Science & Tech · Big Tech & Internet · 2 hrs ago
A Windows 11 user moved a Steam library to Dev Drive to test game speeds
A writer tested whether moving a Steam game library to a Dev Drive would make games faster.
Dev Drive is a type of storage volume in Windows 11, built on Microsoft’s ReFS file system instead of the NTFS file system commonly used by Windows drives.
Microsoft designed it for developer tasks that create and handle large numbers of small files.
On a trusted Dev Drive, Microsoft Defender scans files in the background, and fewer filters handle file reads and writes by default.
The writer thought those changes might help with Steam games, which can involve many small files.
They moved their Steam library to a Dev Drive to test that idea.
The available account does not give the test results or say what happened next.
A Windows 11 user moved a Steam library to a Dev Drive to test whether games would run faster.
Dev Drive is a Windows 11 storage volume built on ReFS, rather than the NTFS file system used by most drives by default.
Microsoft designed Dev Drive for developer workloads involving large numbers of files.
On trusted Dev Drives, Microsoft Defender scans files asynchronously in the background, and fewer filters sit in the input/output path by default.
The article does not state the results of the user's game-speed test.
- Who
- An XDA writer identified as Abhinav.
- What
- He moved his Steam library to a Dev Drive to test whether it would make games faster.
- When
- The article was published Oct. 12, 2026.
- Where
- On a Windows 11 Dev Drive.
- Why
- He wanted to see whether the drive's file-system changes could benefit games.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Operating system
- Windows 11
- File system
- ReFS
- Game library
- Steam
- Test purpose
- To see whether games would run faster on a Dev Drive
- Publication date
- Oct. 12, 2026
What people are saying
employ targeted file system optimizations
Sources
Related news
Apple reportedly plans HomeView smart home hub for November
China Mobile triples capacity at its Hohhot computing hub
WhatsApp tests scheduled messages with some Android beta users
Apple confirms October 13 launch focused on smart home products
Apple may add Siri microphones and a speaker-equipped remote to Apple TV 4K
Windows 11 has a hidden Ultimate Performance power plan
How to find Windows apps missing from the Start menu
Apple classifies the 2017 Apple TV 4K as vintage
Developer releases free, open-source alternatives to Microsoft Office apps
Tiny11 Builder redesign aims to simplify Windows 11 26H2 ISO creation
Google adds Samsung phone support to Googlebook’s Better Together features
