If you’re here because you’ve run into a problem where you can’t start or launch your Steam, worry not, as it is not a major issue and can be solved with some easy methods. Here’s everything you need to know about how to fix your Steam not starting issue.
How to Fix Steam Won’t Launch or Start
A simple restart can fix a lot of problems in Windows. If your windows run into some issues or your CPU usage is high, it can cause programs to crash or not start properly. After restarting, relaunch Steam to see if your problem is solved! If that doesn’t solve the problem, then you can try the methods below.
Restart Your Router
Most of the time, this issue is caused when you have internet-related issues or if your internet is not working. To check if your internet is working, you can browse some websites in your browser, and if it doesn’t work, your internet may be down for the time being. In such a case, you can check your ethernet cable for any issues, and if everything seems fine, you can restart the router and launch Steam again. If your internet is still not working after you restart your router, you should contact your ISP and ask them to look into it.
Check If the Steam Server is Down
As Steam performs all of its activities from its servers, server issues can also cause it to misbehave. You can check if Steam servers are down by visiting sites like Downdetector and Issteamdown. If it is down, you can try to open it after a while. And if it isn’t, you can move on to the next method.
Clear All Steam-Related Processes From Your Task Manager
The problem also arises if Steam isn’t closed properly. To make sure that Steam isn’t running in the background beforehand, you’ll need to remove all its processes from the Task Manager. To do that:
Run Steam as an Administrator
Apps won’t run properly if they don’t get the required permissions to start. Running Steam as Administrator will make sure that Steam gets all the permissions for it to launch. To run Steam as Administrator:
Clear Steam Cache Files
Steam collects important data and settings about your profile each time you open it. They are stored in a folder named ‘app cache.’ If the ‘app cache’ folder has some corrupted files, it can cause Steam to not launch properly. Deleting this folder won’t cause any issues, but it can fix your problem if there are any corrupted files. To clear Steam cache file you can follow these steps:
Run Steam Flush Command
The flush command is used to clear all the download cache accumulated by Steam. It works like a charm in any Steam-related issues. To run a flush command: Launch Steam to see if the problem is fixed. Keep in mind that running this command will log you out of the app, and you need to log back in again the next time you launch the app.
Set Time and Date in Your Windows to Automatic
Steam requires you to have the correct local time and date on your PC. If you have changed date & time settings on your PC recently, chances are that the problem is caused by it. To adjust the date and time on your PC:
Allow Steam Through Your Windows Firewall
Windows Firewall is an important part of Windows and can save your PC from various malicious programs as well as software. However, it may have blocked Steam from accessing the internet and prevented it from going online. So, you need to always make sure that Steam is not blocked by the Firewall.
Reinstall Steam
If you have tried every single method, and still none of them seem to work, you can try to reinstall Steam as a last resort. But you’ll probably want to keep a backup of your games before you try to reinstall steam. To do that: That is it! At this point, your problem should be solved, and you should be able to open it without any issues.
