Administrator Updated on January 27, 2023 Many people migrate to exFAT after repartitioning and getting a new HDD or SSD and having trouble with the NTFS. If you are one of them, you would have problems running games on exFAT due to Steam being unable to find the game saved files. Here is what you need to do to fix them.
Do you have a Steam library full of your favorite games and are wondering how to save them on exFAT? Well, you are in the right place. Here, we will discuss how to get Steam to save your games on exFAT.
Why Is It Important to Back up Your Games on ExFAT
If you are an avid game player, then you probably have a lot of Steam games that you enjoy playing. However, just like any other program, Steam is not 100% safe and there may be a few instances where there have been issues with its code. It is also susceptible to damage, corruption, or even being stolen.
For this reason, it is vital to backup your games in another drive in case something unexpected happens. So, rather than saving all your games in the Steam library, it is a wise idea to spread them in various drives like exFAT.
The advantage of exFAT is that it is a fast and lightweight format that solves the issue of file size limitation that occurs with FAT32. It also works best with Windows, macOS and most TVs and cameras.
However, exFAT is not the most compatible format for external hard drives out there. Older devices don’t support exFAT and it lacks the journaling ability.
These drives lack the ability to save file changes, making them more prone to data corruption in the event of sudden power loss. With all these challenges, it can be difficult to save your Steam games on exFAT. Fortunately, it is still possible to split up and back up your Steam games on exFAT, especially for devices that support this format.
How to Split-Up Game Backups?
If you would like to back up your games in Steam in various storages, Steam can create various folders. Various storage volumes like NTFS and exFAT don’t have storage limitations and Steam can create multiple files to backup your games.
The number of files that creates for your games will depend with the file size that you choose. The folders that Steam creates will also have multiple .csd zip files. This format uses less disk when compared to the original folder of the game. Hence, splitting game back-ups is important especially when your game size is large.
How to Move Steam’s Default Game Installation?
In most cases, Steam users may want to move the existing installation of their games on Steam. Usually, the default installation path for games is C: Program FilesSteam (X86)SteamAppsCommon
However, you can change this location by following the steps below:
- Go to the Settings menu on the Steam Client window.
- From the Settings Menu, click on Downloads and the select the Steam Library Folders. This will allow you to see the default installation path.
- To create a new installation path, click on the “Add Library Folder.” Doing this will ensure that all installation of games in the future are installed in the new folder.
- If you want to set a path as default, right-click on it.
USB Thumb Drives and SD Cards
Thumb drives are great to use on large files like HD video files. exFAT also works best when you intend to use your thumb drive with iPhones, iPads, or Macs. When it comes to SD cards, exFAT is recommendable if it is supported by your DSLR.
Summary: Get Steam to Save Games on exFAT
- Remount the drive with write permissions.
- Run Steam as root.
- Change the Steam directory to a writable location.
- Create symbolic links to your games.
Conclusion
Well, that is it about getting Steam to save your games on exFAT. While in most cases the format can lead to a scenarios where it won’t plug and play, it can still work when used with SD cards that support it.
