Steam local transfer is using the internet: find the missing step
- Problem this solves
- A Steam install or update uses internet bandwidth even though another local device already has the game.
- What you can do afterward
- Compare sender and recipient requirements, distinguish local delivery from fallback, and keep a useful record of an unresolved attempt.
Observe both ends of one attempt
Call the device with the installed game the sender and the device installing or updating it the recipient. Write those names down. This prevents a common diagnostic mistake: checking the downloading device for a condition that applies to the sending device.
Open the Downloads page in each Steam client during the same attempt. Valve’s FAQ includes images of the local-transfer indicators on both sides. Note whether a local source is identified, whether the sender shows transfer activity, and when either display changes. A screenshot from the recipient alone leaves part of the story unobserved. [1]
Record what you can see without upgrading it into a diagnosis. “Recipient identified Desktop-A; Desktop-A showed no sending activity during my observation” is stronger than “Steam ignored my LAN.” If a router or another tool already measures internet usage, record its interval and what it measures. Total household traffic can include unrelated activity; keep that separate from the Steam display.
If your internet allowance is the immediate concern, pause the recipient’s download while you compare the devices. Do not disconnect both Steam clients to force a local transfer: Valve requires both clients to remain online. [1]
Compare the two devices
Work through this once, marking unchecked conditions as unknown. These are Valve’s documented prerequisites, not a test that certifies every network will work. [1]
| Check | Where | What to do with the result |
|---|---|---|
| Both Steam clients are online | Sender and recipient | Resolve Offline Mode or a disconnected client before retrying. |
| The devices can directly reach each other on the same LAN | The local network between them | Record the actual connection arrangement. Sharing a Wi-Fi name alone does not establish direct access. |
| Both transfer settings admit this account pair | Sender and recipient | Compare the selected values with the account relationship in the next table. |
| No game or download is running | Sender | Finish or pause other downloads and close games before the next attempt. |
| The source game is up to date | Sender | Complete its update first; then leave the sender idle. |
| The game is publicly released and playable by both users | Both accounts and the chosen game | Do not use a preload as the test or expect a file transfer to supply missing game access. |
| The sender supports hosting | Sender | Valve permits a Steam Deck or a PC in Steam desktop mode. A PC in Big Picture mode or a custom launcher cannot send these files. |
Once you find an unmet condition, change that condition first and repeat the observation. For example, let the sender finish its game update before testing. Changing the account setting, network, client channel and installation all at once makes it difficult to know which change mattered.
Check whether both permissions allow the pair
Find the local Game File Transfer setting in each Steam client’s settings and write down both values. Valve describes four choices: Off, Only my own devices, Only my friends and Any user. The permission applies in both directions; it is not enough to enable only the recipient. The default restricts transfers to devices signed into the same account. [1]
| Account pair | Sender / recipient settings | Does this permission pair admit the transfer? |
|---|---|---|
| Same Steam account | Only my own devices / Only my own devices | Yes. |
| Different accounts that are Steam friends | Only my friends / Any user | Yes. Compatible values do not have to be identical. |
| Different accounts | Only my own devices / Any user | No. The sender’s same-account restriction still blocks this pair. |
| Any relationship | Off on either device | No. One disabled side is enough. |
Choose a scope that matches the intended devices. You do not need to select Any user merely because an earlier attempt failed. Valve notes that enabling friends or any user lets other users on the LAN discover which games you have installed. [1]
Interpret what actually happened
| Observation | What it tells you | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| No local activity; the sender was downloading another game | A documented sender prerequisite was unmet | Leave that sender idle and repeat. The new result will show whether this was the only obstacle. |
| Local delivery was observed; later the recipient used Steam servers | Local transfer did occur; fallback is a documented part of the process | Record when it changed and whether the sender disconnected or became busy. The record alone cannot establish why the remainder was unavailable locally. |
| The checklist is complete, but repeated attempts show no observed sender traffic | The obvious prerequisites have been checked; the cause remains unresolved | Keep versions, paired screenshots and the attempt times for a focused support report. |
Valve says Steam tries to obtain as much available content as possible locally and falls back to public servers for the remainder. There is no fixed percentage of internet usage in that rule. Do not calculate an expected local transfer by subtracting a game’s installed disk size from a network counter: record the measurements and their labels instead. [1]
Check client version and local access
Record the installed Steam client version and update channel on each device, and apply an available client update before a fresh comparison. Valve’s stable releases of July 27 and August 3, 2026 addressed local-transfer failures, with the later release covering additional cases that prevented transfers from starting. Those notes make version information relevant; they do not prove your current symptom has the same cause or guarantee that an update resolves it. [2] [3]
If local access remains uncertain, ask whoever manages the network to check whether the two clients can communicate directly. Valve specifies TCP 27040 for the transfer and UDP 27031–27036 for discovery. Check the applicable local firewall rules; these are not instructions to expose the ports on the public internet or disable the firewall wholesale. [1]
A useful network request names the two devices and the failed connection requirement. “Both use the home router, but direct client access has not been checked” leaves the question open. It does not accuse the firewall of blocking a connection that nobody has yet observed.
Keep a useful reproduction record
For a remaining failure, send Steam Support the game, both client versions, the permission pair, the conditions you checked and paired observations from one attempt. State whether local activity never appeared, appeared without observed sending, or began and then stopped. If you made one change, include the before-and-after result.
You have finished this check when you can either name an unmet prerequisite to fix, document a transfer that delivered content before fallback, or supply a reproducible unresolved case. An unresolved row is more useful than repeating reinstalls without preserving what happened.
Sources and review notes
Valve’s current transfer FAQ and the two dated client announcements were checked for this guide. The device cases are illustrative, not measurements from a tested LAN. The worksheet records your observations; it cannot inspect a network or confirm a client bug.