Why is Steam Not Opening on My PC? How to Fix it?

There are several reasons why Steam app may not open on your PC. You need not worry, though.

There are over six different ways to fix Steam app if it is not opening on your computer.

Each fix offers a solution for Steam not opening on Mac or Windows PC. Let’s check them out one by one.

1. Is the Steam Server Down?

Go with your instinct when it comes to streaming service apps that won’t open.

In most cases, a streaming app such as Steam is not opening in Windows 10 when it doesn’t get any feedback from the online server.

Check the Steam server as a first move to fix Steam when it won’t open. If the Steam servers are down, your app doesn’t open.

So, there’s nothing wrong with your computer. Your Steam app isn’t working on Windows 10 because the server isn’t loading any data to the app.

You can try reconnecting to the site after some time. If the Steam server is down for maintenance purposes, you can wait for a day or less. Then, try re-opening the Steam app when the servers are up.

If an outage shuts down Steam servers, wait for an official announcement from the site.

Log on to Steamstat.us to check the status of the Steam server. You can also use online DNS monitoring tools to check if the Steam server has gone down or not.

2. Use ‘Run as Administrator’

For no specific reason, any app on Windows 10 refuses to launch unless it is opened by an administrator access. You can try this trick with the Steam app as well.

If Steam is not opening in your PC when you double-click on it, try this method.

First, you need to right-click on the Steam app icon. Now, click on ‘ Run as administrator ’ option from the drop-down menu.

Has this fixed your problem? Keep using this ‘admin’ fix if Steam opens smoothly when you use it. Also, edit the app’s User Access Control configurations.

Go to the Properties of the Steam app, and change the Permissions in the Security tab. Allow more administrative privileges to the Steam app.

This way, you won’t need to use an alternative way to open Steam on your Windows 10 computer.

3. Create a Shortcut

Now, in some cases, Steam won’t open on Windows when it faces the “Failed to Load SteamUI.dll” error. If you see this message, there’s a different solution to fix it.

If Steam’s not opening due to this error, it means that is unable to find the SteamUI.dll file. Either this DLL file is corrupted or has been moved from its default location.

You can fix this by creating a shortcut for the Steam app,

• Go to the default Steam folder
• It is usually installed in the C: drive ( C:\Program Files\Steam )
• Find a file named ‘ exe ’
• Right-click on it and select ‘ Create a Shortcut ’ from the menu
• Now, right-click on the Shortcut icon of the Steam app
• Click on ‘ Properties ’
• Go to the Target field and type “ -clientbeta client_candidate ” to the end of the directory
• Now, the whole Target box reads – C:\Steam\Steam.exe -clientbeta client_candidate

Thereafter, use this shortcut to open Steam on Windows.

This fix works because it tricks the Steam app to think that it is running on a beta version. Now, a corrupted file such as the SteamUI.dll won’t stop Steam from opening.

4. Disable Steam Processes from Task Manager

There’s another reason why Steam’s not opening. 2018 versions on Windows 10 have reported interferences between multiple system processes.

So, a Steam process running in the background may stop the SteamUI process from launching.

You need to remove all Steam processes running (active) on Windows Task Manager.

• Press the shortcut keys to launch Task Manager ( Ctrl + Shift + Esc )
• Click on Task Manager
• Now, go to the Processes tab
• Look for all Steam-related processes (e.g. Steam Client Service, Steam Client WebHelper, etc.)
• Right-click on each one of them
• Click on End Task
• Close the Task Manager and try to reopen Steam

This method fixes the issue in most cases, so you won’t need more complicated solutions like the one given below.

5. Make Changes in ClientRegistry.blob

Altering a Binary Large Object (.blob) file is by far the trickiest way to fix Steam that won’t open.

You need to follow the steps below attentively. Any misconfiguration can risk your PC and Steam data.

• Close all Steam processes as shown above
• Exit all other apps
• Now, browse to the default Steam directory (go to C:\Program Files\Steam )
• Locate a file named “ blob ”
• Rename it to “ClientRegistry old .blob”
• Restart the Stream app

Altering the ClientRegistry.blob file allows you to troubleshoot the “Steam not opening in Windows 10” issue.

If this doesn’t work, you can also locate the ‘ steamerrorreporter.exe ’ file in the default Steam directory location.

Here, right-click on this file and run it as the Administrator .

6. Update Your Steam App

An outdated app doesn’t open easily on Windows 10. This could be the case for Steam not opening on Windows 10. You need to update the Steam app and try launching it again.

• Type “windows store” in the Start menu search box
• Press the Enter key to open search results
• Open the Windows Store app
• Click on the Settings tab on the Charms bar
• Click on App updates
• Select ‘Check for Updates’
• See if there are any updates available for Steam
• Install them

Try to reopen Steam after updating it. You can also go to the link below to check for updates on the Steam app.

www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/steam/9nblggh4x7gm?activetab=pivot%3aoverviewtab

7. Clear All Out & Reinstall Steam

If all fails, delete all Steam files and folders. It is time to reinstall the app. This solution certainly fixes the problem but in a makeshift way.

• Uninstall the Steam app from Windows Settings menu
• Search for ‘steam’ files on your PC and delete them manually
• Now, reinstall the Steam app from Windows Store

Make sure that you don’t run any other software while re-installing the Steam app.

Try all these methods to see which fixes the issue for you. If you find any other way to fix the “Steam not working” issue on Windows and Mac, let us know with your comments.

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Read Next:

• How Do I Delete My Steam Account? Can I Delete Games From Steam?
• Where to Find Steam Screenshot Folder?

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