How To Enable Local Transfer On Steam | Save Your Bandwidth

Enable Steam local transfer by going to Settings > Downloads and toggling Game File Transfer Over Local Network on, then setting who can send you files.

Waiting hours for Steam to re-download a 60 GB game onto a second PC is the kind of problem most gamers accept as normal. It doesn’t have to be. Steam’s built-in local network transfer copies game files directly between PCs on the same home network at speeds up to 500 Mbit/s — no second internet download required. Here’s how to enable local transfer on Steam and start saving your bandwidth in about two minutes.

What Is Steam Local Network Game Transfer?

Steam Local Network Game Transfer copies installed game files from one device to another over your local network instead of pulling them from Steam’s internet servers. Valve launched the feature in September 2023, and it’s free for every Steam account — no subscription, no extra license, no cost per transfer. The source PC sends the files; the destination PC treats the transfer exactly the same as a standard install. If the local connection drops mid-transfer, Steam automatically falls back to downloading from the internet, so you never lose progress.

Enabling Local Transfer On Steam: Settings You Need To Configure

The feature must be turned on manually on both machines — the PC that already has the game installed and the PC you want to copy it to. The toggle is in the same spot on both.

1. Open the Steam client on the source PC.
2. Click Steam in the top-left corner, then select Settings.
3. In the left sidebar, choose Downloads.
4. Scroll down to Game File Transfer Over Local Network and toggle it On.
5. Open the dropdown labeled Allow transfers from this device to and pick one:
   • Only me — transfers only between devices logged into the same Steam account.
   • Steam Friends — allows friends on the same network to pull games from this PC.
   • Anyone — any Steam user on the same local network can transfer from this device.
6. Repeat steps 1–5 on the destination PC. Both machines must have the toggle enabled.

A green checkmark next to the feature name confirms it’s active. Steam’s official documentation spells out the same procedure — Steam’s Local Network Game Transfers FAQ covers edge cases like family-sharing accounts and multi-drive setups.

How To Start A Transfer

Once both PCs have the feature enabled, the transfer triggers automatically when you install a game on the destination machine. No manual source selection required.

1. On the destination PC, go to your Library.
2. Select the game you want to transfer (it must already be installed on the source PC and fully updated).
3. Click Install and choose your preferred library folder if prompted.
4. Steam detects the local source and begins copying. Open Downloads in the Steam client to see the status — you’ll see a message reading “This game is being transferred locally.”

The download bar in Steam’s Downloads window fills up quickly at local-network speeds, and the game appears in your library as ready to play once the transfer finishes.

What You Need For Local Transfers

Not every setup works out of the box. The table below covers the requirements for source and destination machines.

Common Mistakes That Block The Transfer

The feature itself is simple, but a few oversights stop transfers from starting. These are the most frequent issues:

• Feature not enabled on both PCs. The toggle must be On at both ends. One side enabled does nothing.
• Source version is outdated. The source PC’s installed game must match or be newer than the version the destination is trying to install. Update the game on source first.
• Game is running on source. Steam can’t copy files that are locked by a running process. Close the game entirely before starting.
• Other downloads active. Pause all other Steam downloads and updates on both machines before triggering the transfer.
• Big Picture mode on source. Switch to desktop mode. Big Picture mode disables local transfers on the source side.
• Network isolation enabled. Some routers and guest Wi-Fi networks block device-to-device traffic. Turn off client isolation in your router settings.
• Energy-saving network adapter settings. “Green Ethernet” or power-saving modes can disconnect the adapter when the PC is idle, interrupting the transfer. Disable them in the adapter’s properties.

Tips For Faster Local Transfers

Once the feature is enabled, transfer speed depends mostly on your network hardware and what else the machines are doing. These adjustments help reach the 400–500 Mbit/s ceiling.

Why Isn’t My Transfer Starting?

If you’ve toggled the feature on both PCs and clicked Install, but Steam is downloading from the internet instead of the local network, check these three things first:

• Are both PCs on the same subnet? Devices on different subnets can’t see each other. Confirm both IP addresses share the same first three octets (e.g., 192.168.1.x).
• Is client isolation off? Even on a wired connection, some routers isolate ports. Log into your router’s admin panel and disable AP isolation or client isolation.
• Does the source have the latest version? If the destination is trying to install a newer build than what’s on source, Steam skips the local copy and goes straight to the internet.

When none of those apply, restart both Steam clients and try again. If the local transfer still fails, Steam’s internet fallback takes over automatically — you’ll get the game either way, just slower.

Get Transfers Running Now: The Complete Checklist

Use this sequence in order when setting up a new PC or transferring a library between machines:

1. Update Steam to the latest version on both PCs.
2. Toggle Game File Transfer Over Local Network to On in Settings > Downloads on source and destination.
3. Set the dropdown to Anyone for the least friction on a home network.
4. Close any running games on the source PC.
5. Pause other downloads on both machines.
6. Install the game on the destination PC and confirm the Steam Downloads page shows “This game is being transferred locally.”

If the transfer completes without hitting the internet, you’ve just saved the time and bandwidth of a full re-download. The process repeats the same way for every game in your library.