How to find large game folders
How to find large game folders
Easy Gamer Utility can scan your Steam libraries and show which game folders are using the most storage space.
This is useful when your SSD or hard drive is becoming full and you are not sure which games, updates, mods or other folders are taking up the space.
The scan does not delete anything. It only measures the folders and displays the results for you to review.
What does the Game Data scan do?
See also: Is it safe to remove game cache files? Article
The Game Data scan looks inside your detected Steam game libraries.
For each installed game it finds, Easy Gamer Utility checks the folders inside the game’s main installation folder and works out how much storage each one is using.
The results are then sorted with the largest folder at the top.
This makes it easier to find:
- Large game data folders
- Downloaded content
- Mods and Workshop content
- Screenshot folders
- Cache folders
- Log folders
- Update folders
- Other large folders inside Steam games
The scan is for information only. Easy Gamer Utility does not automatically remove the folders it finds.
How to find large game folders with Easy Gamer Utility
Follow these steps:
- Open Easy Gamer Utility.
- Click Game Data at the top of the window.
- Click Analyze.
- Wait while Easy Gamer Utility scans your Steam libraries.
- Watch the progress bar and status message.
- Wait until the message changes to Scan complete.
- Review the results in the table.
The largest detected folder should appear at the top of the list.
The scan may take several minutes if you have many installed games or large Steam libraries.
What should I do before starting the scan?
See also: Why some cache files could not be removed Article
You do not normally need to close Steam before running the Game Data scan.
However, for the clearest results, it is a good idea to:
- Pause any active Steam downloads
- Wait for game updates to finish
- Close games that are currently running
- Make sure external game drives are connected
- Check that Windows can access all your Steam drives
A folder may change size during the scan if Steam is downloading or updating a game at the same time.
Understanding the scan progress
After clicking Analyze, Easy Gamer Utility shows a progress bar and a status message.
The status may display the name of the game currently being checked.
For example:
Scanning: Game Name (4/20)
This means Easy Gamer Utility is scanning the fourth game out of 20 detected games.
When the scan is complete, the message changes to:
Scan complete
Do not close Easy Gamer Utility while the scan is still running.
Understanding the results table
See also: How to clear the Microsoft Store cache Article
The results are displayed in a table containing several columns.
These include:
- Game
- Folder
- Type
- Size
- Path, when enabled
Each row represents a folder found inside an installed Steam game.
What does the Game column mean?
The Game column shows the name of the main Steam game folder.
This will usually match the name of the game, but it may sometimes look different from the name shown in your Steam library.
For example, Steam may display a friendly game title while its installation folder uses:
- A shortened name
- An internal game name
- An old development name
- Letters without spaces
- A publisher or engine name
This is normal and does not mean Easy Gamer Utility has found the wrong game.
What does the Folder column mean?
See also: How to clear graphics card cache files Article
The Folder column shows the name of the folder inside the main game directory.
Examples may include:
- Data
- Content
- Update
- Bundles
- ShooterGame
- steamapps
- Mods
- Screenshots
- Cache
- Logs
A game is normally made up of many different folders.
The folder name may not clearly explain what is inside it, especially when the game developer uses internal names.
Do not delete a folder simply because its name looks unfamiliar.
What does the Type column mean?
Easy Gamer Utility tries to place some folders into simple categories based on their name.
Possible types include:
Screenshots
The folder name contains wording connected to screenshots.
It may contain images captured while playing.
Mods
The folder name contains words such as mod or workshop.
It may contain downloaded modifications or Steam Workshop content.
DLC
The folder name contains wording such as DLC or addon.
It may contain additional content installed for the game.
Cache
The folder name contains wording such as cache or temp.
It may contain temporary files.
Logs
The folder name contains the word log.
It may contain game error or activity records.
Other
Easy Gamer Utility could not confidently place the folder into one of the other categories.
Most normal game folders may appear as Other.
A folder being marked as Other does not mean it is unnecessary.
What does the Size column mean?
The Size column shows how much storage space the folder is using.
