Steam / Troubleshooting
How to verify game files on Steam
Run Steam's built-in file check, know what the result means, and understand when it will not solve the problem.
Steam desktop client · Installed games · Menu wording may vary with client language
The quick answer
In the Steam desktop client, open Library, right-click the game and choose Properties. Open Installed Files, then select Verify integrity of game files. Let the check finish before launching the game.
On this page +
Run the file check
- Open Steam and go to your Library.
- Find the installed game. Right-click its name and select Properties. You can also reach Properties through the management controls on the game's library page.
- Select Installed Files.
- Click Verify integrity of game files.
- Wait for Steam to finish checking the installation and complete any resulting downloads before testing the game again.
Steam's official instructions recommend restarting your computer and launching Steam before beginning the check. Avoid running other intensive tasks during verification, and do not verify several games at the same time.
The check can take a while. Its duration depends on the installation and storage, so a single timing estimate would be misleading. Leave the client open and watch the status there rather than launching a second verification attempt.
What verification can help with
Verification checks an installed game's files against what Steam expects. It is a useful diagnostic step when you suspect a missing or damaged installation file. It does not establish that every possible cause of a crash or launch failure has been fixed.
If Steam reacquires files, allow the downloads to finish and then retest the same action that failed before. Recording the original error message makes that comparison more useful than simply checking whether a download occurred.
If you modified installation files, preserve anything you need before running a repair operation. A file check should not be treated as a backup of your custom changes.
Some files may fail to verify normally
Steam Support notes that one or more files may fail verification because they are local configuration files that should not be replaced. That message does not always indicate a broken installation.
Do not repeatedly run the check just to force every local file into a “verified” result. Read the result alongside the actual symptom: can the game now perform the action that failed?
If Steam reports a normal local-file exception and the game works, there may be no further repair to make.
It is not a save recovery tool
Verifying installation files and recovering saved progress are different tasks. A successful integrity check does not show that a missing save has been restored or that Steam Cloud has the version you want.
Before troubleshooting saved progress, identify where that particular game stores its saves and whether it supports Steam Cloud. Read our Steam Cloud guide for the boundary between an installation and files selected for synchronization.
For Moon Sweepers, the dedicated save location and backup guide distinguishes active Windows saves from backup files. That link opens Moon Sweepers Hub.
If the same problem remains
Keep the exact error message and note when it appears: before launch, at the menu, or while loading a save. Then look for the game's official support instructions for that symptom.
The next step depends on the game and environment. Client settings, operating-system components, drivers, mods and save data are separate from the basic integrity check. Avoid deleting unrelated files or applying a generic list of changes without identifying which part is failing.
This page follows Steam's published procedure. It does not claim that the check was tested against every game, mod setup or operating system.
Follow the evidence
Sources & checks
Documentation reviewed on . This page is based on source research; it is not labeled as an in-game test.
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