r/linux4noobs • u/Tsubadu • 1d ago

Organizing Files/Storage

Working with a new install of Mint 22.3 (ditched windows yesterday!) and just installed Steam. Before actually downloading games, I was wondering if there’s a best practice for such downloads as I was pretty anal with my folders on Windows. I have a minimal understanding of the file system as whole but it didn’t really prepare me for putting things where I would like them to be without disrupting anything.

Edit: I will probably end up putting games on my second ssd which is currently unmounted.

TLDR: will I regret just letting Steam download games however it likes OR can you share some simple tips for organizing things in a way that makes sense to the user.

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u/Bug_Next fedora on t14 goes brr 1d ago

Open steam settings, go to library, create one in your 2nd ssd, it's the same as on Windows.

can you share some simple tips for organizing things in a way that makes sense to the user.

You are the user, idk what makes sense to you.

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u/Tsubadu 1d ago

So you would just change the default drive and let Steam do its thing?

What I meant was, on Windows I would make a new folder right on the second drive and name it SteamGames or something that is easy to interpret as opposed to navigating through multiple folders. My initial thought for Mint was to make a new folder in the home folder just for games but I’m not really comfortable telling stuff where to go in case the program can’t find it or something.

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u/Bug_Next fedora on t14 goes brr 1d ago

Steam already creates a folder called SteamLibrary, the only thing you achieve by making a second one is having /SteamGames/SteamLibrary/actualstuff.

If you tell it where it is it will find it... Because it doesn't search for it, it knows where it is, because you gave it the location.. As long as you don't move it later it's okay, again, it's the same as in Windows.

The default library is already in your home dir, the only thing that goes to the root partition is stuff installed with the package manager.

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u/BudTheGrey 1d ago

Mount the second SSD as "/mydata" or similar. There's lots of good how-to's that will show up as a result of "how to add a disk to Linux". In steam settings, create/move your library to "/mydata/steam". Go play.

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u/Tsubadu 1d ago

I believe that put me on the right path, thanks! If I may, I literally just formatted and mounted the drive and got it brought up in Steam, do you know why it would say there is already ~47GB of non-Steam data? It seems my boot drive did the same thing but I chalked it up to system stuff.

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u/skyfishgoo 6h ago

the best place to put them is on a separate partition so they don't clog up your backups for your personal files and config.

i just have them in a folder called Steam on my linux games partition.