A Steam is an online platform, where you can play, download any kinds of games. Also, you can get some other software via this platform. This platform has the capability to stream video and even provide social networking services. Despite a plethora of features, you can encounter various types of glitches during its usage. The most annoying type of problem which you can get in this platform is Steam download slow.
Why Does Steam Download so Slow?
There are various reasons for the occurrence of this error. Some of the usual ones are if some components within the Steam application is corrupt or missing, then this error might come up. Even, when the status of the network connection is poor, then also you can meet with this problem. Also, if the network driver is obsolete, then due to that this issue can pop up. Further, due to interference from the security software, you might get this problem. Moreover, if the download speed from the server is low, then there is a chance for you to have this Steam download speed slow glitch, etc.
Easy Solutions to Fix Steam download slow
In this section of the article, you will get various steps that will help to eliminate this error in a very easy and simple manner.
Procedure to Update Network Driver
When you encounter the problem Steam download slow glitch, then it means certainly the driver software of the network adapter is obsolete. Thus, the solution to resolve this issue is to perform an update of the network adapter. In order to do it accurately, follow these lines beneath.
- First, press the combination of both the keys ‘Windows + R’ simultaneously to open the ‘Run’ dialogue box.
- Next, within that dialogue box, put the text “devmgmt.msc” on the field just next to the ‘Open:’ label and tap on the ‘Enter’ key.
- Once done, this will launch a new window called ‘Device Manager’.In which there is a list that contains all the categories of devices and their drivers installed within the computer.
- Now, from that list, locate and double-click to expand the device category ‘Network adapters’.
- After that, from the expanded list, choose the first option and right-click on it. Then, from the popup menu, select the option ‘Update driver’.
- At this moment, a new window will appear with the name ‘Update Drivers – (Name of the device driver itself)’. Here, there are two links to choose from. So, out of those two, select the first one that says ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’.
- As soon as you click on this link, then immediately the Windows Operating System will start to search for any available updates. If an update for the driver is found it will be downloaded first, and then installed automatically.
- Repeat the fifth, sixth and seventh steps of this point until all the driver software of the ‘Network adapter’ category is up to date.
- Once all the updates for each and every driver software is over, then restart the computer.
- After the computer starts up, then check if this error still appears or not.
Remove the Content within Download Cache
If some files which have been downloaded as the cache is corrupt, then you can face this problem. Therefore, the solution to resolve this error is to clear all the files present within the download cache. This procedure will also delete the credentials of the login. So, make sure the user ID and password is known to you. Here are the steps, in order to do it.
- First, launch the Steam application, then locate and choose the option ‘Settings’, which is present on the upper left edge of the window.
- When the ‘Settings’ menu shows up on the left panel, then find and select the option ‘Downloads’.
- After that, move to the right pane of the window, within it navigate to the bottom part and choose the button ‘Clear Download Cache’. Next, a prompt will come up, where choose the button ‘OK’.
- At this moment, the Steam application will tell you to provide the credentials of your login.
- At last, once you are logged into the Steam, then try to download some games and see if the error is present or not.
Inspect the Connection of the Internet
If your internet connection is weak, then you will get the problem Steam download slow. The way to rectify this problem is to examine the connection of the network. In order to do that, follow the lines below.
- First, switch Off the modem/router and then disconnect the Ethernet cable from it. After that, shut down the computer and remove the network cable from it also.
- Wait for a minute or two and then reconnect all the cables back to the modem/router and the computer.
- Next, power up the router/modem first and see whether the LEDs are on or not. Next, switch On the computer and check the status of your internet connection.
Alter the Region of the Downloads
If the server within a specific region from where the download is happening has some hardware issue or gets overloaded due to some reason, then there is a chance for you to encounter this glitch. Now, the only feasible solution to resolve this problem is to, follow these lines beneath.
- First, open the application ‘Steam’ and then, choose the ‘Settings’ option from the top left corner of the panel within the window.
- After that, choose the option ‘Downloads’ from the middle of the left panel. Then, go to the right pane of the window and then navigate to the section ‘Download Region’.
- Next, under that section, tap on the drop down menu and choose any option other than the current location.
- At last, start the Steam application once again, then attempt to download some software and check if this error comes back or not.
Alter the Limit of the Download
When the download limit is set to a fixed speed, then you can face this glitch. Now, the solution to fix this problem is to change the download limit to unlimited. To do that, follow the sentences mentioned underneath.
- First, locate the ‘Steam’ application icon on the desktop, then right-click on it. Then, from the popup menu that comes up, choose the option ‘Run as Administrator’.
- When the new window opens up, then select the button ‘Steam’ on the left edge.
- Next, from the drop-down menu, choose the option ‘Settings’. After that, go to the section ‘Downloads’.
- Under that section, under the label ‘Limit bandwidth to:’ press the drop-down menu and them from the list, choose the option ‘No limit’.
- Finally, restart the download procedure and see if this error comes back or not.
Reset the Steam Application
If all the points mentioned above are able to solve this issue, then the best solution to easily eradication this problem is to set the Steam application once again. To do that, follow these lines beneath.
- First, right-click on the ‘Windows’ logo. This will open the popup ‘Menu’.
- Next, from that menu, choose the option ‘Run’. This launches a new dialogue box, which will have the same name as the option you chose on the last line.
- Within that dialogue box, type the following path – “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam” on the field that is present just next to the label ‘Open:’ and then tap on the ‘OK’ button. Here, the path is the default location of the Steam software present on the computer.
- Now, inside the Steam folder, locate the two directories ‘Steam.exe’, ‘SteamApps’. Except for the folder and file that are mentioned on the last line, remove all the others.
- After that, start the Steam application again. This software will then download all the files and folders that are missing automatically.
- At last, reboot the computer then, launch the Steam software and check whether this issue reappears or not.
To Conclude
If after following every step on the above section you still unable to solve the Steam download slow error, then do not worry. Just give the details about “why is my download speed so slow on Steam” query that you have encountered, on the comment section present at the bottom of this page