So, you’re about to jump into a long-awaited Steam game, only to get hit with that annoying message saying your hard drive doesn’t have enough space. Classic. This has been a thorn in Steam users’ sides for ages, but honestly, sometimes the culprit isn’t just the game — it’s your device’s storage, a clogged cache, or even choosing the wrong drive for installation. The good news is, fixing this isn’t rocket science, but it can get a little frustrating if you don’t know where to look. This guide runs through some of the common fixes that actually work without messing around too much.
After running through these, you should see a lot more free space, and hopefully, your game will install without silly space errors. And hey, it’s not always the same fix that works — sometimes you gotta try a couple of things. So, here’s what to do when Steam acts like your disk’s full of more stuff than it can handle.
How to Fix the “Not Enough Free Disk Space” Error on Steam
Fix 1: Clear the Steam Download Cache
This issue often comes down to Steam’s download cache. Over time, those temp files and partial downloads can pile up, making it look like you’ve run out of space even if you haven’t. Clearing this cache resets that mess without deleting your actual games.
- In Steam, click the Steam menu at the top-left corner, then go to Settings.
- Next, click on Downloads in the sidebar.
- Scroll to the bottom and find Clear Download Cache. Click that button.
- Steam will prompt you to restart the app — do that, and it’ll clear the cache.
This makes Steam forget all the temporary download info and might free up some space reporting issues. Sometimes it works — on some setups, it’s needed to do it twice — no big deal.
Fix 2: Change or Add the Correct Drive as Default for Installations
If you’ve got multiple drives, Steam might be installing games onto the wrong one, often a drive with no space left. So, double-check where Steam is trying to put your new games. Changing the default drive can save a lot of headaches.
- Open Steam, click Steam in the menu bar, then go to Settings.
- Select Storage from the sidebar.
- Here, you’ll see your current default drive and what’s on it. To pick a different one, click the drop-down menu at the top labeled Steam Library Folders.
- If your target drive isn’t listed, hit Add Library Folder and choose your drive from the list, then set it as default.
- You can also move existing games to another drive here — just right-click on a game in your library, choose Properties, then go to Local Files and click Move Install Folder.
Honestly, because of Windows quirks, sometimes you gotta double-check these settings to make sure Steam is installing where you want it to.
Fix 3: Make Sure You Leave Enough Extra Space for Updates and Patches
Steam games love to expand after updates, and patches can often double the disk space they need temporarily. A common mistake is ignoring the extra space needed for these updates — which results in errors even if your drive says it has enough free space for the base install.
- A rule of thumb? Leave around 50GB free, just in case.
- Think of it as breathing room — the game needs space to download, unpack, and patch without constantly waking up your disk.
- Checking available space is simple: open This PC in Windows Explorer, right-click your drive, select Properties, then look at Free Space.
Fix 4: Uninstall Unused Games and Clean Up Other Files
When space is tight, it’s time to do some spring cleaning. Sometimes, there’s just no magic fix but to remove stuff you don’t need anymore or clear out temporary files that Windows forgot to delete.
- Head to Settings > Apps & Features or use the classic Add or Remove Programs to delete unnecessary apps and old Steam games.
- You can also use Windows’ built-in Disk Cleanup. Just search for it in the Start menu, select your drive, and choose to clear temporary files, system cache, and other junk.
- On Macs, you want to go to Storage under System Settings and manually delete large files or unused apps.
On some setups, this clears enough space to let Steam do its thing again — which is kind of weird, but it works.
And of course, Windows has to make it harder than necessary, so don’t forget to check your actual disk space before jumping into deeper fixes. Sometimes, it’s as simple as reordering what you delete and which drive you pick for your games.