Can I convert an NTFS game drive to BTRFS without erasing it?
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MellowPine47
I installed Bazzite on one drive and use a second drive for my files and Steam library. However, games stored on the NTFS drive will not launch properly. I found a tool called ntfs2btrfs that claims to convert NTFS to BTRFS without deleting the existing data, but I cannot find a clear guide for using it. Is this a practical approach, or should I back up the drive and reformat it? Would ext4 be a better option for a Linux-only Steam library?
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The safer and simpler route is to copy the files somewhere else, reformat the drive as a Linux filesystem, then copy everything back. For a Steam library, either BTRFS or ext4 can work; you do not have to use BTRFS. Reformatting also avoids the ownership and permissions problems that can appear after converting a Windows-oriented filesystem.
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Linux can sometimes run Steam games from NTFS, but it is generally discouraged, especially with Bazzite. A good approach is to use Steam’s backup or library-transfer feature, format the drive as ext4 or BTRFS, and restore the games afterward. Also, keeping the operating system on a separate drive is not always necessary with Bazzite, since its storage setup can make use of multiple drives, though the best layout depends on how much space you have and how you want to manage your files.
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The ntfs2btrfs tool does exist, so conversion is technically possible, but it is not risk-free. Before attempting it, make a complete, verified backup of everything on the drive. Even the tool’s author warns that they cannot guarantee nothing will go wrong.
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MellowPine47: That makes sense. I was mainly looking for a safe procedure, but I’ll make sure the data is backed up before trying anything.