Fix: Steam Workshop not Downloading Mods

Some Steam users that are trying to download mods from Steam’s Workshop are reportedly having problems subscribing to mods. In most cases, the mod is not getting registered for download or don’t appear inside the download queue. For some users, the issue only occurs with a couple of mods while other reports that the issue is happening to an extent where they can’t download and use any new mods. The issue is not exclusive to a certain Windows version since it’s reported to occur on Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.

Similar Steam Errors: Disk Write error.

What is causing the Steam Workshop to refuse download mods?

We investigated this particular issue by looking at various user reports and the repair strategies that are typically deployed to fix this problem. As it turns out, there are several different culprits that might be responsible for this issue:

• Mods status bar only appears in Big Picture Mode – For some reason, Steam changed the default behavior, so in the latest versions mod updates will download silently in the background, so you can no longer track their progress. If this scenario is applicable, you can verify if the mods are actually downloading by switching to Big Picture Mode.
• !Workshop folder contains corrupted files – It’s also possible that this issue occurs because some of the mod files that you downloaded have become corrupted. If this is a widespread issue, Steam will eventually refuse to download any new mods. In this case, you can resolve the issue by deleting the corrupted mods and do an integrity scan.
• Download Cache contains broken files – There’s also a fairly common glitch that might occur in situations where there are a lot of pending items inside the Download queue. Whenever this happens, the downloader will refuse to download any new items. In this case, you can fix the problem by clearing the download cache.
• The account is tied to Steam Beta – As it turns out, the frequency of cases where this problem occurs is higher with accounts that are enlisted to Steam Beta. Several affected users have reported that they were able to resolve the issue by opting out of every Beta program.
• Download Region is too far away – This particular issue can also occur if the download region that is configured inside Steam’s settings is too far away from the actual physical region. If this scenario is applicable, you can resolve the issue by changing the Download Region to the correct country.
• Corrupted Steam Installation – Another scenario that will trigger this particular issue is a widespread corruption issue. In this case, the only viable fix is to uninstall the current Steam installation and re-download the latest client version from the official download page.

If you’re currently struggling to resolve this particular issue, this article will provide you with some troubleshooting steps that other users in a similar situation have used to fix the problem indefinitely. Down below, you’ll find a collection of methods that other affected users have successfully used to solve the problem.

Since the fixes below are ordered by efficiency and severity, we advise you to follow them in the order that they are presented in. Eventually, one of the potential fixes should end up resolving the issue regardless of the culprit that is triggering the issue.

Method 1: Using the Big Picture Mode in Steam

Some affected users are reporting that for them it’s only a display issue. As it turns out, it’s also possible that the mods actually end up downloading after you click on Subscribe, but the default Steam interface will not show the progress bar of the mode.

However, if you want to check if the mods are downloading, you can enter Big Picture Mode. We tested this and it looks like sometime the download progress bar of the mods is only shown while inside the Big Picture Mode.

To enter Big Picture Mode, click on the associated icon in the top-right corner of the screen.

Once you’re inside Big Picture Mode, check your Download queue for evidence that the mode is downloading.

If this method didn’t resolve the issue, move down to the next method below.

Method 2: Deleting corrupted mods

If you’re encountering the issue specifically with only one application, it’s likely that you encounter the issue because some of your mod files have become corrupted and are triggering an error. Whenever this happens, Steam will refuse to download any new mods for that particular game until the corruption problem is solved.

Several affected users have reported that they managed to resolve the issue by accessing the game’s hidden !Workshop folder and deleting all broken mods from there. After doing so and forcing steam to scan for file integrity, most users have reported that the issue has been resolved.

Here’s a quick guide on deleting the corrupted mods:

1. Make sure that the steam client is completely closed.
2. Open-File Explorer and go to the ribbon bar at the top of the screen. Then, click on the View tab and ensure that the box associated with Hidden items is checked.

   

3. Once you are able to see hidden items, use File Explorer to navigate to the following location:

   C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\*Game Name*\!Workshop

   Note: Keep in mind that *Game Name* is simply a placeholder. Replace it with the name of the game you’re having mod issues with.

