notice the name of the game in the list of programs.
Right-click or left-click on it and select Uninstall.
iii. The system volition automatically accept you to the Steam interface.
You should click on the Uninstall button in the confirmation window.
C. Uninstalling Manually
one. Go to C:\Plan Files (x86)\Steam.
2. Click on the Steamapps folder and and so the Common folder.
3. Find the folder with the game's proper noun and delete information technology.
Note: It doesn't thing what method you lot choose for uninstalling a game. It'll still appear in your Steam Library, so don't worry if y'all keep seeing information technology there.
How Do I Restore the Games?
i. Find the game folders in the location you proceed the backups.
Copy them into this location: Steam\Steamapps\Common.
ii. At present open Steam, click on Library, and find the game's proper noun in the listing below.
Select the game and click on the big Install button.
3. A window volition pop open, telling you the disk space required for the game.
Under the information, choose where to install the game.
Brand sure it's set to the same binder you just sent the backup files and click Next.
4. When Steam discovers that the files are already there, information technology'll skip the download and restore the data.
It may also update the game in the procedure.
Source: https://www.thetechwire.com/if-i-uninstall-steam-what-happens-to-my-saves/