If you use Steam to play games on your Windows computer then you might have noticed something called “Steamworks Common Redistributables” in the library section. If you are not sure what it is, continue reading the article.
This article will clear all your doubts regarding the same like should you delete Steamworks Common Redistributables or keep it?, how is it useful to you? and what exactly does Steamworks Common Redistributables do.
If you want to run software or game on your Windows computer, you might want to have other components installed as well. The game you trying to install might be depending on other things for smooth functioning. This is where Steamworks Common Redistributables comes into play.
Steamworks Common Redistributables
So, let’s see what is Steamworks Common Redistributables?
Steamworks Common Redistributables is a set of tools that Steam installs on your computer for the smooth running of games and their services. As you might already know, when you download a game from Steam, it requires other files such as DirectX, some frameworks, etc to run.
Steamworks Common Redistributables make sure that you have all the necessary scripts needed to load up the game. At the same time, it also makes sure that you are not downloading the required files multiple times.
For example, let’s say that you want to download three completely different games from Steam. If Steamworks Common Redistributables were not present, the game will come with its own set of tools and scripts to run the game.
Here, there will be tons of common files between a lot of games. For example, the DirectX component is required by pretty much every game you download via Steam. Now, when you try to download three games from Steam, it will also download the supporting files such as DirectX multiple times.
By now you might have understood that downloading the same file multiple times eats up a lot of storage on your computer and at the same time wastes the Internet as well.
This is where Steamworks Common Redistributables comes into play. Steamworks Common Redistributables by Steam makes sure that it itself installs all the necessary files required for the smooth functioning of the game.
Steamworks Common Redistributables includes:
- Visual C++ (2010, 2013, 2015)
- OpenAL
- .NET Framework
- PhysX
- DirectX Redistributable
You will find this folder on your x86 as well as x64 based Windows installation. The only thing is that it might have some slight difference depending on the architecture.
There is extensive Steamworks Common Redistributables documentation on the partner page. It guides the developers on how to effectively use Steamworks Common Redistributables on their games.
Steamworks Common Redistributables make it easy for developers and leave the pain of handling additional files to Steam. Since a lot of games use the exact same files such as DirectX, Steam manages everything in a centralized manner using Steamworks Common Redistributables.
All thanks to Steamworks Common Redistributables, there are no more duplicate files using a hefty amount of storage on your computer. It also helps you in saving Internet bandwidth as well.
Should I Remove Steamworks Common Redistributables?
Well, no. You shouldn’t be deleting or removing the Steamworks Common Redistributables files from the Steam library. Deleting this package will make games misbehave as required files are missing. As mentioned earlier, multiple games installed in Steam will be sharing and using the same resource. So, chances are most of your games will crash.
Steamworks Common Redistributables does not use a lot of space on your hard drive. The reason why Steam built this central repo is to ensure that there is no duplicate files issue.
Even if you try to delete the files from the library, Steam will automatically download the required Steamworks Common Redistributables files again the next time you open it.
Long story short, you want Steamworks Common Redistributables for the smooth functioning of your games. Furthermore, even if you try to delete the same from the library, Steam will automatically repair the tools section by downloading it again.
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How to Hide Steamworks Common Redistributables From Library
Back in the day, the Steamworks Common Redistributables folder was not made visible in the library section of Steam. The library is the section where it lists all the games installed on your computer via Steam.
If you find the Steamworks Common Redistributables folder annoying and want to hide it, follow the steps mentioned below.
Step 1: Open Steam and head over to Library section
Step 2: Look for the folder names Steamworks Common Redistributables and right click on it.
Step 3: Hover mouse arrow on top of Manage button to reveal further options to manage the folder
Step 4: From here, simply select the third option called “Hide this game”
BOOM! Now the Steamworks Common Redistributables folder will be hidden from library section.
Do note that we just hid the folder from the library section only. The tools and files are still active in the background and wouldn’t annoy you any longer.
Should you Manually Update Steamworks Common Redistributables?
No. Steam will take care of it. Whenever there is an update to a tool present in the package, Steam will automatically install the package without bothering you. Steamworks Common Redistributables is something that you can completely forget about.
Tools like DirectX, Graphics tools, etc will have updates for newer version. You are not manually required to install the update as Steam will do it for you.
Once hidden, it shouldn’t be a concern at all.
Final Words
This is what is Steamworks Common Redistributables and their use on your computer. If you are a Steam user then you will definitely find this folder on the Steam library. Initially, Steam used to hide this package from the library section. But with the new update, Steam started showing the same on the library section.
Soon after seeing this folder for the very first time, a lot of Steam users started to search online for what is Steamworks Common Redistributables and I thought of writing an article regarding the same. Simply, it is a package that contains things like DirectX, graphics tools, PhysX, .NET Framework, etc.
If you have any more doubt regarding the topics mentioned earlier, make sure to leave a comment below and I will get back to you.
