The contents of a backup like this are generally used to restore specific settings without re-downloading entire games.
: A common fix for "Steam is stuck updating" was to delete everything except Steam.exe and the steamapps folder; archives like this were made as a "safety net" before performing that wipe. [09.09.2022] [12.01.33] Steam.rar
: Contains config.vdf which stores your account settings, login state (at the time), and family sharing preferences. The contents of a backup like this are
: Includes app manifests ( appmanifest_XXXX.acf ) which Steam uses to recognize installed games. Without these, Steam will try to "re-download" games even if the files are physically present. Common Use Cases (Circa 2022) : Includes app manifests ( appmanifest_XXXX
💡 : This is a "time capsule" of your Steam setup from late 2022. Use it only to recover local save games or screenshots that weren't synced to the cloud.
I can give you the exact steps to extract only what you need without breaking your current installation.