Steam is a digital distribution platform for video games that also offers a store and community features, such as automatic game updates, cloud saving, and in-game chat and friend services.

However, it often encounters issues like failed downloads, abnormal exits, and the one detailed in this article: “Steam uninstalled my game.”

Do you know why Steam auto-uninstalls games? Because this is the third time I've caught Steam uninstalling Left 4 Dead 2!

There is no denying that Steam connects millions of players to resource-intensive games every day at an astonishing rate. As such, the platform's popularity can sometimes cause its servers to become overwhelmed with too much traffic.

Steam platform

Solution 1: Use Software to Recover Deleted Game Files

If a virus attacks your computer, the game may crash, display errors, or close while installing or playing. This can happen because Steam servers might occasionally struggle to handle a high volume of incoming requests, which can lead to your game being uninstalled automatically.

Thus, the most common way to restore lost Steam game files is by using professional data recovery software. If you have a backup of your game files, you can quickly restore your game saves on your computer.

Data Recovery Wizard Pro is a software specifically designed to recover damaged, corrupted, or lost game data. It provides users with an easy and comprehensive method to restore deleted files due to unexpected issues, system failures, or other reasons.

  • Efficiently recover or restore accidentally deleted files and unsaved data from closed applications.
  • Recover an empty Recycle Bin, unsaved Steam files, USB drives, and other storage devices like digital cameras.
  • ️‍?️Assist in data recovery after uninstallation, forced program termination, virus attacks, system crashes, and malware issues.

It's essential to remember that, most of the time, this could be due to Steam not closing correctly or using an external hard drive. It can also be because of impending hardware failure or other issues that cause data corruption on the device. The tool Data Recovery Wizard can help you resolve the issue of Steam games deleting themselves.

You can follow these steps for reference:

Step 1. Run the "Data Recovery Wizard" tool. Select the drive where you lost your files and start the scan. This software lets you recover lost data from all devices, including HDD, SSD, USB drives, SD cards, flash drives, cameras, and more.

Select the location to scan

Step 2. Preview the complete scan results. You can choose the file type you need by clicking the file type filter. The tool supports over 1000 file types, such as photos, videos, documents, emails, audio files, and more.

Select the files to recover

Step 3: Preview the files you want to recover. Click “Recover” and set a location to save the recovered data.

Recover Lost Data

Solution 2: Verify the game's file integrity

In this section, we need to restore the uninstalled game through the "Library" settings in Steam. For this purpose, we have prepared a video tutorial for your reference:

    • 00:08 - Introduction
    • 00:23 - Adding the Steam Library Folder
    • 00:37 - Adding Additional Library Folders

When Steam thinks that a game has been uninstalled, it may disappear from your PC even if you didn't manually delete it. When you try to reinstall it, Steam will start a process to find the missing files, which should be much quicker than the usual method of recovering uninstalled programs.

If you continue to have issues with a game on Steam, try this – it's a quick process that checks for any missing files.

Step 1: Open Steam and go to your Library on the device.

Steam Library

Step 2. Right-click on the missing Hogwarts Legacy game title on the left and select “Properties.”

Select Properties

Step 3: Click on “Local Files” and then select “Verify integrity of game cache” from the drop-down menu in the Properties window.

Select properties

Note that if the Steamapps or common folders for the game are missing, you may need to manually reinstall the game. This can also happen if one of multiple hard drives is not syncing properly or has become disconnected.

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Solution 3: Modify the Appmanifest file

The appmanifest file is located within the Steamapps folder, and it contains information about the location of your Steam games. However, your antivirus software might corrupt or damage it, causing it to be identified as a harmful file. This can lead to random game uninstalls in Steam. You can resolve this issue by updating the appmanifest file using these steps:

Step 1: Right-click the Steam shortcut and select “Open file location” from the context menu.

Open File Location

Step 2: Locate the SteamApps folder within Steam, and double-click to open it.

Step 3: Look for a file named "appmanifest_X.acf", where X is the ID of the game – this will be different for each game.

Steam Database Details

? Note: If you're unsure which ID corresponds to which game, you can look it up on the game's details page on SteamDB. You'll find the necessary information there.

Step 3: Right-click on the appmanifest_X.acf file and select Open With > Notepad.

Step 5: Type installdir in the "Find what" text box, and click "Find Next."

Click "Find Next." press the Find Next

Step 6: Replace the contents of installdir with the name of your game's folder.

The game folder is located in this directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common. All your games should be in here.

Finally, try running your Steam app from the Windows search bar to see if the game has returned.

Let's learn more ways to fix Steam not uninstalling games issue. Also, don't forget to bookmark this article by sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, or any SNS.

