Windows September 12, 2003
OS X May 12, 2010
Linux February 14, 2013
Digital Distribution
Key points
- Digital distribution platform launched by Valve Corporation in 2003 which supports Windows, OS X and Linux.
- DRM: Steam client required. Some games have extra DRM; refer to The Big List of 3rd Party DRM on Steam.
- Some games sold through retail and other digital distribution services activate on Steam; see Retail / Digital CD Keys.
- Refund policy: See Steam Refunds for details. Refunds for pre-release titles are accessible through the Store Transactions page. Steam Workshop purchases can be refunded within 24 hours of purchase.[1]
Official links
- Official Store
- Official Support
- Steam Users' Forums
Community links
- The Big List of 3rd Party DRM on Steam
- Steam Subreddit - a good place to discuss Steam issues.
- ValveTime - Valve news and discussion site.
- SteamDB - all information about games, sales, and even not yet released games. Updates instantaneously.
Big Picture
- See PC gaming on a TV and couch for general setup information.
- Big Picture Mode is a new interface which allows using Steam with a controller.
- Big Picture Mode requires Windows Vista or newer or OS X 10.7 (Lion) or newer; earlier versions are not supported.
Taskbar showing on top
- This is caused by the incompatibility with DPI scaling in Windows.
Speed up Big Picture web browser
- Windows, for compatibility reasons, has Automatically Detect Proxy settings enabled. It can add significant lag to loading web pages in Steam as well as other internet dependent applications, and is not usually required.[2]
Adjust font size DPI
- Steam does not always respect the Windows dpi settings. This hack adjusts Steam's DPI.
- Appears to work if the Windows DPI settings are also adjusted above 100% size.
Family Sharing
- Steam Family Sharing is a new feature that allows Steam users to share games.
- Each player gets their own achievements, saves, etc.
- The owner can't play any game without kicking the borrower (after a grace period).[3]
- Some games are not available for sharing, e.g. those with third-party DRM; refer to The Big List of 3rd Party DRM on Steam for details.
Issues fixed
Unable to log in
- Alternatively Steam can be launched as an admin.
- Steam has an official page including fixes related to network and connection issues: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_cat.php?id=4
Steam won't launch
Delete ClientRegistry.blob
- Steam updates sometimes fail to progress, or the message Failed to find Steam appears.
Reinstalling Steam
- Every Steam game should be installed in a separate folder, outside the main installation location, this makes it easier to play and backup such games again.
- Steam should be installed outside of the Program Files paths just in case.
Step One
Step Two
Step Three
Game Won't Launch
Verify integrity of game cache
- First recommended step before troubleshooting any other issues.
Unable to download any games
- Steam servers are currently unavailable, Steam servers are too busy, The Steam servers are currently too busy to handle your request. Please try again in a few minutes.
Error 80 And Application Load Error P:0000065432
- Restart Steam.
Failed to start game. App already running
- This may appear when launching the same game twice. Restart Steam if it still appears.
Moving Steam Files
Manual Move
If you wish to re-install Steam, or transfer your game data to a new hard drive, simply move the steamapps and userdata folders to a new location.[4] You will find these folders in the following folder by default:
- 64-bit Windows:
%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Steam
- 32-bit Windows:
%ProgramFiles%\Steam
Depending on the size of the folder it may take some time. Then, on the new system, install Steam and let it run once. Move steamapps and userdata back to the new Steam folder, replacing any existing files, then run Steam, connect online, and 'install' the games, which will revalidate the existing files and update their entries in the Steam library.
Failed To Find Steam
Restart Steam. If this doesn't work, then see Delete ClientRegistry.blob.
Moving Steam Games To Another Drive
- Some games does not have the option to install to secondary drives, it is however possible to use symbolic links for this matter.
Steam has the possibility to download games to secondary drives.
You can add a custom directory for games through Steam: Steam > Settings > Downloads > Steam Library Folders > Add Library folder
Option - GameSave Manager
GameSave Manager's Sync and Link feature can automate this process and is easily the best method. This is because GameSave Manager:
- contains a large list of relatively up to date game path locations
- can scan whether a game is already in that folder
- can create symbolic links in a single click.
Steam Backup
- The native backup facility can be used to backup and restore Steam games. However, the manual move method is simpler, faster and more reliable.
- Sometimes when trying to install a backup created using inbuilt backup utility the loader will pop up and disappear constantly. To fix this, launch Steam and delete local data for the game you're trying to restore. Exit Steam and rerun the installer.
Steam Offline Mode
- The Offline Mode can only be forced after having logged into Steam at least once with a working internet connection.
- Could not connect to steam network. This could be due to a problem with your internet connection, or with the Steam network. Please visit www.steampowered.com for more info.
Authentication
Steam Offline Mode should now be accessible to the methods below.
Disable Internet Connection
To ensure that Steam never tries to connect online (and lose the authentication required for Offline Mode), disable one's network adapter. Opening Steam with a disabled connection will normally open the Steam Offline mode. However, many users report problems with this method. Repeat the authentication step, remembering to tick 'Remember my password'.
Always forced Offline Mode
- Forcing Offline Mode will make Steam to always open in Offline Mode, even with a working internet connection. A prompt will appear and the options Retry and Offline Mode will show up.
Steam lowers volume of background Metro apps (Windows 8 only)
- Sometimes Metro apps (e.g. Music app, MediaMonkey app,...) lower their volume when sent to the background, this might be caused by Steam.
Deactivate automatic muting
Use push-to-talk for voice chat
OS X
Clientregistry.blob Location
- If you are unable to find the file you can locate it using Terminal commands like Find and Locate.
~/Library/Application\ Support/Steam/
Linux
- Steam is only officially supported on Ubuntu 12.04 and newer; install from the Steam website or the Ubuntu Software Centre.
- Steam can also be installed in Wine to gain access to Windows-only games which cannot be installed through the native Linux Steam client. Though fonts may be invisible, to fix this execute Steam with the following command: wine Steam.exe -no-dwrite.[5]
Other information
Resume Download Whilst Playing Game
Most Steam games will pause all downloads in progress, even if the game running is single player and has no need to access the internet bandwidth.
This can be fixed by checking "Allow Steam to download other updates while this game is running" in the properties of a game before starting it. Another method is to minimize the game and manually resume the download.
If you want to allow all Steam games to download updates while a Steam game is running:
By default, Steam will periodically display popups of new games and announcements. This can be disabled by going to View > Settings > Interface > Notify me about additions.
Change game language
Toggle Steam overlay
Toggle Steam Cloud sync
Delete files stored in the Cloud
Change Game Library Backgrounds
References
