In this tutorial, we will tackle Steam Stuck on Allocating Disk Space on Windows 10 PC.
The “Allocating disk space” message in Steam happens when downloading a game through the Steam client. It’s a normal message during the game installation but the issue is that this message is stuck for too long. In most cases, the client simply gets stuck while displaying this message during the installation.
There are several causes that can cause Allocating Disk Space on Steam Stuck issue ranging from an oversized download cache, download server is full or not working, to a firewall that is blocked. Listed below are the troubleshooting methods that you need to do to fix the issue.
How To Fix Steam Stuck On Allocating Disk Space on Windows 10
Method 1. Clear Download Cache
The most obvious cause of this issue is that you get stuck on allocation disk space on your Steam when you download a game. This cache can be cleared easily from within the client. Here are the steps to clear the download cache in Steam.
1. Launch Steam Client and click Steam > Settings.
2. Go to the Downloads tab and click the option Clear Download Cache button. A prompt message pops up “This will clear your local download cache and you will need to login to Steam again. Do you wish to continue?” Click OK.
Clear the Download Cache
3. After download cache has been cleared, Steam will restart.
4. Relaunch the client and then check if Steam stuck on the Allocating Disk Space issue still appears.
Method 2. Change the Download Server
Sometimes this message hangs on if the Steam server you are currently using is having issues such as too much traffic. Many users have reported that changing the download server from the one currently set can resolve the issue quite easily. Follow these steps:
1. Launch Steam Client.
2. Click on Steam button and select on Settings from the drop down menu
3. Go to the Downloads section and click on Download Region. Select the download region location which is somewhere near from your location to change server.
Change the Download Region
4. Click OK to save changes.
Relaunch the client and check if Allocating Disk Space stuck on Steam issue still happens.
Method 3. End the Steam Process in Task Manager and Run it as an Administrator
1. First, open the Task Manager by pressing the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination.
2. Click More details inside to expand it. Go to the Details tab, locate the Steam.exe entry in the list. Right-click it and select the End task. Repeat the process for all entries if available.
3. Now go to Steam Installation Folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
4. Find Steam.exe at library folder, right click then select Properties from the drop down menu to open Properties section.
5. In Steam Properties, go to Compatibility tab, place a check mark on the option Run this program as administrator under settings.
6. Click Apply > OK to save changes.
Relaunch the Steam client and then check to see if the installation finishes without getting stuck on the “Allocating disk space” message.
Method 4. Disable Windows Defender Firewall
It’s highly likely that downloading and installing of games on Steam is blocked by Windows Defender Firewall Antivirus that might be causing steam stuck on allocating disk space error. Disabling Windows Defender Firewall and check if Steam On Allocating Disk Space stuck issue is resolved.
1. Click Start menu and type “Control Panel” in the search box. Then select Control Panel from the results.
2. Click the View by option and make sure you either Small or Large icons. Click on Windows Defender Firewall entry.
3. From the left-side navigation menu, click on the Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off.
4. Tick the radio button next to the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended) option for both Private and Public network settings.
5. Click OK to save changes.
Method 5. Refresh Steam Installation.
This method will effectively skip the allocating disk space part and the issue should be resolved in no time. Follow these steps:
1. Follow the Steps 1-2 from Method 3 to close your Steam client and the installation window on your computer.
2. Go to Steam Installation folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
3. Inside the Steam folder, highlight to select everything with the exception of steamapps folder and Steam.exe executable. Right-click the selection and click Delete from the context menu.
4. After the files have been deleted, double-click the Steam.exe executable to download steam again.
Restart the installation and the download/install should now finish without any problems.
In this video, we will show you how to fix the Steam Stuck on Allocating Disk Space on Windows 10:
Hope something helps you.
