Is Steam's Download Speed Slow? 8 Ways to Speed It Up (2024)

Is Steam downloading games at a slow speed on your computer? If so, here are some easy Steam app and computer tweaks to help speed up your downloads. Spend less time waiting for your games to arrive and more time playing them.

Check Your Internet Connection Speed

When your downloads are slow, the first thing to check is your internet connection. Your connection itself may be slow, causing all your file downloads to be slow as well.

Check your connection's speed using a site like Fast or Speedtest. If these sites show a slow download speed, your internet connection is the culprit. In this case, contact your internet service provider (ISP) and ask how you can speed up your connection.

In some cases, you may have to upgrade to a higher-speed plan to enjoy faster downloads. If you download files too often, it may be a good idea to do this.

Disable Steam's Limited Speed Download Option

Steam's app offers an option that lets you limit your download speed. You or someone else may have enabled this option, causing the app to download your files slowly. In this case, toggle off that option in the app, and your issue will be resolved.

To do that, open Steam on your computer. From the app's menu bar, select Steam > Settings.

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In the left sidebar, click "Downloads." On the right pane, disable the "Limit Download Speed" option.

That's it. Try downloading your content again with the speed restriction toggled off.

Related: How to Limit Any Application's Bandwidth on Windows

Turn Off Download Throttling in Steam

Steam offers an option that lets you throttle your download speeds when you're streaming. This option may be enabled, causing your Steam files to download at a slow speed. In this case, turn off that option, and your issue is resolved.

To do that, open Steam and head into the Steam > Settings > Downloads menu. On the right-hand pane, turn off the "Throttle Downloads While Streaming" option.

And that's it.

Related: How to Test if Your ISP is Throttling Your Internet Connection

Change Steam's Download Region

Steam automatically chooses the most suitable server for your file downloads. However, that suitable server isn't always the fastest server. In this case, manually change your Steam download server to get faster download speeds.

First, find out which server is closer to you and has less congestion. To do that, head to Steam's Download Stats site that shows you a map of the platform's servers. Here, find the server that isn't too far from you and has fewer users.

Once you've found a good server region, open your Steam app and select Steam > Settings > Downloads. On the right pane, click the "Download Region" drop-down menu and choose the server you found on the above site.

Steam will open a prompt. Here, click "Restart Now" to restart Steam, which will bring your changes into effect.

When Steam reopens, start your file download, and it will be faster than before.

Related: 3 Ways to Make Steam Even Faster

Close Other Internet-Enabled Apps

Your Windows or Mac machine may have other apps running in the background, consuming your internet bandwidth. This may be the reason Steam downloads your files at a slow speed.

In this case, pause or stop your file downloads in your other apps to speed up Steam's downloads. If you don't know what apps are using your internet connection, use Windows' Task Manager or Mac's Activity Monitor to find out the apps consuming your internet data.

In Windows' Task Manager, you'll find each app's data usage in the "Network" column.

On a Mac, in Activity Monitor's "Network" tab, you'll find the apps using your internet bandwidth.

Close the apps that are using a significant amount of your internet data to increase the speed of your Steam downloads.

Disable Metered Connection on Your Windows PC

Windows 11 and Windows 10 offer a metered connection feature, which helps you conserve your data usage by limiting how your apps access the internet. It's worth toggling off this feature when you face slow download speeds in Steam.

If you're on Windows 11, navigate to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi. Select your network on the list and turn off the "Metered Connection" option.

If you're on Windows 10, head into Settings > Network & Internet. Select "Properties" for your connection and turn off the "Set as Metered Connection" option.

And that's it.

Related: How, When, and Why to Set a Connection as Metered on Windows 10

Disable Your VPN

If you're using a VPN on your Windows or Mac machine, that app's servers might be slow, causing your Steam downloads to be slow as well. In this case, turn off your VPN service and see if that speeds up your downloads.

Related: How to Test Your VPN Speed (and How to Speed up a VPN)

If your files download faster after disabling the VPN, then keep your VPN disconnected when you download content. Another thing you can try is to change your location in your VPN app to see if it offers faster download speeds.

Clear Steam's Download Cache

Steam recommends you clear your download cache when you have trouble downloading or launching games. Since you're facing issues downloading content, delete your current Steam download cache and see if that resolves your issue. Note that you don't lose any data when you do this.

To start, launch Steam and select Steam > Settings > Downloads. On the right pane, next to "Clear Download Cache," click "Clear Cache."

In the open prompt, select "Confirm" to remove the cache. Then, relaunch Steam and start your download.

And those are some ways to fix Steam's slow download issue and boost your download speed. Enjoy!

Related: 6 Steam Troubleshooting Tips