The size may be displayed in:
- KB for kilobytes
- MB for megabytes
- GB for gigabytes
A larger number means the folder is using more storage space.
For example:
500 MBis smaller than1 GB20 GBis a large folder100 GBor more may be a major part of a game installation
The results are automatically sorted so that the largest folder appears first.
How to show the full folder location
The full folder location is hidden by default to keep the table easier to read.
To display it:
- Run the Game Data scan.
- Tick Show folder path.
- Look for the Path column in the results table.
The path shows the exact location of the folder on your computer.
For example:
D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\GameName\Data
Untick Show folder path to hide the column again.
How to open a folder from the scan results
You can open a detected folder directly in Windows File Explorer.
- Run the Game Data scan.
- Find the folder you want to inspect.
- Double-click its row in the results table.
- Windows File Explorer will open that folder.
Opening a folder does not remove or change it.
This lets you inspect the files before deciding what to do.
Does the scan delete large game folders?
No.
The Analyze button only scans and measures folders.
Easy Gamer Utility does not delete the folders shown in the Game Data table.
There is no automatic delete action in this section.
This is important because many large folders contain files required for the game to work.
Should I delete the largest folder?
Usually, no.
The largest folder may contain the main game files.
For example, folders named Data, Content, Game, Bundles or Update may contain files the game needs to start.
Deleting one of these folders manually could:
- Stop the game from opening
- Cause missing textures or sounds
- Break downloaded content
- Force Steam to download the files again
- Remove mods
- Damage the game installation
Use the scan to understand where your storage space is being used, not as a list of files that are safe to delete.
What can I safely do with a large game folder?
The safest option depends on what the folder contains.
Uninstall a game through Steam
If you no longer play the game, uninstall it through Steam rather than deleting its folders manually.
- Open Steam.
- Go to Library.
- Right-click the game.
- Select Manage.
- Click Uninstall.
- Confirm the removal.
This lets Steam remove the game properly.
Move the game to another drive
If you still want the game but need space on the current drive, move it through Steam.
- Open Steam.
- Go to Settings.
- Open Storage.
- Select the game.
- Choose the option to move it.
- Select another Steam library.
This is safer than dragging the game folder to another drive manually.
Remove unwanted Workshop items
A large Workshop or Mods folder may contain content you subscribed to through Steam.
Unsubscribe from unwanted Workshop items through the game’s Steam Workshop page.
Steam can then remove the related files correctly.
Remove old screenshots
A folder marked as Screenshots may contain images you no longer need.
Open the folder, check the images and copy any important screenshots somewhere safe before removing them.
Use the correct cache-cleaning tool
A folder marked as Cache may contain temporary files, but do not assume every cache folder can be safely deleted.
Use the cleaning tools inside Easy Gamer Utility where possible.
For Steam launcher cache files, use:
Clean > Game Launchers > Clear Steam cache files
That tool is separate from the Game Data scan.
How to stop a Game Data scan
Click Cancel if you need to stop the scan before it finishes.
Easy Gamer Utility will stop scanning and may display:
Scan cancelled
The progress bar will return to the beginning.
Stopping the scan does not damage your games or remove any files.
You can click Analyze again when you are ready to restart it.
Why is the scan taking a long time?
The scan calculates the size of files inside game folders.
It may take longer when:
- You have many Steam games installed
- Your games are very large
- Steam is installed on a slower hard drive
- You are scanning an external drive
- A folder contains thousands of small files
- Other programs are heavily using the drive
- Antivirus software is checking the same files
- Steam is downloading an update
Allow the scan time to finish.
Avoid starting several storage scans at the same time.
Why is the progress bar moving slowly?
Easy Gamer Utility may be scanning a very large game or a folder containing many files.
The progress bar is based partly on how many games have been checked, not how large each game is.
One very large game may therefore take longer than several small games.
This does not necessarily mean the scan has frozen.
Check whether the game name in the status message changes after waiting.
Why are no games shown?
