One of the biggest problems that Steam can encounter is when the application crashes and we cannot open it. This can happen normally, but it can also happen after trying to run a game and it does not work. To solve this problem, most of the time it is enough to run the task manager, search for all the processes related to it and end them, after which we can wait a few minutes and restart the application.
Run Steam as administrator
It is possible that to run an application it needs administrator permissions, so we simply have to give them to be able to use it, and in the case of Steam it is not something too complicated. We just have to go to the folder where the application is installed and right-click on the executable to start it as administrator, or simply use the Windows search menu to search for “Steam” and click on the “Run” option as administration.
Do not start this program in compatibility mode
There are many programs that we may want to run with compatibility with another operating system because they are actually developed for older ones, but this is not the case with Steam. And this application has been updated over the years to offer the greatest possible compatibility, so if this mode is enabled, it is best to disable it to avoid problems.
Clear app cache
Another reason why Steam may have problems is due to the temporary files stored in the application, i.e. the cache. Deleting it is very simple, since you just have to open the folder where the program is installed, look for the “appcache” subfolder and delete it.
Other Ways to Fix Steam Error
Once we have seen the simplest ways we have to solve the problem of Steam not opening, we have others that are not more complicated, but rather require a little time since they involve more steps.
Restart your computer and update the operating system
A very common thing we can do when an application does not work is to restart the PC directly, but we must also remember that there are times when programs may not work because some Windows updates are not installed. To update the operating system, we just have to write in the Windows search engine “Check for updates”, we will click on the button of the same name once the configuration is open, and after that it will show us if we have any pending updates.
Once this is done, simply install them and restart the computer for the changes to be complete. If you had planned to turn off the PC from the beginning, it is better that you do it first so that you do not have to restart again.
Allow Steam through the firewall
Many applications may require additional permissions to work, especially those that require an Internet connection, and it is possible that one of the reasons why it does not start is related to the way it establishes this connection. At first it is possible that if we have a VPN it fails, although it is not really something very common, but we can also have this problem if the firewall blocks the connection, so we must make the application able to pass through it.
To do this, simply open the firewall settings and go to the option that says “Allow an application through the firewall”, a new window will open in which we can select the applications that we want to pass through it.
Delete Steam settings and restart the application
On the other hand, there is a way to remove the application settings in case, for some reason, they affect the startup of the program, this also works, for example, when a game does not open. To do this, simply press Windows + R to open the “Run” menu. Once this is done, we can enter the steam://flushconfig command which allows us to remove the program configuration.
Reinstall Steam
As a last option, there is one that we can always count on, it is the reinstallation of the application, since this really allows us to ensure that we completely eliminate any type of configuration of the program.
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