Slow download speed at steam well you’re not alone, it is frustrating especially if you have bought a new game and it is taking a lot of time to even get started.
Luckily there are ways in which you can increase your steam speed so that at the end you have to wait less and finally play the game.
Steam’s server itself is not slow and the speed offered is decent, but if you are downloading a game that has just released then the speed will be slow relative leave because a lot of people will be downloading at the same time putting a lot of load on the server.
Table of Contents
Change Server
The first thing you can do is tweak the steam settings, steam by default downloads a game from a server that is nearest to you, but if it is not then you can connect to your nearest server by following steps.
- To get started you need to open steam settings you can find it on the top menu of the app.
- Under the settings you will see a lot of options, now go to the downloads option. Here you can see where your files get downloaded and from which server.
- Under the heading download region, choose the region you currently are in.
- Restart Steam App
If the preset region was far from you then that might be the reason for the slow download speed. Also if you have relocated yourself over you are traveling then you can choose the nearest region to you.
However, if you find the server is too slow or busy you can try other servers too. For example, if a game is too popular in your region and is making your server slow then you can try switching to another one.
Remove Bandwidth Limitations
Another reason that your steam download speed is slow can be limited bandwidth. You need to stop any bandwidth limitations within the steam app.
You can check it under the same download settings, search for the heading limit bandwidth to and see what option is selected. Make sure you set it as no limit. once you have set the bandwidth to no limit, restart your steam app so that changes can come into effect.
Setting your bandwidth to no limit will allow steam to download at the maximum speed possible. The download speed will mainly depend on how what speed your internet service provider is offering.
Disable Throttle
Under the same Downloads Settings, look for the heading download restrictions you can see there are three options to tick. Make sure the option throttle downloads while streaming is unchecked.
Throttling limits the upload and download speed, so keep that option unchecked and you will be able to see a significant increase in download speed.
Give Steam Top Priority
After you have tried the above steps you might have seen a slight increase in speed. There is a way that can also increase your downloading speed slightly.
- To do this you need to open task manager on your PC.
- Under Task Manager search for a steam client.
- The next step is to right-click and open the go to details option.
- A new window will open now look for or SteamServices.exe. Now right-click again and set priority to high.
After you are done with the settings now the downloading process will be the top priority of the PC above every other task that is going on.
If you are unable to find steam client then right-click on steam on your task manager and then click on install.
Stop Unnecessary Processes
Well, this one is basic, other programs that might be eating your bandwidth and eventually decreasing your download speed. So while you are on the task manager, go to the processes option and terminate any processes that are not required at that time.
Now the next step is to go to the networks tab and see if there is an application that is eating your bandwidth, now close any such application if there is any.
Disable Firewall and Antivirus
While anti-virus software and firewalls are great for the safety and security of your computer and your data. Sometimes they may be the reason that your download speed is so slow.
The best thing you can do is to disable your antivirus and Firewall while you are downloading a game from steam.
To disable Windows security,
- Go to the start menu and search for the settings option.
- Now go to Update Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection
- Now just turn off the Real-Time Protection. You do not need to come back to turn it on as it will turn itself on automatically after sometime
To Disable Firewall
- Go to Control Panel and navigate to System and Security
- Click Windows Defender Firewall>customize settings
- Turn off windows firewall under private network.
If it is already turned off, it means that your antivirus has enabled a Firewall so so now go to your anti-virus software disable firewall from there.
Also Read: There is a Time Limit to Refund a Game on Steam, Have you crossed that? (2021)
Use Ethernet Cable
Well, if any of the above settings are not working for you then there might be a problem with your internet connection. If the speed of your modem is itself slow then try upgrading your package for contacting your internet service provider.
But if your internet is fine then connect your PC through an ethernet cable. It does not matter how fast your wireless connection is but a wired connection is always faster than any wireless connection.
If you are already connected through an ethernet cable then make sure it is not outdated, we recommend that you use cat5 and above versions of ethernet cable as they are faster than the older versions.
Well, these were the ways by which you can increase your steam downloading speed. After trying all of this I am sure you might be able to get successful in increasing the speed significantly. If you have any other problems regarding steam you can ask here, we will surely reply, also tell us in the comments what worked for you.
Also Read : Top 5 Ethernet Cable for Gaming 2021 for optimum speed
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Gourang Parekh is the founder of serinose, who is a gamer, aspiring actor, and a former e-sports organizer and a tech savvy. He is also a big fan of Cricket and his favorite batsman is Rohit Sharma.
