How to Fix the Steam Disk Write Error

The Steam disk write error can occur when downloading or updating a game you bought on the Steam platform. These messages typically appear when you attempt to install or download a new game or update a previously installed game. It can also occur when you try to launch a game that needs an update.

How to Fix the Steam Disk Write Error

It's usually relatively simple to fix the disk write error. Try the following solutions in this order:

1. Restart Steam. The easiest way to rule out a temporary issue is to close the Steam client, reopen it, and then download or start the game again.

2. Restart your computer. If closing and reopening Steam doesn't resolve the issue, rebooting the PC could fix it by closing running processes that might interfere with Steam.

   Why Does Restarting Fix Many Computer Problems?

3. Free up space on your hard drive. Steam should provide a different error for low disk space but if it doesn't, you might see the disk write error instead. Learn how to check how much free storage space you have, and then delete apps and files you don't need to give Steam more room for its files.

   One quick way to see all your biggest files is to scan your computer with a disk space analyzer tool.

4. Remove write protection from the Steam installation folder. Write protection prevents a computer from altering or adding files. Find the Steam installation folder, right-click it, and remove the read-only attribute.

5. Run Steam as an administrator. Running software with elevated rights gives it extra permissions and can fix odd problems like this one.

6. Delete corrupted files. When something goes wrong while Steam is downloading a game, it may create a corrupted file that causes the Steam disk write error.

   To fix this problem, go to the main Steam folder and open the steamapps/common directory. If you see a file with the same name as the game you're trying to play, and its size is 0 KB, delete it and then try to download or launch the game again.

7. Verify the integrity of the game files. In your Steam library, right-click the game and select Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files. If Steam finds any corrupt files, it automatically replaces them.

   Do not complete this step if your game uses a launcher that downloads additional updates. Doing so will replace your updated game with the base launcher, and you will then need to re-download the updates through the launcher.

8. Clear the Steam download cache. If the Steam download cache is corrupted, it can cause disk write errors. To fix this problem, open Steam and navigate to Steam > Settings > Downloads > Clear Cache. Choose Confirm to erase the Steam cache and reboot the program.

9. Move Steam to a different drive. In some cases, there may be a problem with the drive that prevents Steam from writing to it. If you have multiple drives or partitions, move the Steam installation folder there instead.

   If this step resolves the Steam disk write error, check the original drive for errors.

10. Check the drive for errors. In some cases, this process can identify bad sectors and tell Windows to ignore those sectors in the future. If the problem persists or gets worse, you may need to replace the hard drive.

11. Turn off the antivirus program or add exceptions. In rare instances, antivirus programs can incorrectly identify Steam as a threat and prevent it from downloading and saving game data.

    If the Steam disk write error goes away with the antivirus turned off, add an exception for Steam in the program's scan settings (as an example, here's how it works in Norton Antivirus).

    How to Turn Off Norton Antivirus

12. Turn off the firewall or add exceptions. If temporarily turning off the firewall fixes the problem, add an exception to the Windows firewall.

13. Contact Steam for help. Steam's technical support team can walk you through potential solutions for your specific problem. You can also find help in the Steam Discussions forum.

Cause of Steam Disk Write Errors

The Steam disk write error appears when Steam can't download and save game data on your computer during an update or new installation. It's usually accompanied by one of the following error messages:

• An error occurred while installing game title (disk write error): C:\Program Files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\game_title
• An error occurred while updating game_title
• An error occurred while installing game_title

The disk write error can happen when:

• The drive or Steam folder is write-protected.
• There are defects in the hard drive.
• Your antivirus or firewall blocks Steam from downloading and saving data.
• There are corrupt or outdated files in the Steam directory.