Highlights
Restart PC and Steam
Clear Steam Download Cache
Delete the Whole Game and Reinstall
Delete the Downloading Folder
Check If the Folder Is Read-Only
Repair Your Library Folder
Fix the Corrupted Game Files
Steam not enough disk space but there is? You may have run into this error message when trying to update games or download a new game. The update file is only several GB but Steam still asks for more disk space, while you actually have 50 GB. This is absolutely confusing and annoying, but don’t panic; there are fixes.
1. Reboot Steam and PC
First of all, try restarting Steam; see if it is temporary.
If that doesn't help, restart the computer. A fresh restart helps remove possible conflicts of the services/apps that cause this issue.
2. Clean Download Cache
Try clearing the Steam download cache. It removes the temp download files, resetting the stuck downloads. Check the steps:
1. Launch Steam > Settings.
2. Find Downloads > Clear Download Cache.
3. Follow the instructions to restart Steam and then sign back in to your account.
3. Uninstall the Whole Game & Reinstall
If the above fixes cannot address the “Steam says not enough disk space but there is” issue, then you might as well try reinstalling the whole game.
Steam sometimes needs extra (double the game file size) room to duplicate the entire game data while rebuilding and patching it before it can safely delete the old version.
Follow the steps to uninstall and reinstall.
1. Start Steam > go to Library.
2. Right-click on the target game > Manage > Uninstall, and then confirm.
3. Click INSTALL to reinstall it.
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4. Delete the Downloading Folder
Stuck downloads leave temp or incomplete files. You may also try removing it manually.
1. Exit Steam first. Stop all downloads, and right-click on the Steam system tray icon > Exit.
2. Go to the Steam steamapps folder and delete it.
Default location: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\downloading
3. Start Steam and try updates again.
Please be careful when manually deleting folders, especially when cleaning the Windows installer folder and other important system folders.
5. Remove the Read-Only Parameter
If the drive or folder is read-only, Steam will also refuse to update. To restore full access for Steam, check the tutorial:
1. Still, close Steam completely.
2. Go to the Steam folder.
Default lodation: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
3. Right-click the folder > Properties.
4. General > Attributes > uncheck Read-only > Apply.
6. Repair the Library Folder
Steam comes with a Library repair feature, which fixes the corrupted game storage folder structures and also refreshes the read/write permissions. Try using this feature when Steam says not enough disk space but there is.
1. Go to Steam app > Settings.
2. Find Storage > click the 3-dot button beside the drive.
3. Click Repair Library.
7. Verify the Game Integrity
Steam also scans and fix/repair missing/outdated/corrupted game files using its Verify Integrity of Game Files feature. It automatically fixes and re-downloads the affected game files. Let’s try.
1. Restart your PC first, and then go to Steam > Library.
2. Click the game that ran into issues > right-click on it > Properties.
3. Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files.
Still not working after all these fixes? Then maybe consider adding more disk space to your computer, or move the Steam game to another drive that has more space, and see if it works.
