Epic Games Download Speed Slow: Why & 6 Fixes
Fortnite, Rocket League, and other hits have made Epic Games popular, with over 270 million PC users. But many gamers face a common problem of “Epic Games download speed slow”. Slow speeds during downloads or updates can be frustrating and waste time. In this guide, we explain why this happens and share six simple ways to speed up your downloads.
Part 1. Why Does Epic Games Download So Slow
Many users notice and painfully ask why is Epic Games downloading so slow on the Epic Games Launcher, especially when trying to install large titles like Fortnite or Grand Theft Auto V. This can be because of unstable internet connections, network congestion, or background apps using too much bandwidth.
It is also common to see the Epic Games download keep dropping to 0 or get stuck at 0.00 Mbps, interrupting the process entirely.
Other reasons for Epic Games download speed 0 might be outdated network settings, firewalls blocking the app, or temporary server issues on Epic’s end. If you are using a cheap VPN, that, too, can slow things down. Even a corrupted cache in the launcher can affect speed.
Knowing what's behind the games taking so long to download will certainly help you in choosing the right fix to resume better downloading.
Part 2. How to Make Epic Games Download Faster
If you are wondering how to speed up Epic Games download, there are several ways to fix this issue. Even if you are not entirely sure what's causing the slow speed, you should try the following fixes one by one. One of them will likely improve your download performance.
- Fix 1. Disable Extra HDD/SSD on PC
- Fix 2. Use a VPN (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, etc)
- Fix 3. Enable Window Auto-Tuning
- Fix 4. Edit EpicGamesLauncher Folder
- Fix 5. Set Throttle Speed to Unlimited
Fix 1. Disable Extra HDD/SSD on PC
One of the most common reasons for the Epic Games launcher download speed slow is a connected hard drive (HDD) interfering with the process. Even if Epic Games is not using that drive, it can still slow things down, especially when downloading and installing happen at the same time. This issue mostly happens on PC with both SSDS and HDDS.
A quick fix is to temporarily disable the extra drive that you are not using for the download. This has actually helped many users boost their speeds. To disable an extra drive on Windows 10:
Press Win+X and select “Disk Management”.
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Find the drive you are not using for Epic Games (for example, Disk 1 or Disk 2)
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Right-click on it and select “Offline”.
Make sure that you don't accidentally disable the drive where Epic Games is installed. You can turn it back on at any time by selecting Online from the same menu.
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Fix 2. Use a VPN (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, etc)
If your Epic Games download speed slow issue is not fixed yet, a VPN might be your solution. In fact, some users have reported a huge improvement after trying this method. For example, one user saw their speed increase from just 100 KB/s to over 13 MB/s after turning on ExpressVPN.
This happens because certain internet providers may slow down downloads from Epic’s servers. A VPN can be helpful, as it routes your connection through a different server, helping you avoid these limits and possibly connect to a faster server location.
VPN Subscriptions
If you already have a VPN subscription, try using it while downloading from Epic Games. If not, look for a free trial of Expressvpn or Nordvpn before buying one. This way, you can test whether it works for you without spending money.
NOTE:
A VPN doesn't always guarantee faster downloads, so try this after checking other free fixes. But if nothing else works, this method might be the one for you.
Fix 3. Enable Window Auto-Tuning
Another reason you might be facing slow Fortnite download speed could be disabled Windows auto-tuning. This feature helps Windows manage network traffic more efficiently. When it is turned off, your download speed might suffer, especially when using apps like Epic Games Launcher.
To turn it on, you will have to follow these steps:
Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
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Type: netsh interface tcp show global and press Enter.
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If the “Receive Windows Auto Tuning Level” shows as disabled, continue.
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Type: netsh interface tcp set global auotuninglevel=normal
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Press Enter and restart your PC.
This fix is safe and reversible. So if it does not work, you can always disable it again using the same command, but replace normal with disabled.
Fix 4. Edit EpicGamesLauncher Folder
If you still need to know how to fix Epic Games download speed, editing the Epic Games Launcher setting file might help, as it can boost download performance.
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The first thing to do is to click on the “Start” button and type %localappdata%, then press Enter to open the AppData folder.
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Open the folder named EpicGamesLauncher. Go to Saved > Config > Windows.
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Open the file called “Engine.ini” with Notepad.
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Copy and paste these lines:
- [HTTP]
- HttpTimeout=10
- HttpConnectionTimeout=10
- HttpReceiveTimeout=10
- HttpSendTimeout=10
- [Portal.BuildPatch]
- ChunkDownloads=3
- ChunkRetries=20
- RetryTime=0.5
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Save the file, close it, and then restart Epic Games Launcher.
Fix 5. Set Throttle Speed to Unlimited
If you are still not sure how to increase download speed on Epic Games, try setting the throttle download (meaning limiting speed) speed to 0.
Launch the Epic Games Launcher software.
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Next, go to the “Profile Icon” in the top right corner. Go to Settings.
Find “Throttle Downloads” and check the box.
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Set the throttle download speed to 0 to remove any download limit.
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Restart the Epic Games Launcher and check if the speed improves.
Part 3. How to Delete Duplicate Files to Free Up Space for Epic Games for Better Performance
When Epic Games is not working properly, or your download speed is low, clearing up space might help with this issue. Duplicate files can waste valuable storage and affect game installations. Using 4DDiG Duplicate File Deleter can make it easy for you to scan and remove these files.
The 4DDiG Duplicate File Deleter works on Mac and Windows, and it thoroughly scans connected devices to find and remove duplicates. Here is how you can use it:
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Download and install 4DDiG Duplicate File Deleter. Open the app and select “Duplicates” > “Get Started”.
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Select “Local Drive” where contains data related to Epic Games and click Next to proceed.
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Then select a Epic Games related folders (select all those you want to scan). Afterward, hit “Scan”.
Note:
Before scan, you can click the lower Gear icon to open the scanning option dialog. It allows you to personalize scanning settings like file type or specific folder to detect duplicates.
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After the scan is complete. You can select “Smart Remove” to delete all detected duplicate files at once. Or, choose “Review Duplicates” to check detailed results and remove the duplicates unwanted.
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Conclusion
Now that you know what to do when Epic Games download speed slow, you can try the fixes discussed above to get a solution. Duplicate files may be your biggest problem when experiencing slow download speeds. A tool like 4DDiG Duplicate File Detector can help clean these files easily. Give it a try and see the difference in your download speed.
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