Luckily, there are many different methods people used to resolve this problem successfully and we have decided to present them all in an article. Make sure you check it out below and follow the instructions carefully!
What Causes the Steam Stuck on Allocating Disk Space Error on Windows?
This problem has affected many Steam users around the globe and we think that pinpointing the right cause is crucial if you want the resolve the problem as soon as possible. When you settle down on the right cause, you can immediately figure out the troubleshooting method you need to use and the problem is gone in no time. Check out the list of causes we have prepared below!
Solution 1: Clear Download Cache
The most obvious cause of this problem is that Steam got stuck trying to manage its download cache files. This cache can be cleared easily from within the client so make sure you try out this simple method before moving on to the more complicated ones. Follow the steps below to clear the download cache in Steam.
Solution 2: End the Steam Process in Task Manager and Run it as an Administrator
Violently ending the Steam process during the installation seems to be a great way to resolve the problem, according to other users who have experienced the same problem. Ending the task and reopening Steam and the installation managed to resolve the problem for many users so make sure you try it out as well.
Solution 3: Change the Download Server
This message sometimes hangs on if the Steam server you are downloading the game from is having issues with too much traffic Many players have reported that changing the download server from the one currently set can resolve the problem quite easily so make sure you follow the steps below to do so!
Solution 4: Refresh the Steam Installation
Refreshing the Steam installation is quite a simple fix that can be used to easily replace broken files and resolve problems such as the “Allocating disk space” message. Uninstalling Steam is almost always not an option because all games you have installed are also uninstalled along with the client! Follow the steps below to refresh the Steam installation!
Solution 5: Trick Steam into Thinking the Game is Installed
The steps presented below will make sure the Steam client is fooled into thinking the game is already installed. This will effectively skip the allocating disk space part and the problem should be resolved in no time. The method is a bit lengthy but it gets the job done!
Solution 6: Disable Windows Defender Firewall
It’s highly likely that the game download and install have been blocked at some point by the Windows Defender Firewall. This firewall should cooperate well with legit software such as Steam but problems like this often occur. Disabling the antivirus during the installation should be enough to resolve the problem so make sure you follow the steps below and don’t forget to enable the firewall afterward!
Solution 7: Stop Overclocking
Overclocking is used to increase the clock speed of your CPU or GPU processors or even the frequency at which your RAM works. It can provide your computer with a significant performance boost and improve the performance you get from various installed programs on your computer. However, everything comes with a price and you should know that overclocking can be dangerous and cause various issues. Besides instability and power supply issues, you can also expect various hard-drive issues, such as this problem related to disk space during Steam game installation. Several users have reported that stopping overclocking on their computer was the right method to resolve the problem so make sure you do so. The steps you will need to take solely depend on the software you used to start overclocking. Open it, and look for such option inside. Restart your computer, rerun the installation and check to see if the same error still appears when trying to install a Steam game! If none of these methods shown above have helped you at all, it’s possible that your drive may contain bad sections, you can do a disk check by following this article (here). After checking your disk through Disk Check the problem still isn’t resolved please contact Steam Support so that they can check if there is anything wrong from the server-side.
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