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Solution 4: Add a New Steam Library Folder

One common reason for this issue is that Steam has removed your game's library folder from its content database, causing the client to be unable to detect the game and eventually announce that it has been removed. If you have installed the game in a library/folder outside of the primary Steam library, try the following steps: 1. Open the Steam client. 2. In the top-left corner, click on the "Steam" menu and select "Settings." 3. In the Settings window, choose the "Downloads" tab. 4. Under "Library Folders," you'll see all the added library folders. Ensure that the library folder containing the missing game is still listed. 5. If it's not listed, click on "Add Library Folder," locate the game's folder, and add it back to Steam. 6. After adding it, close the settings window and wait for Steam to scan the newly added or updated library folders. 7. Once the scanning is complete, check your game library to see if the game has reappeared. If the game still doesn't show up, you might need to reinstall it. First, confirm if the game's installation folder is still present. If it is, try running the game's executable file (usually located within the game folder) to see if you can manually launch it. If you can, this could indicate an issue with the Steam database. You can fix this by following these steps: 1. Exit the Steam client. 2. Locate the Steam installation directory, typically `C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam` or `C:\Program Files\Steam` (depending on your operating system and Steam installation location). 3. Delete or rename the `clientregistry.blob` file (make a backup copy just in case). 4. Launch the Steam client, which will rebuild the database. 5. Check if the game has reappeared in your library. If none of these methods resolve the issue, you should contact Steam Support for further assistance.

Step 1: Log in to your Steam account and go to Steam > Settings > Downloads.

Step 2 Click the “Steam Library Folders” button. This will bring up a window that shows all of your current Steam library folders.

Click the Steam Library Folders button. Steam Library Folders button

Step 3. Click the “Add Library Folder” option, then navigate to where you want to save your installed games.

After adding the new Steam library folder, you can check if the missing games have reappeared.

 

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Abstract

We hope this tutorial has been helpful, and you've successfully uninstalled games from Steam. After restarting the Steam app to verify its functionality, you can also head to the Applications folder to delete the Steam folder or reinstall your games. Don't forget to back up your game data in case of accidental deletion – the Data Recovery Wizard can come in handy for that purpose.

Frequently Asked Questions About Steam Uninstalling Games

There are 4 additional questions with answers about fixing the “Steam Uninstalled My Game” issue. Click here to view them.

**1. What happens if a Steam game is deleted?** If you accidentally delete a Steam game, the game itself typically remains in your library. Here are a few scenarios: - **Game files missing**: If you refer to the game's installation files being deleted, you can redownload it. Just find the game in your Steam library, right-click, and select "Reinstall." Steam will download all necessary files. - **Uninstalled through Steam**: If you uninstalled the game via Steam's "Manage" menu, it will be completely removed from your computer. To play again, you'll need to reinstall it from your library. - **Game disappeared from the library**: If your game vanished from your library, it might be due to Steam data issues. Try verifying your game files (right-click the game, choose "Properties," then click "Verify integrity of game files" on the "Local Files" tab), or restart Steam and check if the game reappears. - **Purchase history issue**: If there's an issue with your purchase record, ensure you're logged into the correct Steam account, and contact Steam Support for assistance. Note that if you delete a game using a system's uninstall tool (not through Steam), you might need to repurchase the game to restore it.

Some of your games in your Steam Library are disconnected. They should be marked as Uninstalled. If you uninstall a free game, it will no longer be displayed. While your save files are preserved, they will not be accessible until the game is reinstalled.

**How to redownload a game on Steam that you've deleted?** To redownload a game on Steam that you've removed, follow these steps: 1. Open the Steam client and log in to your account. 2. Click on the "Library" tab in the top-left corner. 3. In the left-hand pane, you should see a list of all the games you've purchased. If the deleted game is not visible, try searching for its name in the search bar. 4. Locate the game you want to redownload, right-click on its icon, and select "Properties." 5. In the window that appears, choose the "Local Files" tab. 6. Click on "Verify integrity of game files…" button. This will check the game's files and download any missing parts if necessary. 7. Once the verification process is complete, close the window. The game should now start downloading automatically. You can monitor the download progress in the status bar at the bottom of the client. 8. After the download finishes, the game will appear under either "Playing" or "Installed" categories in your Library. Double-click the game icon to launch it. Please note that if you uninstalled the game, make sure not to deselect the "Delete configuration files" option before removing it, as this may require you to reconfigure personalized settings for the game.

1. Open the Steam app on your computer and go to the "Library" page.

Step 2: Scroll down the game list and select the game you want to reinstall.

Step 3: Click on the game, which will take you to its Steam page, and then click the big blue “Install” button.

3. Where do files go when they are deleted through Steam?

By default, games installed through Steam are stored in the “C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\) folder. If you uninstall a game using the "Delete" key, the game's files are moved to your Windows Recycle Bin.

4. Does uninstalling a game on Steam remove mods?

No, uninstalling the game only removes the original game files. The mod files will remain in the game's directory. For a complete uninstall, you should uninstall the game and then delete all mod files from the game's directory.