When I first encountered the issue of my background downloads on Steam interfering with my gaming experience, it became clear that I needed to find a solution to manage both effectively. Playing games while having large downloads in the background can lead to slower internet speeds, lag, and general frustration. I decided to dive into how to pause those background downloads while gaming on Steam, and here’s a step-by-step guide on what I learned.The first thing I realized was that Steam, by default, doesn’t provide a simple one-click button to pause downloads while you’re in-game. However, Steam does have a few settings and options that can help manage downloads and gaming more efficiently. Let me walk you through what I discovered and how it helped me.Firstly, I went into the Steam client and accessed the Settings menu. To get there, I clicked on the “Steam” menu in the top-left corner of the client and selected “Settings” from the dropdown list. Once in the Settings menu, I navigated to the “Downloads” tab. This is where I found various options related to managing my downloads.In the Downloads settings, there’s an option labeled “Download Restrictions”. This is where I set the maximum bandwidth for downloads. By limiting the bandwidth, I was able to prevent downloads from consuming too much of my internet speed, thus reducing their impact on my gaming experience. I set the limit to a value that allowed my games to run smoothly while still letting the downloads proceed at a slower pace.Another feature that I found useful was the “Only auto-update games between” setting. I scheduled automatic updates and downloads to occur during specific times when I knew I wouldn’t be actively using the internet for gaming. This setting is particularly handy if you have a routine or specific times when you usually game. Setting this up helped to ensure that downloads did not interfere with my gaming sessions.I also discovered that there is a way to manually pause and resume downloads while you are actively gaming. To do this, I opened the Steam Library and went to the “Downloads” section. Here, I could see a list of all active downloads. Each download had a “Pause” button next to it, which allowed me to stop any ongoing downloads. Once I finished gaming or when I was ready to resume the downloads, I could return to this section and click “Resume” next to each paused download.One more thing I did to ensure a smoother experience was to use the “Bandwidth Limiting” feature in Steam’s Downloads settings. I set a specific bandwidth limit during my gaming sessions to make sure that the download did not completely hog my internet connection. This meant that while downloads were still occurring, they were doing so at a reduced rate that wouldn’t disrupt my gaming performance.Additionally, I learned that configuring my router to prioritize gaming traffic over download traffic could also be beneficial. Many modern routers come with Quality of Service (QoS) settings that let you prioritize different types of internet traffic. By configuring QoS to prioritize gaming traffic, I ensured that even when downloads were running, my gaming experience remained smooth. This was particularly useful for online games where lag and latency can significantly impact gameplay.Another useful tool I found was a third-party application called NetLimiter. This software allowed me to monitor and control the bandwidth usage of various applications, including Steam. With NetLimiter, I could set limits on Steam’s download speed, making sure that it did not interfere with my gaming. This tool offered more granular control than Steam’s built-in settings and was particularly useful for managing multiple applications that required internet access.To ensure that my system was always performing optimally, I also made it a habit to regularly check for Steam client updates and system updates. Steam frequently releases updates that can include performance improvements and bug fixes, which might help with download and gameplay performance. Keeping both Steam and my operating system updated helped to minimize potential issues.One final tip I discovered was to use Steam’s offline mode when I knew I would be gaming for an extended period. By setting Steam to offline mode, I could prevent any accidental downloads or updates from occurring during my gaming session. To enable offline mode, I simply went to the “Steam” menu and selected “Go Offline”. This effectively stopped Steam from trying to download anything in the background.In summary, managing Steam downloads while gaming involves a combination of settings adjustments, scheduling, and sometimes third-party tools. By setting bandwidth limits, scheduling downloads, manually pausing and resuming downloads, using QoS settings, and leveraging third-party tools like NetLimiter, I was able to significantly improve my gaming experience. Additionally, staying updated with Steam and using offline mode when appropriate helped ensure that my gaming sessions were as smooth and uninterrupted as possible.
How To Pause Background Download While Playing Steam [Tutorial]
