The most common cause of Steam download speed issues is “drive throttling,” where the hard drive or CPU slows down during data processing, particularly on slower or heavily used drives. Other factors include network issues, busy download regions, or Steam server problems. Additionally, the write cache, which temporarily stores data to speed up writing, and the download cache can cause delays, leading to the download speed dropping to zero. In this article, we will discuss several strategies to resolve these issues and improve your Steam download experience.
1. Check Your Disk Usage
A sudden stop in Steam download speed often occurs when your disk is overloaded with processing data. Steam downloads, especially large games, require the drive to process, unpack, and write data continuously. If your Task Manager shows high disk usage, it means your drive is struggling, causing the download to freeze or slow down. Steam pauses downloads to unpack and arrange files, leading to the 0 bytes per second issue. This is a normal part of how Steam installs games to ensure everything works correctly. To improve this, reduce other background disk activities or use a faster drive.
2. Disable Write Caching on the Device
Disabling the write caching option on the device allows the system to write data directly to the drive rather than storing it in the cache first, and then writing it to the drive. This eliminates the delay that often causes the Steam download speed to drop to 0.
3. Change Your Download Region & Clear Download Cache
Sometimes, the closest download server might not be the fastest because of heavy traffic or server problems. By changing the download region, Steam uses a different server, which can reduce congestion and improve download speeds, especially if the original server is overloaded. Steam saves the update and game files that are being downloaded in the cache. As you download the game or update, Steam stores the data in the cache to manage the installation efficiently. However, sometimes the data in the cache becomes corrupted, resulting in slow download speeds. Therefore, make sure to clear the download cache to see whether this resolves the issue.
4. Set Proxy Settings to Automatic
Setting your proxy to automatic helps Steam avoid connection issues and improve download speeds by using the best network route.
5. Use a Google DNS
Google DNS provides faster DNS resolution, enhancing stability and reliability, which reduces the chances of interruption when Steam accesses its servers. Additionally, Google DNS is more secure and provides better routing, potentially resolving issues when connecting to servers.
6. Reset Your Network Configuration
If Steam downloads stop because of network issues, resetting the network settings can fix it. This clears old or faulty settings and restores the network to default, solving problems with connectivity and speed. Note: It is also recommended that you try to change your DNS server.
7. Allow Steam through Firewall
Background security settings can block Steam’s downloads. Allowing Steam through the firewall removes these blocks, ensuring smooth downloads and preventing stops due to restricted access. If the issue persists and your internet is working properly, the problem likely lies with your drive, preventing Steam from writing the data. Therefore, we recommend downloading the game to another drive, which should resolve the issue. If the issue is resolved, there might be a hardware problem with your drive. You can simply run diagnostics on your drive to check if there are any issues with it.
