For a lot of gamers, Steam is their go-to platform to manage and play their favorite titles. However, Steam can be very annoying by taking its time when downloading new games or installing updates.

Unless you plan ahead and update or download games a few hours before joining your friends, you might be stuck looking at Steam installing updates.

Now, if you want to speed up Steam, these tips will help you optimize the bandwidth from your ISP and also Steam's own connection to its servers. You can use the same fixes even if you use a Windows 11 device.

1. Declutter Your Connection

Seriously, close your browser. As much as internet speeds are something of a mysterious force, there are a few obvious ways to cut down on your extraneous data use. The easiest method is hiding in plain sight: your Taskbar. Right-click on your Taskbar and select the Task Manager.

Declutter your connection with Task Manager

Next, click on the Network category. If you see any pesky programs hogging up your network connection, particularly currently running games, right-click on the program and select End task. When it comes to learning how to speed up Steam downloads, ending any unnecessary programs is probably the most crucial tip we can offer.

2. Optimize Steam's Software

Another little trick to optimize Steam's download speeds also lies within your Task Manager. First, open Steam and locate the software in your Task Manager. Right-click on Steam Client entry and select Go to details.

Check Steam service in Task Manager

Next, from your Detail panel, right-click on SteamService.exe and select Set priority, then High.

Change Steam priority in Task Manager

While this won't radically alter download speeds, it will inform your PC that Steam deserves a higher priority than the rest of your programs, background or otherwise.

3. Update the Network Driver

If Steam isn’t the only one with slow performance, it might be a sign of an outdated or corrupted network driver. If you think a network driver is the culprit for Steam’s slow downloads, check out our guide on how to find and replace outdated Windows drivers.

4. Optimize Your Data Connection

While Steam does do its best to provide users with the most optimal speeds available, Steam's download speeds will largely depend on the speed of your internet connection. Though it's understandable that not everyone has access to a powerhouse internet connection, there are a few things you can immediately do to better your overall online connection.

My topmost recommendation would be to download games using a physical Ethernet connection. This also means tracking down your LAN drivers and installing the latest ones. To do so, you'll have to locate your motherboard's make and model.

Click on your Start Menu, type cmd, and click on the Command Prompt option. Enter the following into your prompt and hit Enter on your keyboard.

        wmic baseboard get product,Manufacturer
    

Google your motherboard's make and model to locate its Support page. From this page, you'll be able to locate and download the latest LAN drivers. Finally, connect your modem to your PC via an Ethernet cable. That's it!

4. Check Server Proximity

Steam downloads are regional, rather than centered in one global location. At times, Steam will incorrectly read your location. This means you could be located in Los Angeles, while your downloads are centered in Philadelphia, which could dramatically affect download speeds.

To change your download region, open Steam, and click Steam > Settings in the upper left-hand corner. From the Settings window, click on the Downloads category. Next, click on the drop-down menu next to Download Region.

Change Steam download server

Set this option to the closest server available in your area. For added measure, set the Limit bandwidth to option in this window to No limit.

5. Try Server Relocation

While choosing your closest server is typically your best bet, it isn't always.

This affects the overall speed of your download: the higher the traffic, the more clogged your connection. You can, however, relocate the server in order to find the right balance of traffic and download rates.

First, head to Steam's Download Stats. From this interactive map, you will be able to check the average download rate and percentage of global traffic.

Check Steam servers' traffic

Click on a country to see the download rates and traffic. While your download rate results may not radically change (as proximity is also a factor in download speeds) changing your current server to one with a greater download rate or less traffic will certainly help speed up Steam downloads.

6. Clear Steam Download Cache

There’s a chance that Steam accumulated too much cache, and it’s now hindering the app’s functionality. In this case, clearing Steam’s download cache should fix the problem. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Launch the Steam app.
  2. Go to Steam > Settings.
  3. From the left pane, select Downloads.
  4. Click the Clear Download Cache button and confirm the action.
  5. Restart Steam and check if the problem is now solved.
Clear Steam download cache

7. Disable Your Antivirus Software and Firewall

Steam includes antivirus programs and firewalls on its list of programs that may interfere with Steam.

You can try to temporarily disable Windows Defender and check if it improves Steam’s download speed. Additionally, you could disable your firewall, but this might put your computer at risk. Instead, you can allow Steam through Windows Firewall.

The same goes if you’re using a third-party antivirus. You can try to turn it off or add Steam to its exception list.

8. Turn Off Your VPN

Similar to the antivirus, your VPN might be the one slowing down Steam downloads. You can try completely turn off the VPN connection or exclude Steam from the VPN tunnel. However, by doing so, you might lose access to exclusive content.

If you don’t want to miss anything, you should try a VPN that works better for online gaming.

Learning How to Increase Steam Download Speeds

There's nothing sadder than slow download speeds. That's why we're here to help you learn how to make Steam download faster. If you're experiencing slow download speeds on Steam, take a few minutes to enact these tips. After all, those MBs add up!

If everything works fine on your device, but Steam is still struggling when it comes to downloading new games or installing updates, you should reinstall Steam. The only downside is that you have to reinstall every Steam game. However, you can speed up the process by installing multiple Steam games at once.