Fixing Slow Downloading on Steam for Linux: A Quick Guide

Introduction

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Are you tired of sluggish download speeds on Steam while using Linux? Don’t worry; there’s a solution! In this quick guide, we’ll explore steps to fix slow downloading issues on your Steam Linux.

Editing Steam’s Configuration File

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1. Open the Steam configuration file using your preferred text editor. Let’s use nvim for this example:

nvim ~/.steam/steam/steam_dev.cfg

2. Add the following lines to the configuration file:

@nClientDownloadEnableHTTP2PlatformLinux 0
@fDownloadRateImprovementToAddAnotherConnection 1.0

3. Save the changes and exit the text editor.

4. Restart Steam and try download the game again. You should see the Speed has a big change! As shown in the image below:

How It Works

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1. HTTP/2 on Linux

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The first line, @nClientDownloadEnableHTTP2PlatformLinux 0, disables the use of HTTP/2 for downloads on the Linux platform. While HTTP/2 is generally more efficient, some users have reported issues with Steam’s implementation on Linux. Disabling it might help fix slow downloading problems.

2. Download Rate Improvement

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The second line, @fDownloadRateImprovementToAddAnotherConnection 1.0, adjusts the download rate improvement by allowing Steam to add another connection. This tweak can be particularly beneficial for users with high-speed internet connections, as it enables Steam to utilize additional connections, potentially resolving slow downloading issues.

The line @fDownloadRateImprovementToAddAnotherConnection 1.0 increases the number of connections Steam makes to servers (up to 10, usually connects to around 3, with a hard cap in the code). This adjustment can theoretically improve download speeds.

References

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• Steam Download Speed is so slow on Linux
• Steam Downloads Slow On Linux?! FIX IT
• Slow steam downloads? Try this!