How To Fix Steam Stuck On Allocating Disk Space on Windows

Steam is a famous online platform that allows you to get and play your favorite PC games rather than going to the store to buy a physical copy of it. You can conveniently download the game directly to your computer. Although this is a stable platform there are instances when users get a message that says “Allocating Disk Space” when downloading a game through steam and this message is stuck for too long during the game installation. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle Steam Stuck On Allocating Disk Space on Windows 10 PC

What to do if Steam Stuck On Allocating Disk Space on Windows occurs

There are several factors that can cause Allocating Disk Space on Steam Stuck issue ranging from download servers not working, a firewall that is blocked, to an oversized download cache. Listed below are the troubleshooting steps that you need to do to fix the problem.

Before performing any of the recommended troubleshooting solution listed below it’s best to restart your computer first. This action refreshes the operating system and remove any corrupt temporary data that could be causing the problem.

Solution 1: Clear Download Cache files

When there’s too much data stored in the download cache, it is probably the reason why you get stuck on allocation disk space on your steam when you download a game. To check if this is what’s causing Allocating disk space issue you will need to Clear Download Cache files to free space.

Log in to your Account and then check if Steam stuck on the Allocating Disk Space issue still occurs.

Solution 2: Force close the Steam process to fix Steam On Allocating Disk Space

Most of the time, when you exit an app it will still be running in the background. In this solution, it is recommended to Force close the steam process so that you can open the app normally again. This is a great way to resolve the issue.

1. Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open RUN dialog box.
2. At RUN dialog box, type “taskmgr.exe” and press Enter or click OK to open Task Manager window.
3. Click on More Details option at the lower left of Task Manager Section.
4. Click on Details tab.
5. Scroll down and locate Steam.exe entry from the list of name column
6. Click on Steam.exe and then select End Task button at the lower right.

Check if Allocating Disk Space on Steam Stuck issue still occurs.

Solution 3: Run Steam Client as Administrator

1. Open Steam Installation Folder . The easiest way is to right click on Steam Shortcut located on your desktop. Click on Open File location from the drop down menu. If you do not have a shortcut, you can manually locate the installation folder on this address: Drive C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
2. Locate Steam.exe. at library folder, right click then click on Properties from the drop down menu to open Properties section.
3. Click on Compatibility tab.
4. Under settings in Steam Properties, place a check mark on the option Run this program as administrator.
5. Click Apply to apply changes made.
6. Click OK button to exit properties section.

Check if Allocating Disk Space on Steam Stuck issue still occurs.

Solution 4: Change Steam Download Server

When you experience the issue Stuck On Allocating Disk Space when downloading games, there’s a possibility that the server that you are currently using is having issues such as too much traffic. You can try to change your download server to help fix the issue.

1. Open Steam Client located on your desktop. If it is not on your desktop, you can type Steam from the search bar located at the lower left of your Windows PC.
2. Log in to your Steam Account if you have not login already.
3. At Steam window, Click on Steam button located at the upper left corner.
4. Click on Settings from the drop down menu. A new window opens.
5. At Settings section, click Downloads located at the left pane.
6. At right pane, click on Download Region tab. Choose the download region location which is somewhere near from your location to change server.
7. Click OK to apply changes made.

Check if Allocating Disk Space stuck on Steam issue still occurs.

Solution 5: Refresh Steam Installation

To replace broken files and fix Steam Stuck On Allocating Disk Space issue, you can try to refresh Steam Installation folder.

1. Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open RUN dialog box.
2. At RUN dialog box, type “taskmgr.exe” and press Enter or click OK to open Task Manager window.
3. Click on More Details option at the lower left of Task Manager Section.
4. Click on Details tab.
5. Scroll down and locate Steam.exe entry from the list.
6. Right click on Steam.exe and click on End Task from the drop down menu.
7. Open Steam Installation folder. The easiest way is to right click on Steam Shortcut located on your desktop. Click on Open File location from the drop down menu. If you do not have a shortcut, you can manually locate the installation folder on this address: Drive C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
8. At Steam folder, highlight to select everything with the exception of steamapps folder and Steam executable.
9. Right click on the selection and click Delete from the drop down menu.
10. Double click on Steam executable to download steam again.

Check if Steam On Allocating Disk Space stuck issue still occurs.

Solution 6: Disable Windows Defender Firewall to fix Steam stuck On Allocating Disk Space

There’s a possibility 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. Although Steam is a legit software, there are instances when this issue can still occur. After all the above solutions have been performed, try to disable Windows Defender Firewall and see if Steam On Allocating Disk Space stuck issue is resolved.

1. Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open RUN dialog box.
2. At RUN dialog box, type “control.exe” and press Enter or click OK to open Control panel window.
3. Click the View by option and select either Large or Small icons.
4. Click on Windows Defender Firewall tab.
5. Click on Turn Windows Defender Firewall at the left pane. If prompted, provide administrative access to this request.
6. Check the option Turn Off Windows Defender Firewall (Not Recommended) to both Private and Public Network Settings.
7. Click OK button to exit

Open Steam Client and check if Allocating Disk Space is stuck on Steam client issue still occurs. If after Disabling Windows Defender Firewall and the issue is resolved, you can Enable Windows Defender Firewall again so that computer will be protected.