4. Once you get there, double-click on each mod individually and see which one is triggering the “Location is not available” issue.

   

5. If one or more mods are triggering the “Location is not available” error or a different error message, it’s clear that the issue is caused by corruption. In this case, you can proceed to delete every broken mod until you ensure that you only leave healthy ones.
6. Next, open Steam and go to the Library tab. Then, right-click on the game that uses the mods and choose Properties. Then, go to the Local Files tab and click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.

   

7. Once the process is complete, attempt to download a new mod and see if the procedure completes successfully.

If this method didn’t resolve the issue, move down to the next method below.

Method 3: Clearing the Download Cache

As it turns out, the issue can also occur due to a fairly common glitch that might occur in situations where there are a lot of items pending in the Download queue. It’s possible that the downloader glitched out and is refusing to download any new items.

Several users that have been encountering this particular issue have reported that they managed to fix the problem by clearing the Download Cache of Steam. Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:

1. Open the Steam client.
2. Go to the ribbon bar at the top of the screen and click on Steam. Then, click on Settings from the newly appeared context menu.
3. Inside the Settings menu, select the Downloads tab from the vertical menu on the left.
4. Next, move over to the right-hand pane and click on Clear Download Cache (bottom of the screen).
5.  Click Yes at the confirmation prompt to clear the locally stored cache.
6. Login with your Steam account again and attempt to download a mode that was previously failing.

If the issue is still not resolved, move down to the next method below.

Method 4: Opting out of Steam Beta

As several users have reported, this particular issue can also occur if you’re an active participant of Steam Beta. There’s no official explanation on why this fix is effective, but some users have reported that they managed to resolve the issue by opting out of Steam beta and re-subscribing to the mods that aren’t downloading.

Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:

1. Open your Steam client, access the ribbon bar at the top of the screen and click on Steam. Then, click on Settings from the context menu.
2. Inside the Settings menu, select Account from the vertical menu on the left. Then, move over to the right-hand pane and click the Change button under Beta participation.
3. Next, use the drop-down menu under Beta participation to change the status to None – Opt out of all beta programs.
4. Restart steam and start res-subscribing to the mods that we’re previously refusing to download and see if the issue has been resolved.

If you’re still having issues re-downloading some mods on Steam, move down to the next method below.

Method 5: Changing the Download Region

Another possible fix for this particular issue is a Download Region that is far away from the actual region of the IP. This might confuse your Steam into blocking the download of new mods. Several affected users have reported that they managed to resolve the issue by changing the download Region to their own country or a country that is close to the physical location of the PC.

Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:

1. Open the Steam client and click on Steam from the ribbon bar at the top of the screen. Then, from the context menu, click on Settings.
2. Inside the Settings menu, select Downloads from the vertical menu on the right. Then, move over to the right-hand pane and change the Download Region to the appropriate Country using the drop-down menu below.
3. Click Ok to save the changes, then attempt to download the mods once again at the next application startup.

If the issue is still not resolved, move down to the next method below.

Method 6: Reinstalling Steam

Some users that are encountering this issue periodically have reported that they only managed to fix the issue by reinstalling steam and all games under Steam. User speculation seems to point towards something that is getting corrupted locally, but so far there is no conclusive evidence on what exactly ends up breaking.

However, in most cases, the issue is known to return after some time. Here’s a quick guide on reinstalling Steam and all installed games via Steam:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Then, type “appwiz.cpl” and press Enter to open up the Programs and Features window.
2. Inside the Programs and Features screen, scroll down through the list of applications and locate Steam.
3. Once you see the Steam client, right-click on it and choose Uninstall. If prompted by the UAC (User Account Control), click Yes to grant administrative privileges.
4. At he uninstallation prompt, click Uninstall to confirm, then wait for the process to complete.
5. Once the Steam client has been uninstalled, restart your machine.
6. When the next startup sequence is complete, visit this link (here) and download the latest Steam client by clicking on Install Steam. Then, follow the on-screen prompts to reinstall the client.
7. Once the Steam client is installed, open it and re-install every game.
8. Open the Workshop and see if you are able to download and install mods.

If the issue is still occurring, move down to the next method below.