Why is Steam download speed so slow?
- Unnecessary PC processes are consuming your internet bandwidth and affecting the Steam download speed
- You have not given a top priority to Steam downloads
- You have selected a download region with high download traffic
- Limit bandwidth is not set to “No limit” under Steam settings
- You are using an antivirus or your firewall setting is blocking the Steam download access
- Your network connection is malfunctioning in terms of speed and signal strength
How do I make Steam download faster?
To make the Steam download speed faster, try the following troubleshooting steps and see which one works best for you.
Kill unnecessary processes
Sometimes, active unnecessary processes eat up the bandwidth that is vital for Steam downloads. Therefore, you need to terminate these processes. To do this:
- Right-click on the Windows tasks bar and select Start Task Manager
- Under Applications, close all programs
- Next, head over to the Networking tab and terminate all other processes that are monopolizing your bandwidth
- Now launch the Steam client and see if you can download the games quickly
Set high priority to Steam downloads
This next fix might not do wonders when it comes to Steam download speeds. However, it will prioritize Steam download over all the other running programs that need the internet to work properly. To do this:
- Launch the Steam client app on your PC and open Task Manager
- Under the Processes tab, locate and right-click on the Steam Services process
- Next, click on the Set Priority option and then click on High
You may have to do this fix every time when you reboot a Windows 10 PC as it won’t save the defined priorities.
Change download region to fix Steam slow download
You may have changed the download region under the Steam settings with a high download traffic rate. Furthermore, it’s possible that Steam has detected a wrong region that is causing the slow download speeds. To manually change the region in Steam client:
- Launch the Steam client app and click on Steam at the upper left corner of the screen
- Next, navigate to Settings –> Downloads
- On the right, select the region closest to you from the Download Region dropdown menu
Does Steam throttle download speed?
If you have high-speed internet, you can let Steam download your games at the full speed of your internet. To throttle the Steam download speed:
- Double click on the Steam client on your desktop to open it
- Navigate to Steam –> Settings and go to the Downloads option
- Check the “Throttle downloads while streaming” box and select the Limit bandwidth to “No limit”
What does Clearing download cache do Steam?
Steam client keeps temporary downloads and other files in its specific download cache. If you use Steam often, this cache can bulk up with time and cause numerous errors like slow download speeds. Therefore, it is a good idea to clear the Steam download cache occasionally to potentially fix the game errors. To do this:
- Execute Steam client and click on Steam
- Now go to the Steam’s Setting option and select the Downloads option
- On the right side, locate the Clear Download Cache button and click on it
- Next, exit from the Steam client app and launch it again
- Access your game library and download a game to see if that fixes the issue
Conclusion
Hopefully, by now, you’ll be able to instantly download Steam games with the troubleshooting steps mentioned in this guide. We recommend that before trying out these fixes, you solve the network issues (If you have any) by restarting your router/modem or contacting your ISP. Also, allow Steam access in your firewall settings. Have a nice day!
