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Slow download speed on Steam can be frustrating. It is one of the most popular gaming platforms today, allowing millions of users to enjoy the big-brand games at a lower cost, communicate with friends and much more. However, in order to play new games, users have to download them via Steam, and the speed of downloads is often a concern.
Many gamers complain about slow download speeds even if the Internet connection is fast. In the majority of cases, the problem arises if the user is connected to a download server that’s distant from user’s location.
Other factors possibly causing Steam downloads slow issue can be related to:
In order to fix the issue, we suggest trying the suggested methods one at a time to identify and resolve the problem in no time.
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If you’re wondering why does Steam download so slow, you should try clearing download cache first. It is an easy and quick way to resolve this issue.
Choosing a different download server location can solve the issue causing download lags and delays. However, if you’re wondering what is the fastest Steam download server, there is no single and correct answer to this question. To find this out, you’ll have to play around and test several servers until you find the fastest one. To choose a different download location, follow the steps given below.
One of the reasons why Steam download is slow but Internet fast could be resource-consuming programs currently running on your PC. To check whether there are active programs causing high CPU usage (for example, Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry), follow the steps given below.
TIP: Only end programs that you recognize. If you don’t know what the process or program does, we suggest you search for information about it online.
A good hack to fix Steam download slow issue is to set Steam’s process as high priority via Task Manager on Windows. This way, the computer will prioritize Steam’s process over other tasks and this might result in better speeds of your downloads.
However, you should try the effectiveness of this method via trial and error. As you know, your game interacts with keyboard and mouse during the gameplay. By setting the game as higher priority, it may or may not decrease performance of other processes, such as those of mouse and keyboard, and this can result in lower gaming experience due to sluggish or lagging mouse or keyboard. Therefore, the idea is to try different priority settings for your game and see which one works.
On top of that, you should know that these process priority settings are reset after a computer reboot, so you might have to modify the priority after each system restart.
Here’s how to change Steam Client Service priority:
One of the most important steps in fixing Steam download slow and stopping problem is checking if Network Connection is working properly. You need to ensure you’re connected to Internet (cable or wireless). If you’re using wireless network, your Wi-Fi signal should be strong. Here’s what you need to do:
You can also try restarting your router. Simply turn it off, then wait a minute or two and turn it back on. Check if the issue with slow download speed issue persists.
If you still can’t find the reason why is Steam downloading slowly, you might want to inspect its Downloads settings and see if the bandwidth limit isn’t turned on. While this option can be enabled to provide more bandwidth resources for other apps using the Internet, it can significantly reduce the resources needed for Steam. Here’s what you need to do:
Another setting you can modify to achieve better Steam downloader speeds is Throttle downloads while streaming. This means that during streaming, the app enhances streaming quality while diminishing download speeds. Therefore, you may want to disable this setting for quicker downloads.
Although VPNs can be extremely useful when protecting your identity online, sometimes it can slightly hinder the connection speed. This is caused by encryption type and protocol, or VPN’s server chosen and its location. We recommend you to disable the VPN when you do not want slow Steam download speeds, and re-enable the VPN afterward.
Depending on the VPN you use, you can create exclusion rules for specific apps – and exclude Steam from VPN protection.
One of the VPNs that we like that has many, many server locations and doesn’t slow down the Internet speed significantly is Private Internet Access. You may want to see its review.
If you’re still wondering why does Steam download so slow, it might be that you’re locking the app out of bandwidth resources because you have many other apps, browser tabs, or downloads active. Therefore, we highly recommend to close unnecessary programs and browsers that might be hard on network resources.
For example, closing streaming or music apps and browser tabs, torrenting or any other download manager application is a good idea. Once these are closed, you will ensure that more bandwidth resources are allocated to Steam, which will help to increase Steam download speeds.
Often times, slow computer performance occurs due to malware or spyware processes acting silently in the background. It could be a Trojan, cryptocurrency miner or another virus variant causing damage to your computer and possibly communicating with its server all the time. Therefore, we recommend scanning the system with an up-to-date and reputable antivirus such as INTEGO Antivirus.
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Windows Defender Firewall or the firewall used by your antivirus could be blocking your downloads. If you are positive that your download is secure, you can try to temporarily disable Firewall to increase Steam download speed.
To disable it on your antivirus, navigate to its settings and look for Firewall settings. We’ll describe how to disable Windows Defender Firewall:
TIP: Do not forget to enable the Firewall back on once you’ve downloaded your game.
Faulty drivers is one of the main causes of various Windows 10 errors, including Kernel Security Check Failure or Steam won’t open. To make Steam download faster, consider updating network drivers. Here’s how to do it:
If your drivers are up-to-date, you should try the last option.
If none of the above listed methods helped you to solve the issue, then the solution for you is to fix Steam download slow by reinstalling Steam. See instructions on how to do it below.
Slow Steam download speed issues should be fixed by now. If you have discovered another smart way to solve the problem, please share it with us in the comments section.
Norbert Webb is the head of Geek’s Advice team. He is the chief editor of the website who controls the quality of content published. The man also loves reading cybersecurity news, testing new software and sharing his insights on them. Norbert says that following his passion for information technology was one of the best decisions he has ever made. “I don’t feel like working while I’m doing something I love.” However, the geek has other interests, such as snowboarding and traveling.
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View Comments
I have 2 GIg Fiber. Steam is the only program that limits speed. Even after trying all of the above.
i dont even get 1MB
I am thinking that Steam is throttling speeds, even after all of this, I still only see 1.1MB/s. compared to a year ago, I could see tons more.
I saw the comment from “Mike”. I unchecked “throttle”. My download speed went immediately from 90 kB/s to 16mb/s. Thanks!
Live in north of Germany but for some reason Steam decided to make me download from Munich.
Switched it to Hamburg and my Speeds went up from 10-20 MB/s to 30-50 MB/s.
Thanks a lot.
Tried Method six worked like a charm cheers mate love from North England
I have tried these options a million times through 3 separate pc's, 2 different homes. It just seems to be my account with steam or something. I can't get it to stop no matter what I do or how many times I do it. Its been a few years now and I just want a fix.
Omg rainbow six was downloading to 300kb/s and now is going to 70mb/s
Still working methods 01/12/2020. I used method 1. Don't recomend to disable firewall for too much time.
In case you ARE streaming, uncheck "Throttle downloads while streaming". My download was "throttled" (killed) to about 5 Kb/s. Unchecked it, went up to 6 MB/s.
Thanks