How to Fix Steam Write Disk Error on Windows 11/10

In this article, we will show you how to fix the Error writing to disk to To smoke. Steam is a popular gaming platform where game enthusiasts can download, purchase and play games as well as talk about games. However, some users have complained that they got the disk write error on Steam while downloading or updating games you purchased on Steam. It is triggered when you try to download a new game or when you try to update an existing game. The error message states:

An error occurred while installing / updating (write error on disk)

What causes the write disk error on Steam?

Steam write disk error can occur for a number of reasons. It can be triggered if write protection is enabled on the drive, due to corrupted game files, corrupted download cache, bad sector and other disk errors, etc. In some cases, this can also happen due to your virus protection or firewall.

If you are one of those users facing Steam disk write error, this guide will help you to fix the error. Here, we will mention several methods that will allow you to fix this problem. Now let’s see the fixes.

How to Fix Disk Write Error on Steam

Here are the fixes you should try to resolve Steam disk write error on Windows PC:

1. Try general suggestions like Restart Steam, Restart your PC, etc.
2. Remove write protection from the disk.
3. Check the integrity of the game files.
4. Delete 0 KB files.
5. Clear corrupted files in the log.
6. Delete the Steam download cache.
7. Scan your drive for errors.
8. Provide full control over Steam folder security.
9. Disable your antivirus or firewall protection.

Now let’s develop the methods listed above!

1]Try general suggestions like Restart Steam, Restart your PC, etc.

At first you would try some general tips and tricks to fix this error on Steam. You can try the following fixes:

1. Restart the Steam client to counter temporary issues causing a write error to the Steam disk.
2. Insufficient access permissions can also cause this error. So, try relaunching Steam as administrator and see if the problem is gone or not.
3. You can also try restarting your PC and then relaunching Steam to check if the problem is gone.
4. Make sure you are using outdated device drivers. If so, update your drivers and see if the issue is resolved or not.

If these methods do not work for you, you will need to use some of the advanced troubleshooting methods in this guide.

2]Remove write protection from the disc

If write protection is enabled on your disk, it will prevent your PC from adding or updating files in a folder or drive. You can try to remove write protection from the disk if this scenario applies to you. Check the drive where Steam games are saved and make sure it is not write-protected. If so, you can follow the guide that shows you how to remove write protection from the disc. This should fix the error in case the root cause is write protection on your disk.

3]Check the integrity of the game files

If your game install files are corrupted or missing or incomplete, this can trigger the write to disk error on Steam. So what you need to do is check the integrity of your game files using the dedicated feature of Steam. It will check for missing or incomplete game files and then update them with the latest files from Steam servers. To help you with the process, here are the exact steps to do it:

1. First, launch Steam and then go to the Library section.
2. Now right click on the game which gives you the write to disk error.
3. Then from the right click context menu, tap on Properties option.
4. Then go to the LOCAL FILES tab.
5. After that locate option CHECK INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES and tap on it.
6. Now you have to wait a while until the game files are checked and updated. Once the process is complete, exit the Steam client.
7. Finally, relaunch Steam and try to download or update the game that gave you a write-to-disk error.

If this does not resolve the error for you, proceed to the next fix.

Read: An error occurred while installing or updating the Steam game

4]Delete 0 KB files

If there are a lot of 0KB files in the Steam folder, it may cause a write error to the Steam disk. If you think this is the reason for the error, try deleting all 0KB files. To do so, you can follow the steps below:

1. First, simply open the Steam installation directory. By default, you can find it in this location: C: ProgramFiles (x86).
2. Then go to Steam> steamapps> common folder
3. Now select all 0KB files.
4. After that, use the Delete option to delete these files.

You can now try to download or update on Steam and check if the error persists or not.

Advice: Is it safe to delete empty folders or zero byte files on Windows?

5]Clear corrupted files in the log

If there are corrupt files in the Steam log, you may experience a disk write error on Steam. Therefore, delete the corrupted files in Steam log and hopefully this will fix the problem for you. To do this, you can follow the steps below:

• First, open the Steam installation directory by following the steps mentioned in method (4).
• And then navigate to Steam> newspapers case.
• Now open the journal_content file in Notepad.
• In that file, scroll to the end of the file.
• Then check if there is failed to write Fault. If so, follow the error path and then delete the corrupted file.
• You can continue to download or update games on Steam again and then see if the problem is gone.

See: Fixed Steam error code 105, unable to connect to server

6]Clear Steam Download Cache

You may also receive the write to disk error on Steam if there is a corrupted Steam download cache. To do this, in the Steam app, go to the Steam option from the main toolbar and then click on the Settings> Downloads option. Here tap on Clear Download Cache option and it will delete Steam Download Cache.

You can now try to download or update again on Steam and check if the problem is gone.

7]Scan your drive for errors

You should also make sure that there are no drive errors on your PC as this could trigger the write disk error on Steam. Try running the CHKDSK tool on a Windows PC which checks for drive errors and attempts to repair them. It will also check for bad sectors on your disk and fix them if necessary.

8]Provide full control over Steam folder security

Try to provide full control over Steam folder security to resolve this error. To do this, you can follow the steps below:

1. First, go to the Steam installation directory using method (4).
2. Now right click on the Steam folder and select Properties.
3. Then in the General tab, uncheck the box Read-only (only applies to files in the folder) option.
4. After that go to the Security tab and click the Edit button.
5. Then, under Group or User Names, select the name of your user account.
6. Now check the To allow box for Total control and press the Apply button> OK.
7. Finally, relaunch the Steam app with administrator privileges and retry the action that gave you the write to disk error. Hope the problem will be resolved now.

9]Disable your antivirus or firewall protection

If nothing works for you, there are a few cases where virus or firewall protection is involved. If Steam is incorrectly identified as a potential threat, you may receive this error. So, try disabling your virus and firewall protection and see if the problem is resolved. If this fixes the problem, you can be sure that your antivirus or firewall is the main culprit.

Now, if you don’t want to completely disable your antivirus, add Steam to your antivirus exceptions. You can also whitelist Steam in Windows Firewall.

Read: How to Fix Steam Error Code 83 on a Windows PC

How do I check the health of my hard drive?

You can check the status of your hard drive using the WMIC command line or Windows Management Instrumentation on Windows 11/10. You can enter a simple command and then check the status of your hard drive. There are free third-party software that allows you to check hard drive health. You can try HDD Expert, GSmartControl, and other free hard drive health checker software.

How do I fix a corrupted Steam download?

To fix a corrupt Steam download, change your download region or clear the Steam download cache. You can also try removing read-only permission for Steam folder, disabling your antivirus, stopping unnecessary background processes. If nothing works, you can try uninstalling Steam and then reinstalling it on your PC.

Hope you find this guide useful in case you encounter a disk write error on Steam.

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