Can't add steam libraries through GUI
When I go into Steam's settings and add a library, it has no effect. I click on the library in the file browser, press Okay, and it goes back to Steam with the library not installed. It seems to have no effect whether I choose a location on the local disk or on another drive. How do I add steam libraries?
77 Replies
Most likely steam does not have permission to that folder. Check flatseal and give it permission to that directory
Am I doing it right?
lol, my 100% bad. Forgot bazzite doesn't use steam flatpak
Also I am unsure how to crop screenshots
Is this directory on a linux partition, or ntfs etc?
The directories I WANT to add are on NTFS, but I can't seem to add a folder from the local disk either
Steam doesn't return an error when I try to add it either
I did follow a workaround from Github to edit Steam's libraries folder and temporarily added the library I wanted, and THEN I seemed to get a permissions issue, but this current issue seems UI based maybe
There was something on some support website about a communication issue between the file picker and Steam. I followed their advice for fixing it, so in theory I shouldn't have that issue, but I dunno
I'm having trouble with the prerequisite knowledge to follow half the advice I find on google. I had never heard of flatseal a few minutes ago. I just typed it into the start menu and hoped I was doing the right thing
using ntfs as steam library are not supported here
do those directories have any special characters on their paths
also this ^^
Just spaces
Yeah
That's the issue
I was confused too
Yeah i'm not able to choose let me choose another location either, only the actual root of the mounted drives i have are listed and choosable. Which for my usecase was fine. The choose another location just ignores the click and does nothing.
I can't choose the root of the mounted drive either
what's the path of that drive
/var/mnt/redstorage
Weird
but then again
it's ntfs so it might have issues
Is it supposed to say "add drive" instead of "add library"?
yes, and then you should get another window which will let you choose a drive\location
I just quit steam, started it again, and suddenly the choose another location accepts the click and lets me pick the directory:dispair:
btw if you hit printscreen and choose selection you can get a rectangle to choose the screenshot size
My keyboard doesn't have printscreen
And when you click ok there it doesn't add the library?
That's right
If I choose a directory on the local filesystem, it creates a steamapps folder in that directory, but Steam can't actually see the new library
It's like Steam is sending the right commands to the filesystem, but Steam can't see the result of anything
hmm.. yeah it does sound like a permission issue, but you created the directory so steam running as the same user should be able to read it.
Just tested here, restarted steam again and saw it remembered the new lib
I've been trying to restart steam for the last 10 minutes. It's still in the process of shutting down
uhoh, that's a red flag imo.
Try a reboot of the system first.
Restarted, same results on selecting redstorage and on selecting Documents
Also, there are two /var/home libraries for some reason
Try with a non ntfs drive
There will be but if you see below the actual path is there like /home/***
Figured out how to crop
When you get the time after you can change the default screenshot shortcuts 🙂
Oh, I see. It can see the documents library
My settings app doesn't look like yours
Yepp, That's because you're running KDE, while i'm running Gnome as the desktop enviroment
Ah, thanks
Not 100% sure where the shortcuts would be there, but i think spectacle is the screenshot thingy on kde
Snipping tool, My beloved!
Alright, so NTFS Steam library is impossible on Bazzite?
Yepp
Hardware Compatibility for Gaming - Bazzite Documentation
Bazzite is a custom image built upon Fedora Atomic Desktops that brings the best of Linux gaming to all of your devices.
TLDR: You can make it work but i have no experience with it and no one will have any support for it.
You are much better off with making a new partition with ext4\btrfs for the games and move the library over.
Or if you have space enough on your bazzite disk, just use that ofc.
Is that related to My NTFS drive showing as a read only file system?
Unsure
I don't know how to make it work
And it is unsupported by Bazzite
The answer why Bazzite doesn't support NTFS isn't supported by Bazzite?
No, more like that's what they state, and the technical reason i don't know.
I figured it out. It was just Windows neglecting to unmount the drive. Thought you'd like to know
Oh, it was an external drive?
No, it's connected by SATA
External means physically located outside the case, right?
yepp! Usually those type of drives are treated differently when connected\disconnected compared to internal drives.
NTFS will get corrupted over time if you try run the games on it in proton
valve doesnt even support it on steamos
Oh okay thanks
It also just doesn't work for the vast majority of titles, proton prefixes require features that NTFS does not support
And working around it is a massive pain for what is ultimately a bad experience
That's a much less persuasive argument
Alright, so how come My default Steam library is in a hidden folder I can't see, and how come I can't delete that one and pick a library in a sensible location?
Steam stores the library in ~/.steam/steamapps
This is standard behavior
you cannot change it and it's functioning as intended, nothing bazzite specific there
.local isn't even visible to ls
I can cd into it but can't ls it
If you want a quick easy way to access that, you can make a symlink to that folder and toss it in documents or something
That way it's not hidden
I figured out how to make Dolphin show hidden files
Or do that lol
Okay so the rationale for .local being hidden is that it contains important system files that should not be changed. Games are not important system files. Why do I HAVE to have a steam library in .local? Can't I get rid of it?
Ask valve, I didn't write it
you cannot change it
This is working as gaben intended
.local does not contain important system files, it contains whatever your user overrides for the system where it is supported
Right, it's the linux equivalent of Window's AppData folder
pretty much
I hate the appdata folder
It's one of the worst parts of windows
Program Files is so much better
Linux never got an equivalent to Program Files?
closest would be /opt which is the wild west dump whole apps here because i have no idea how to put the files in sensible locations
So I'm getting the sense that Gaben wants gaming on Linux to be a console experience, not a PC experience. Calling libraries "drives" because you're only supposed to have one per drive for no reason. Taking away options. Hiding the entire program on a hidden folder. Trying to use Steam on Linux feels like playing xbox. Which is to say, needlessly restricted by corporate interests
The linux I used to know was all about freedom. If you wanted to sudo rm rf, you could do it. The system would let you.
I am 99% sure that steam library system is exactly the same on Windows
word-for-word
it is
They changed it?
the only issue you have here is you don't like valve's location of choice for steamapps on the main drive
otherwise everything is 1:1 with windows
and again -- this is not a unique problem
Even on windows Steamapps exists in the Steam install dir, wherever that may be
and cannot be changed after install
Since all issues here have either been answered (We don't support NTFS), or are non-application (You don't like how the Steam client works, a closed source application)
I am going to close this help thread. Feel free to open a new one for future issues