Steam is a popular gaming platform, millions of players from all over the world play games using Steam because of its availability and reliability compared to some of its other competitors. However, sometimes Steam fails to open as intended and it will give you hard time playing your favorite games which will cause issues such as steam not opening, slow download speed, etc.

In this article, we are going to show you how to troubleshoot and resolve the Steam launch issues and we will show you some of the possible causes that can lead to this issue.

Other Steam Errors: Disk Write Error Steam

Usually when there is an issue with Steam not opening its down to the anti-virus which may be placing it in a quarantine list or there may be a corrupt file being blocked. However, there could be numerous other reasons along with this so we have compiled a couple of methods to troubleshoot Steam launch issues.

1. Force Close All Running Processes of Steam

We will start by resorting to simpler techniques before moving on to more technical and tedious ones. This solution involves using the task process to end all Steam related processes and launching it again. Some processes don't shut down completely when you close them which leads to Steam not opening properly. Hence when you try to start them again, they reach the point where your unclosed one is at. This causes the application to stop there; that should explain why your steam won't open.

  1. First of all, click on the search bar and search "Command Prompt".
  2. Now click "Run as administrator".
    Running Command Prompt as an administrator
  3. Once the Command Prompt opens type this command and press enter:-
    taskkill /f /IM "steam.exe"
  4. Wait for the command to execute and then try running steam again.

2. Open Steam As an Administrator

Sometimes without any specific reason, an application may require administrative privileges to run. You can run Steam as administrator by right-clicking on the Steam client and choose 'Run as administrator'. This will enable the client to get administrative privileges (i.e. Read and write both) and if the problem is caused by this issue, it will run as expected.

Run Steam as Administrator

3. Change ClientRegistry.blob

If the small troubleshooting methods don't work for you, we can try one more method before resorting to deleting some files and folders and updating Steam.

  1. Completely exit Steam and end all tasks as mentioned in the solution above.
  2. Browse to your Steam directory. The default one isC:\Program Files\Steam.
  3. LocateClientRegistry.blob
  4. Rename the file to ''ClientRegistryold.blob'.
  5. Restart Steam and allow the file to be recreated. Hopefully, your Client will run as expected. If it still doesn't work, follow the steps listed below.
  6. Browse back to your Steam directory.
  7. Locate Steamerrorreporter.exe
    Launch Steamerrorreporter.exe
  8. Run the application and relaunch Steam to check if it is functioning properly.

4. Delete and Reinstall Steam Client

If the methods listed above don't work for you, you can finally resort to the deletion of Steam files. This solution requires ample time so only start when you are sure that your PC won't be interrupted.

  1. Browse to your Steam directory and locate the following files

Steam.exe (Application)

SteamApps (Folder)

  1. Delete all files and folders except the ones mentioned above.
  2. Restart your PC and re-launch Steam with administrator privileges. Steam will now start downloading the missing files again and will launch successfully upon completion.

5. Update Graphics Drivers

An outdated Graphics card driver can cause a lot of problems for a user. Graphics drivers are the main components that interact with the hardware and software of the computer. If the drivers are causing the non-opening of Steam, then updating the drivers to the latest build may solve the problem.

  1. Update drivers to the latest build. You can download the latest version of drivers from the manufacturer's website. Also, try to update Windows to the latest build.
    Clean and restart – DDU
  2. Now launch Steam and check if it is opening fine.

6. Set Date and Time

Non-launching of Steam can be caused by incorrect date and time of your system as Steam collects real-time data from the PC. If your set time isn't correct as compared to your geographic location, the initial handshake will fail and Steam won't open. In that case, correcting the date and time of your system may solve the problem.

  1. In your system tray, right-click on the C lock.
  2. In the resulting list, click on "Adjust Date/Time".
    Adjust Date and Time
  3. Now Turn off and then turn back "Set Time Automatically".
    Turn off Set Time Automatically
  4. Now launch Steam and check if it is functioning normally.

7. Delete the App Cache Folder

Steam uses the "appcache" folder to store various types of data about the Steam setup and apps. It stores the information to speed up the launch of Steam next time. However, a corrupted cache can cause the non-opening of the Steam client. In that case, deleting the appcache folder may solve the problem. Remember that this folder will be created the next time the Steam client is launched.

  1. Open File Explorer and navigate to following the path:C:\Program Files (x86)Steam
  2. Save the appcache folder to a safe location by copy/pasting.
  3. Right-click the appcache folder, and in the resulting menu, click on "Delete".
    Delete Appcache Folder
  4. Now launch Steam to check if it is working fine. If so, then delete the backed-up folder created in Step-2.

8. Delete the Steam Beta folder and opt-out of beta (if applicable)

If you are still facing this issue and your steam won't open then you will have to delete the Steam Beta client and switch to the global version of Steam, however, you can't do that because you will need to open Steam first in order to actually unregister the beta version from your account. Fortunately, there are some ways that you can try in order to get rid of Steam's beta version without opening the steam at all. Follow the steps below:-

  1. First of all, make sure that the Steam isn't running in the background if it's running close it.
  2. Once the Steam is closed properly, head over to the directory of your Steam:-
    Note: Directory might be located in a different location for you but the default location for Steam Directory is following:-

    C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\package

  3. Once you are in the Package folder, delete the file named "beta".
    Deleting the beta folder
  4. Restart your computer and check to see if the Steam works now.

9. Temporarily Disable Antivirus/Firewall Applications

Antivirus/Firewall applications are known to have issues with the Steam client. To rule that out, temporarily disable Antivirus/Firewall. Also, check quarantine files of the Antivirus software whether if the Steam client or any of its required files are blocked by the Antivirus.

Warning: Change your antivirus/firewall settings at your own risk as this step will make your PC vulnerable to viral, fraudulent or malicious attacks.

  1. Disable Antivirus.
  2. Disable Firewall.
  3. Now launch Steam as Administrator and check if it is functioning without any issues. Afterward, do not forget to enable the antivirus/firewall. If it is functioning normally, then add an exception for the Steam client in antivirus/firewall settings.

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Kevin is a dynamic and self-motivated information technology professional, with a Thorough knowledge of all facets pertaining to network infrastructure design, implementation and administration. Superior record of delivering simultaneous large-scale mission critical projects on time and under budget.