Steam can copy eligible installed game files from another computer on your home network instead of receiving every file again from an internet content server. Enable local game transfers on both clients, leave the sending client idle and check which source the receiving Downloads view actually shows.
This is useful for a second PC or Steam Deck, particularly on a connection with a data allowance. It is not an offline installer, a game licence transfer or a guarantee that an update will use no internet data. Discovery and any missing content can still require Steam’s online services.
Check eligibility before changing the router
Valve’s local network transfer guide requires the clients to be online, able to see each other on the same LAN and permitted to exchange content. The sending installation must be current and the game playable by the participating users. The sender must also be idle rather than running a game or another download.
Those conditions explain a common failure: the first PC has the game, but someone is still playing it. Another is placing one device on a guest network and the other on the normal home network. A shared Wi-Fi name or a working internet connection does not, by itself, establish that devices can communicate locally.
Set up one controlled transfer
- Choose a suitable pair. Use a computer with an up-to-date installation as the sender and a second supported Steam client as the receiver. Confirm that you can play the game on each account where required.
- Check both transfer settings. In each client’s Downloads settings, find the local-network game-transfer controls. Choose the narrowest permission that fits the task, such as your own devices. Client wording may change; compare the choices with Valve’s current documentation.
- Make the sender idle. Close its running game safely and pause unrelated downloads. Do not force a game to close during an unsaved session. If the sender is a PC, run Steam in desktop mode; Valve says PCs in Big Picture mode or using custom launchers cannot send local transfers.
- Connect both devices to the same trusted LAN. A wired connection can make this comparison easier by removing a wireless hop. Avoid changing several router features at once.
- Start the installation or update on the receiver. Look in its Downloads view for evidence that files are coming from the local device. Do not infer the source merely from a high transfer rate.
- Keep a short record. Note the source displayed, connection type, sender activity and whether the source switches during the job. Stop the comparison if you need the sender for another task.
Do not broaden sharing to everyone just to make a test pass. Permissions affect which users on the LAN may discover transferable installations. Only enable a scope you understand, and return it to your preferred setting afterwards.
Three outcomes, three different explanations
The transfer is local, but slower than expected
You are comparing a local storage-and-network pipeline, not just broadband speed. The sender reads game files, the connection carries them and the receiver processes and writes them. Other disk work or a weak wireless link can limit the job even while your internet speed is unchanged.
Change one part: connect one participating PC by Ethernet, stop a safe competing file copy, or place the wireless receiver near the router. Record the same source and workload after the change. Our Wi-Fi Room Comparison can help compare browser capacity across locations, but it does not measure this local Steam transfer or its disk operations.
Steam uses an internet content server immediately
Recheck eligibility, account permissions, the sender’s state and local network separation first. A managed network or firewall policy may intentionally prevent device-to-device communication. Consult the administrator or product documentation before changing that policy; opening random internet-facing ports is not a substitute for proving local reachability.
The source starts local and later changes
Valve documents a fallback to public content servers when the local connection is lost or no more suitable content is available. The remaining download is therefore not automatically evidence that the feature failed completely. Note when the source changed and whether the sender slept, disconnected or began another activity.
What is and is not being copied
Valve describes this as game installation and update content. It excludes personal save games and configuration, and does not include every associated content type such as Steam Cloud or Workshop files. Keep your normal save-management arrangements; a completed local installation is not proof that your progress has been backed up.
Similarly, file transfer does not grant a second user ownership of a game. Keep licensing and content delivery as separate questions. If Steam refuses a title before transfer begins, record that state rather than assuming the network is responsible.
Understand the number before estimating the saving
Steam’s transfer display and your broadband plan may use different units. Steam’s download support guide explains the bit-versus-byte distinction. Compare like with like, and distinguish a local-link rate from an actual internet transfer rate.
A browser speed test measures a different route to an internet endpoint. It cannot tell you how many of Steam’s files arrived from another PC. Use the source shown by Steam and your router or provider’s clearly defined usage records, if available, to understand internet usage. The Download Time Calculator can estimate a transfer from size and rate, but does not predict patching time or identify the source.
If local transfers never begin despite eligible, idle clients, give Steam Support the client versions, network layout, permission choices and source observations. That is a more precise report than a broadband speed screenshot alone.