Back up and restore your games with Origin

Monday, 22 May 2023

Got a new computer or operating system? Here’s where we’ll show you how to back up your games so you do not have to redownload them.

Make sure you backup your game saves before you get a new computer or install a new operating system.

Moving a game to a new location

Running out of space and need to relocate your Origin games? We’ve added a tool so that you can easily move your games from one location to another on your computer. That way you don’t have to redownload them.

When you’re moving games, only do one at a time. Moving more than one at the same time can cause issues.

To move your game files to a new place on your PC:

Find the game you want to move in your Game Library.
Right-click the game tile and select Move game.
Find the new folder where you want to move the game to.
- There are some restrictions to which folders you can use, but Origin will let you know if you can’t use the one you pick.
Click Select Folder.

The game files will all automatically move to the new folder you’ve just selected. The game will then repair itself and make sure all files were moved over correctly. This might take some a little bit of time to do, but once it’s done you’ll be ready to play.

You’ll only be able to move games in this way if:

the game is not currently in queue for download
you’re not currently playing the game
Origin is in online mode.
- Make sure to stay online while you’re moving games. If Origin goes offline while a game is moving, the move will fail. You’ll have to manually locate the game on your computer using our steps to show Origin where the game is before you can try moving it again.

You can also only move games on PC, as this feature is not available on Mac.

Please note that some third-party games cannot be moved in this way.

Locating one of your games

Need to help Origin find where one of your game’s files are located on your computer? You can tell Origin where to look so you don’t have to download all the files again.

Here’s how to do that:

Find the game you need to locate in your Game Library.
Right-click the game tile and select Locate game.
Find the folder where the game is located, then click Select Folder.

Origin will then find all the files it needs to redownload and install the game for you.

Happy gaming!

Want more tips to get the most out of Origin?

Check out these articles:

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