- Ensure you’re connected to a strong and stable internet connection.
- You can also reinstall the Steam client to try to fix the slow download issue.
Try These Fixes First
- Close network hogging apps from the background: Unnecessary apps running in the background, especially those connected to the internet, can dramatically slow down your download speed by hogging up bandwidth. So, open the Task Manager and close all such applications.
- Disable VPN or Proxy: Using a VPN or proxy can slow things down by adding extra latency to your network. So, disable them and check for the problem.
- Update Steam: If you’re using an outdated Steam client, that’s most likely the reason for your slow download speeds. To fix the problem, update Steam.
Fix 1: Set Steam as High Priority in Task Manager
In Windows, you can manually control how much processing power and network resources an application uses. Once you increase an application’s priority level , it tells Windows to allocate more resources to it, which ultimately improves its performance. To give Steam priority for network bandwidth, follow these steps:
Step 1: Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key together to open the Task Manager.
Step 2: Click on the Details tab in the sidebar. Then, right-click on the Steam.exe process in the main window > select Set priority > High .
Fix 2: Check the Steam Download Region
Steam offers hundreds of servers worldwide for better connectivity. However, connecting to a server located far away from your location may result in slower download speeds.
To ensure you’re getting the highest download speed possible, check if the Steam download location is set to the nearest server by following the steps mentioned below:
Step 1: Open the Steam client > click Steam at the top left > click on Settings from the menu.
Step 2: In the Setting dialog, click on Downloads .
Step 3: Click on the Download region drop-down > select the server nearest to your state > click on OK to save the changes.
Fix 3: Disable Bandwidth Restrictions Inside Steam
Steam offers a handy toggle to restrict the bandwidth used for downloading your games. It can be helpful when you need the network bandwidth for other essential tasks and apps. However, to get the highest download speeds, ensure that the bandwidth restriction is turned off. Follow the steps mentioned below:
Step 1: Launch the Steam client > click Steam at the top left > choose Settings .
Step 2: In the Setting dialog, click on Downloads in the sidebar.
Step 3: Deselect the checkbox for Limit bandwidth to > click OK to save the changes.
Alternatively, if you have a high bandwidth internet connection that allows you to live stream even with downloads running in the background, uncheck the box for Throttle download while streaming .
Fix 4: Switch to Google or Cloudflare DNS
The problem can also occur because of the DNS server you’re connected to. So, switch to Google Public DNS or Cloudflare DNS to fix the issue. If you want to connect to Google Public DNS, check out our details about it . For Cloudflare DNS, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open the Settings app > select Network & internet > choose Advanced network settings .
Step 2: Click on your connection > select View additional properties .
Step 3: Click Edit next to DNS server assignment.
Step 4: Select Manual from the Edit DNS settings dropdown menu. Then, enable the IPv4 toggle and type 1.1.1.1 in the Preferred DNS server field and 1.0.0.1 in the Alternate DNS server field. After that, click Save .
Fix 5: Set Download Speed Limit in Steam
Many users on Reddit have confirmed that they could fix Steam’s slow downloading speed by limiting it. To do so, enable the download limit option in the Steam settings and configure it to a download speed higher than what your ISP currently offers.
To do this, open the Steam Settings menu > select Downloads from the sidebar > enable the Limit download speed toggle > set a download speed higher than what your ISP currently provides.
Fix 6: Clear Steam Cache Data
If the Steam cache data is corrupted, you’re likely to experience slow download speeds on Steam. You must clear this Steam cache data to fix the problem.
To do that, open the Steam Settings menu > select Downloads from the side panel > click Clear Cache on the right > Confirm .
After that, restart the Steam client, and you should no longer face the problem.
