Install a Steam Game on Another PC with a Local Transfer

A game is already installed on your desktop, but your laptop wants to download it again. Steam can reuse installation and update files from another PC on your home network. Enable local transfers on both computers, leave the source PC idle, then start the installation on the receiving PC.

Valve added local network game transfers to the stable Steam client in its March 2023 update . The feature can reduce internet traffic and shorten an installation. Keep the old PC available until you have checked the new installation and your game progress separately.

This guide covers two Windows PCs using Steam’s desktop client, with information available by 11 March 2026. It follows Valve’s documentation rather than a hands-on transfer test.

Set up one game first

Choose a released game you can play on both PCs. The source installation must be current. Both Steam clients need to be online, on the same local network and allowed to transfer to each other. On the source PC, finish downloads and close running games; use Steam’s desktop interface rather than Big Picture mode.

1. Open Steam > Settings > Downloads on both PCs. Find Game File Transfer over Local Network and enable it.
2. For two computers signed into your account, choose the option that limits transfers to your own devices. Valve calls this Only my own devices in its support guidance.
3. On the receiving PC, select the game in your Library and choose Install. Check the destination and available space before continuing.
4. Open Steam’s Downloads page. Look for the local transfer notice identifying the source computer.
5. Keep both PCs awake and connected until installation finishes. Then launch the game on the receiving PC.

Valve’s local transfer FAQ, preserved in January 2025 , documents the requirements and transfer notice. Start with one game so you can check the destination and recognise the source before queuing a larger library.

Check what is actually being transferred

An installation that finishes successfully answers one question: whether the game is installed. To establish that Steam used the other PC, check the local transfer notice while it is active. A short installation time alone is weak evidence; record the named source as well.

Steam can fetch remaining content from its internet servers when local content runs out or the connection breaks. Local transfer therefore does not promise a completely offline installation. Valve describes that fallback in its transfer FAQ .

For example, suppose you want three games on a laptop before a trip. Try the smallest one first. Note which desktop Steam identifies as the source, let the installation finish, then check that the game starts. If that works, repeat the same setup for the others. This is a suggested workflow, not a speed benchmark.

Treat your saves as a separate task

The transfer excludes local saves, configuration files, Workshop content, Steam Cloud files and shader files. Its job is to reuse game content. Choosing Only my friends or Any user also lets other eligible people on your network discover which games you have installed. Keep the narrowest setting that suits the transfer. These limits are described in Valve’s transfer FAQ .

For a game with Steam Cloud, developers choose which files are synchronised. Steam’s normal Cloud process uploads configured files after a game exits and downloads them before a session on another computer. A working installation alone cannot establish that the latest save arrived. See Valve’s Steam Cloud documentation .

Before retiring the source PC, compare something recognisable on the new one: your character, chapter or save slot. If you use Cloud, let synchronisation finish and resolve warnings before playing. For a manual save transfer, follow the game developer’s instructions and keep a separate copy of the original save folder.

If Steam keeps downloading from the internet

First repeat the setup check: both clients online, matching transfer permissions, an updated source installation and no game or download running on the source. Keep that comparison simple before changing network settings.

If you need more evidence, inspect logs\content_log.txt inside the Steam installation folder on each PC and look for peer entries around the attempted transfer. In a dated Steam discussion , a Valve developer identified this log and confirmed TCP port 27040 for transfers in March 2023.

A firewall or a network that separates devices can deserve closer inspection. Ask the network owner to check the connection and Steam’s permitted local traffic. Keep firewall protection enabled; avoid router port forwarding for a transfer between home PCs. If the log is unclear, retain the attempt time, client versions and network arrangement for Steam Support.

Once the receiving PC launches the game and loads the progress you expected, you have checked both parts of the move. If you enabled transfers just for this installation, return to the same settings on both PCs and switch the feature off. Keep your save backup before removing anything from the old computer.