Easy Gamer Utility may return an empty list when:
- Steam is not installed in a detected location
- No Steam games are installed
- The Steam library folder cannot be accessed
- An external game drive is disconnected
- The Steam library information is missing or damaged
- Your games are installed in an unusual folder
- Windows blocked access to the drive
Try these steps:
- Open Steam.
- Check that your installed games appear in the Steam library.
- Open Steam Settings > Storage.
- Confirm that the correct Steam library is listed.
- Connect any external game drives.
- Close and reopen Easy Gamer Utility.
- Run the scan again.
Also check for an Easy Gamer Utility update.
Why is one of my Steam libraries missing?
Easy Gamer Utility reads Steam’s saved library information to find additional Steam locations.
A library may not be detected when:
- Steam no longer lists it
- The drive letter has changed
- The drive is disconnected
- The folder was moved manually
- The library information is damaged
- The folder uses an unusual layout
Open Steam and check the Storage settings.
If the library is missing from Steam, add it back through Steam before scanning again.
What is the difference between Free and Pro scanning?
Easy Gamer Utility Free checks the standard Steam installation and the Steam libraries listed in Steam’s library information.
Easy Gamer Utility Pro also performs an additional search across available drives for Steam game folders.
This can help find Steam libraries stored in additional drive locations.
When using the Free version, the completed status may include a message explaining that Pro scans all drives.
Does the Game Data scan find Epic Games or Xbox games?
The current Game Data storage scan is designed around Steam library folders.
Games installed through Epic Games Launcher, EA App, Ubisoft Connect, Battle.net, Xbox or Microsoft Store may not appear in this particular scan.
Other Easy Gamer Utility sections may detect or work with games from additional launchers, but that does not mean they are included in the Game Data storage results.
Why does a folder appear more than once?
A game may contain several folders with similar names, or different installed games may use the same folder name.
For example, several games may each contain folders named:
- Data
- Content
- Cache
- Logs
- Update
Check the Game and Path columns to see which game each folder belongs to.
Why is a folder size different from Steam?
Steam may show the total installed size of the complete game.
Easy Gamer Utility shows the size of individual folders inside that game.
For example, Steam may report that a game uses 120 GB, while Easy Gamer Utility may show:
- Data: 80 GB
- Content: 25 GB
- Updates: 10 GB
- Other folders: 5 GB
The individual results can add up to the complete game size.
There may also be small differences because files change, updates are downloaded or Steam calculates storage differently.
Why is the game name unusual?
Easy Gamer Utility uses the name of the game’s installation folder.
Some developers use folder names that are different from the public game title.
For example, a game may use:
- An engine project name
- An internal development name
- A shortened title
- A previous title
- A name without spaces
Use the full path and folder contents if you need help identifying it.
Does the scan include saved games?
The Game Data scan checks folders inside Steam game installation directories.
Many saved games are stored somewhere else, such as:
- Documents
- Saved Games
- AppData
- Steam userdata
- A cloud-save folder
A save folder may therefore not appear in the Game Data results.
Use the Easy Gamer Utility Files section when you want to find supported saved game locations.
Does the scan require administrator permission?
The scan should normally work without administrator permission.
Administrator permission may help if Windows is blocking access to a protected game folder.
To try the scan as an administrator:
- Click Run EGU as admin.
- Click Yes when Windows asks for permission.
- Open Game Data.
- Click Analyze again.
Administrator access will not help if the drive is disconnected or the Steam library no longer exists.
Is it safe to scan an external drive?
Yes.
The scan only reads folder and file information so that it can calculate the size.
It does not modify the external drive.
The scan may take longer when the drive uses a slower USB connection or contains many large games.
Do not disconnect the drive while the scan is running.
Finding large game folders in simple terms
Open Easy Gamer Utility, click Game Data and then click Analyze.
Wait for the scan to finish.
The largest Steam game folders will appear at the top of the table.
Tick Show folder path to see where a folder is stored, or double-click a result to open it in File Explorer.
The scan does not delete anything. Use Steam to uninstall or move complete games, and do not manually remove a large folder unless you know exactly what it contains.