How to Fix Disk Write Error on Steam? Top 13 Effective Methods

What Does Disk Write Error Mean on Steam?

A Steam disk write error means that the Steam client is unable to write necessary game data to your computer’s storage drive when installing, updating, or launching a game.

The process is interrupted because something is preventing Steam from modifying the game’s files on the disk. It’s usually accompanied by one of these error messages:

• An error occurred while installing Game_Title (disk write error)
• An error occurred while updating Game_Title (disk write error)

The error message is shown below:

This error message typically indicates one of the following underlying issues:

• Insufficient disk space: The storage drive you are trying to install or update the game may be full or nearly full, with no space to write new data.
• Corrupted game files and download cache: Corrupt or incomplete files from a previous download or installation may interfere with the current write process. Steam sometimes creates 0 KB placeholder files, causing this issue.
• File permission issues: Steam needs certain permissions to write files to your computer’s storage device. If the Steam client or the game’s installation directory doesn’t have the necessary permissions, you’ll encounter the disk write error.
• Antivirus or firewall interference: Security software may incorrectly identify Steam’s write operations as threats and block them, preventing downloads or updates from completing.
• Hard drive issues: Bad sectors on the hard drive can cause intermittent or persistent write failures.
• Outdated Steam client or drivers: Running an outdated version of the Steam client can lead to compatibility issues that cause the disk write error.
• Memory errors: Problems with computer memory can cause file corruption during data processing, leading to disk write errors.

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How to Fix Disk Write Error Steam?

To fix Steam disk write errors, first try restarting Steam and your computer. This can resolve temporary file locking and other issues.

If it does not work, follow these troubleshooting solutions.

Method 1. Delete Files to Free up Disk Space

The first thing you should do when encountering a disk write error is to check how much free space is available on your storage device. Here’s how:

Open File Explorer, right-click on the drive where Steam is installed, and select Properties. The free space will be displayed under the General tab.

Generally, the drive where Steam is located should have at least 10-15GB of free space for downloads and updates.

If you don’t have enough free space, you’ll need to free up some by deleting unnecessary files, uninstalling unused programs, or moving files to an external drive.

To find what’s taking up your hard drive space and delete unnecessary files, try MiniTool Partition Wizard. It is a free space analyzer that supports all kinds of hard drives, like SSD, HDD, external hard drives, and other removable devices like USB flash drives.

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Step 1. Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard to enter its main interface. Then click Space Analyzer from the top toolbar.

Step 2. Select the Steam drive from the drop-down menu, and click Scan.

Step 3. After the scanning process finishes, check the drive’s Total Space, Space Used, and Space Free. Then find the unused files/folders, right-click them, and select Delete (Permanently).

Method 2. Extend the Game Drive

In addition to freeing up Steam disk space, increasing its size can make the disk have enough space to launch Steam.

MiniTool Partition Wizard’s Extend Partition feature can help you take free space from any other existing partitions or unallocated space to enlarge a partition on the same disk.

1. On its main interface, highlight the Steam partition and select Extend Partition from the left action panel.
2. In the pop-up window, choose a partition or unallocated space from the drop-down list of Take Free Space from. Then drag the blue block to decide how much space to occupy. After that, click OK.
3. Click Apply to perform the pending operation.

Method 3. Clear the Steam Download Cache

If the download cache is corrupted, clearing it can often resolve the disk write error. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Steam client and log in to your account.
2. Click Steam in the top-left corner of the window and select Settings.
3. In the Settings window, click the Downloads tab.
4. Click the Clear Download Cache button. Then click OK to confirm.

Once the cache has been cleared, restart the Steam client and try downloading or updating the game again.

Method 4. Verify Integrity of Game Files

If the error occurs while updating or playing a specific game, the game files themselves may be corrupted. Verifying the game files can fix this. Here’s how:

1. Open the Steam client and go to your Library.
2. Right-click on the game that’s causing the error and select Properties.
3. In the Properties window, click the Local Files tab.
4. Click the Verify Integrity of Game Files button.

Steam will now check the game files. This process may take a few minutes, depending on the size of the game.

Once the verification is complete, restart Steam and try launching the game or updating it again.

Method 5. Run Steam with Full Permissions

Running Steam with administrator privileges ensures it has the necessary permissions to write data to the disk. Before that, exit Steam completely.

Step 1. Check if the Steam drive is write-protected. The write protection status will prevent any new data from being written to it.

