How to Uninstall Steam without Losing Games in Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7
Having problems with Steam and want to uninstall Steam from your Windows PC but don’t want to lose games installed through Steam? Here is a guide on how to uninstall Steam without losing games in Windows 10, Window 8.1, Windows 8, or Windows 7.
See Also: How to Fix Steam Not Working in Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7
The Steam website provides a small application that can be free downloaded and installed on all versions of Windows PCs. This application could store all the settings for the application and games accessed on the Steam cloud or network. Here are some ways that you could follow to uninstall Steam software on your Windows PC.
If you uninstall Steam completely, all Steam games will be uninstalled with Steam. Therefore, it’s recommended to move the subfolder /steamapps/ in a safe place first before uninstalling Steam on a Windows PC.
1. Uninstall Steam via Windows Uninstaller Program
The built-in Windows uninstaller could be used to remove installed applications from your Windows PC. Therefore, you could uninstall Steam with the Windows uninstaller, take these steps:
Step 1. Open Control Panel.
See Also: How to Open Control Panel in Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7
Step 2. Click on Program and Features, and all the installed programs will be listed.
Step 3.Select Steam from the list and click on Change/Remove or Uninstall.
Step 4.This will remove the Steam software from the Windows system.
2. Use System Store to Remove Steam in Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7
You could use System Store to revert your system back to the time before you installed Steam. Take the following steps:
Step 1. In Windows 10, 8.1, and 8, right-click Start, select System > System Protection. In Windows 7, click Start and then select All Programs > Accessories > System tools.
Step 2.Click the System Restore option and then choose a date prior to the installation of Steam.
Step 3.Click Next after selecting the date.
Step 4.Click Apply and then OK.
Step 5. Restart your PC.
See Also: How to Perform a System Restore on Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7
3. Remove All Traces of Steam
After the uninstall process of Steam is complete, you could manually remove registry keys and folders of Steam. Take these steps:
Step 1. Browse your Steam directory in Program Files.
Step 2.Delete all of files in the Steam directory.
Step 3.Close all the windows and then in run type Regedit
Navigate to the following paths and delete the Valve directories
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Valve\
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Valve\Steam
Step 4. Close the Registry Editor.
All traces of the Steam will be removed.
If you discover other quick and easy methods to uninstall Steam in Windows, welcome to share with us in the Comments section below.
You may also like to check out:
- How to Determine If Windows 10 Is 32-bit or 64-bit
- How to Connect to a VPN in Windows 10
- How to Enable or Disable Game Mode in Windows 10
- Fix Slow Computer – Fast Speed Up Your Computer on Windows 10
- How to Fix “Location Is Not Available” or “Access Is Denied” in Windows 10
- How to Fix Corrupted System Files with SFC /scannow in Windows
You mean to tell me that under normal circumstances, if I remove Steam, then all of my games will be gone as well?