Steam downloads your Workshop addons, not Garry's Mod. When an addon won't download, the fix is nearly always in Steam: restart it, check its Downloads page, then clear its download cache.
Addon Won't Download or Subscribe
Start with the quick checks, then move down.
Restart Steam
Close Garry's Mod. Exit Steam fully from the tray icon, not the window's X, then open it again.
Check Steam's Downloads Page
In Steam, open your Library and click Downloads at the bottom. Workshop items show up here. A paused queue or an error on this page is why nothing arrives.
Check Your Disk Space
Steam can't save an addon to a full drive. Free up space on the drive Garry's Mod is installed on.
Open the Game on the Main Menu
Garry's Mod picks up new subscriptions while it sits on the main menu. Give big addons a few minutes before you join a server.
The game names the problem in its Problems menu. On the main menu, it's the Problems button in the bottom right, next to the game controller icon. Messages you might see there:
- "Failed to fetch your Workshop subscriptions." Restart Steam and check your internet connection.
- "Addon '...' failed to download". Check Steam's Downloads page for the error.
- "Looks like addon '...' failed to download or is otherwise missing its file(s)." Free some disk space, then verify your game files.
Stuck Downloading at 0 Bytes
A download sitting at 0 bytes, or "0 / 0 bytes", is stuck in Steam. Clearing Steam's download cache is the usual fix.
Clear Steam's Download Cache
In Steam, open Settings, then Downloads, and click Clear Download Cache. Steam signs you out afterwards. Sign back in.
Verify Your Game Files
Right-click Garry's Mod in your library, click Properties, open Installed Files and click Verify integrity of game files.
Unsubscribe and Subscribe Again
Open the addon's Workshop page, click Unsubscribe, wait a moment, then click Subscribe again.
Clearing Steam's download cache doesn't delete your installed games.
Addons Redownload Every Launch
Some redownloading is normal. Servers update their addons, and the loading screen fetches the new versions when you join.
If the same addons download again every time you open the game, Steam's record of what you've installed may be broken.
Close Steam
Exit Steam fully from the tray icon.
Find the Workshop Record
Open your Steam folder, then steamapps\workshop. Find the file appworkshop_4000.acf. 4000 is Garry's Mod's app ID.
Move It Out
Move that one file to your desktop. Leave every other .acf file alone.
Open Steam
Start Steam, then Garry's Mod. Steam rebuilds the file. Delete the copy on your desktop once things work.
Steam may download your subscribed addons once more while it rebuilds the record. After that, they should stay put.
Unsubscribed Addons Still Loading
You unsubscribed, but the weapon or tool is still in your game. There are three places it can come from.
Servers send you their own Workshop addons when you join. Unsubscribing doesn't touch these, because you never subscribed. The Addons menu lists them in its Downloaded category. The game removes unused ones after a while, and you can remove them by hand from that list.
Open the Problems menu. If it says "We have found some unused addon files", use its quick fix. You can also type menu_cleanupgmas in the console on the main menu.
Addons you installed by hand sit in garrysmod\addons as folders. Unsubscribing does nothing to these. Delete the folder yourself with the game closed.
Where Addons Live on Disk
Garry's Mod addons are .gma files. A .gma is one packed archive holding an addon's models, textures, sounds and Lua.
| What | Where |
|---|---|
| Workshop addons you subscribed to | Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\4000\<id>\ |
| Addons installed by hand | Steam\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\addons\ |
| Files servers sent you directly | Steam\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\download\ |
| Lua and Workshop cache | Steam\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\cache\ |
Each Workshop folder is named after the addon's ID. That's the number after id= in the addon's Workshop link. Some older addons store a .bin file instead of a .gma.
Clear the Game's Download Cache
If addons load half-broken, or a server's files look wrong, clear what the game has saved from servers.
Close Garry's Mod
The game must not be running.
Delete the Download Folders
In Steam\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\, delete the download folder and the cache folder.
Rejoin
Start the game and join your server. It sends you its files again, so the first load takes longer.
Factory Reset
The Garry's Mod folder has a file called FactoryReset-GMod.bat. It clears the download and cache folders too. It also deletes your settings and the data folder, which can include your dupes. It doesn't remove addons. Use it only when nothing else works.
Turn Off Workshop Addons for a Test
To check whether an addon is breaking your game, add -noworkshop to your launch options. In Steam, right-click Garry's Mod, click Properties, and type it under Launch Options on the General tab. Remove it when you're done.
-noaddons does the same for addons installed by hand.
Content still missing after everything downloads? See Missing Textures. Addons throwing errors? See Lua Errors. Too many addons slowing your game down? See the performance guide.
Want a server to try it on? Justified is a Garry's Mod DarkRP server: justified.gg.
