I'm currently using CachyOS, but I may switch to NixOS or Gentoo later. I have a monthly bandwidth limit shared with other people, and I also try different distributions fairly often, so downloading my entire game library again each time isn't practical. Can I partition the drive so the operating system is installed on one partition while my personal files and game library stay on another?
3 Answers
Yes. A common setup is to keep the operating system on a root (/) partition and place /home on a separate partition. Back up your files first, then use the installer's custom partitioning option. You might give the system around 50 GB for / and use the remaining space for /home. During future distro installations, select the existing home partition, mount it as /home, and make sure it is not formatted. Your files and game data should then remain available while the new system is installed on the root partition.
You can also keep your Steam library on a completely separate internal or external drive. After installing the new distribution, install Steam and add the existing library folder in Steam's storage settings. Steam should detect the installed games and verify their files instead of downloading everything again. Keeping the library separate from /home can make repeated reinstalls simpler.
Simply copying the Steam library to another drive before reinstalling can work too. Once the new system is ready, point Steam to that folder and let it scan or verify the files. Make sure the drive uses a Linux-friendly filesystem and that you have enough permissions to access it; an external drive can also be slower or less convenient than a separate internal partition.
It is still wise to back up important saves and other files. Some games store saves in /home, cloud-sync folders, or compatibility data rather than inside the main Steam library.