1. Type cmd in the Search bar, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
2. Type diskpart and press Enter.
3. Type list disk and press Enter. Then look for the Steam drive and note its number.
4. Type select disk # (replace # with the Steam disk number) and press Enter.
5. Type attribute disk and press Enter to see if the “Current Read-only State” is Yes.
6. If the drive is read-only, type attribute disk clear readonly and press Enter. If not, try the next step.

Step 2. Remove the Read-only attributes from the Steam folder and give it full control.

1. Navigate to your Steam folder (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam by default).
2. Right-click Steam and choose Properties.
3. Uncheck the box before Read-only (Only applies to files in folder).
4. Go to the Security tab and click Edit.
5. Under Group or user name, select your user account, then check the box Allow for Full control.
6. Click Apply and OK.

Step 3. Run Steam as administrator.

1. Right-click the Steam shortcut and select Properties.
2. Go to the Compatibility tab, check the Run this program as an administrator box.
3. Click Apply and OK, then restart Steam.

Method 6. Delete the 0 KB File

When Steam attempts to download or update a game, if a problem occurs (such as a brief network interruption or permission conflict), it may create an empty placeholder file (0 KB in size). However, this file prevents the actual, uncorrupted data from being written correctly.

Now, find out the 0KB files and delete them.

1. Go to the Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common path.
2. Look for a file with the same name as the game that is causing the error and check its size.
3. If the file is 0KB, right-click it and select Delete.

Method 7. Delete Corrupted Files in the Content_log File

Corrupted files can cause Steam disk write errors. These files can be identified by checking the content_log file, which lists all files downloaded during the installation process.

1. Navigate to Program Files (x86)/Steam/logs/content_log and open it with Notepad.
2. Scroll down to check if there is a “Failed to write” error in the log.
3. If you find an error, follow the error path to delete the corrupted file.

After deleting the corrupted file, restart your system to see if the disk write error persists.

Method 8. Disable Antivirus and Firewall Temporarily

Your security software might be blocking Steam’s write access. Disable antivirus temporarily to see if the error persists.

To disable the firewall, go to Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall and click on Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off. Select Turn off Windows Defender Firewall for both private and public networks.

Disabling your antivirus and firewall can leave your computer vulnerable to attacks, so make sure to enable them again as soon as you’ve tested Steam.

If disabling them resolves the error, you’ll need to add Steam to the exceptions list in your antivirus and firewall software to prevent future interference.

Method 9. Update the Steam Client and Drivers

Running outdated software can lead to compatibility issues. Here’s how to update the Steam client and your system drivers:

Update the Steam client

1. Open the Steam client and click Steam in the top-left corner.
2. Select Check for Steam Client Updates. If an update is available, Steam will download and install it automatically.

Update drivers

1. Open the Device Manager by right-clicking Start and selecting Device Manager.
2. Expand the categories and look for any devices with a yellow exclamation mark (indicating a driver issue).
3. Right-click on the device and select Update driver.

You can also visit the manufacturer’s website to download the latest drivers for your computer.

Method 10. Check the Hard Drive for Errors

Hard drive errors like bad sectors or file system corruption are common causes of Steam being unable to write data to the disk.

To check the hard drive for errors, run the Windows built-in CHKDSK tool from the Command Prompt.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. In the Command Prompt window, type chkdsk *: /f and press Enter. Replace “*” with the letter of your drive. This command will detect and fix file system errors.
3. If it doesn’t help, type chkdsk *: /r and press Enter. This command will locate bad sectors on the disk, recover readable information from them, and mark them as bad.

Method 11. Change Download Region

Sometimes, a local server overload can cause download problems. Go to Settings > Downloads and select a different download region nearby.

Method 12. Move Steam Game to Another Drive

If you have an alternative drive, create a new Steam library folder there and try moving the game to that location.

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Method 13. Reinstall Steam

If all the above methods fail, reinstalling the Steam client may be necessary. Before you do this, back up your game files if you don’t want to re-download them.

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Steam Disk Write Error FAQ

Bottom Line

Steam disk write errors are a common problem that can be caused by a variety of factors. Following the step-by-step troubleshooting steps outlined in this article should help you resolve this error.

If you have tried all the troubleshooting methods but the error persists, you may need to contact Steam Support. They can provide further assistance.

If you have any questions or suggestions on how to use MiniTool Partition Wizard, do not hesitate to contact us via [email protected].