Steam Family Share lets multiple people on the same computer play games from one account's library
Steam Family Share is a feature that lets you share your purchased games with other people who use your computer. When you set it up, anyone with a user account on that computer can launch and play the games you own, without needing to buy them again. The person playing does not need to own the games themselves — they just need access to the computer and their own Steam account.
The feature works because Steam separates the person who bought the game (the library owner) from the people who can play it (authorized users). You stay logged into your account on the computer, and other people log into their own accounts. When they try to launch one of your games, Steam checks whether Family Share is turned on for that computer, and if it is, the game starts.
This is different from straightforward sharing your password. You are not giving anyone your login details. Instead, you are telling Steam that specific people on that specific computer are allowed to use your game library while they are using that machine.
Key Takeaways
- Steam Family Share works only on one computer at a time — you designate which computer holds your library, and only people using that computer can play your games.
- Only one person can play a game from your library at the same time, even if multiple people are logged into the computer.
- The library owner (you) can play your games from any computer by logging in with your own account, but other people can only play from the authorized computer.
- You can turn Family Share off at any time, and doing so removes everyone else's access to your games on that computer.
- Games played through Family Share count toward your account's playtime and achievements, but the person playing them gets their own separate achievements.
How to set up Family Share on your computer
Open Steam on the computer where you want to share your games. Click your account name in the top right corner and select Settings. Go to the Family tab on the left side. You will see a section called Steam Family Library Sharing with a toggle switch. Turn it on.
Once you turn it on, Steam will ask you to confirm. After you confirm, anyone with a user account on that computer can now see and play your games. They do not need to do anything on their end — the next time they log into their Steam account on that computer, your games will appear in their library.
You can see who has access by staying in the Family settings. Steam shows you which accounts on that computer are authorized to use your library. If you want to remove someone, you can do that from the same screen without turning off Family Share entirely.
The one-game-at-a-time rule and what it means
Only one person can play a game from your library at the same time. If you are playing one of your games and someone else on the same computer tries to launch the same game, Steam will stop their launch and ask them to wait until you are finished. If they try to launch a different game from your library, that will work — but they cannot play two of your games simultaneously.
This rule exists because Steam licenses are tied to one person at a time. When you bought a game, you bought the right for one person to play it at once. Family Share extends that to other people on your computer, but it does not multiply the license.
The rule applies only to your library. If the other person owns their own copy of a game, they can play it at the same time someone else is playing your copy. But if both people are trying to play the same game from your library, only one can go at a time.
Where you can play your games and where others cannot
You can play your games from any computer, as long as you log into your Steam account. If you go to a friend's house and log in there, you can launch your games on their computer. If you travel and use a laptop, your games are available there too. Your library follows you because it is tied to your account, not to a specific machine.
Other people can play your games only on the computer where you set up Family Share. If someone tries to play one of your games on a different computer — even if you are logged in there — it will not work. They would need Family Share set up on that other computer as well.
This is an important limit to understand before you set up Family Share. If you want to share games with someone who uses a different computer, Family Share will not do that. You would need to set it up on their computer too, which means designating that computer as your library computer.
Turning off Family Share and what happens to active games
You can turn off Family Share at any time by going back to Settings, clicking the Family tab, and toggling Steam Family Library Sharing off. When you do, everyone else when ready loses access to your games on that computer. Any games they are currently playing will close.
Turning it off does not delete anything or cause permanent damage. If you turn it back on later, the other people regain access. You can toggle it on and off as many times as you want. Some people turn it off temporarily if they want to play alone without interruption, then turn it back on later.
If you want to remove only one person instead of everyone, you can do that without turning off Family Share entirely. In the Family settings, find the person's name and click the option to remove them. That person loses access, but everyone else keeps it.
Achievements, playtime, and what gets tracked to which account
When someone plays one of your games through Family Share, the playtime counts toward your account's total hours played. If you look at your profile, you will see all the hours anyone has spent in your games, added together. This is one reason some people turn off Family Share when they want an accurate count of their own playtime.
Achievements work differently. When someone else plays your game and earns an achievement, it goes on their account, not yours. You will not see their achievements in your profile. They get credit for the accomplishment, and you keep your own separate achievement list. This separation exists so that each person's profile honestly reflects what they have done.
Game saves are also separate. If you play a game and save your progress, and then someone else plays the same game, they start with their own save file. You do not overwrite each other's progress. Each person using the computer gets their own save data for every game.
Common limits and things that do not work with Family Share
Some games do not work with Family Share at all. Developers can opt out, and a small number do — usually games with strong anti-cheat systems or games that require a separate account with the developer. Before you set up Family Share, check whether the specific games you want to share support it. Steam will tell you on the game's store page if Family Share is not available.
You cannot use Family Share to share games across multiple computers in a way that lets different people play on different machines. Each computer needs its own Family Share setup. If you want to share with someone who uses a laptop, you would need to set up Family Share on their laptop, which means that laptop becomes your designated library computer.
Family Share does not work with games you have borrowed through Steam's game-borrowing feature (if that feature is available in your region). Borrowed games are already restricted, and Family Share cannot extend those restrictions further.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Family Share on more than one computer?
You can set up Family Share on one computer at a time. If you want to share your library on a different computer, you have to turn it off on the first one and set it up on the second. You cannot have Family Share active on two computers simultaneously.
What happens if I log into my account on someone else's computer?
If you log into your Steam account on another person's computer, you can play your games there, but you are not setting up Family Share. Only you can play — the other people on that computer cannot access your library. To let them play, you would need to set up Family Share on that computer.
Can someone play my games if they are not on the same network?
No. Family Share works only for people using the same physical computer. It does not matter what network they are on — they have to be logged into an account on that specific machine. Remote play or streaming would be needed to play from a different computer.
Do I need to stay logged in for other people to play my games?
No. Once Family Share is turned on, other people can play your games even if you are logged out or not using the computer. Your account does not need to be active for them to launch and play. You can turn off your computer and they can still use theirs to play your games.
What if someone buys a game while using my library through Family Share?
Games they purchase belong to their own account, not yours. They own those games permanently. If they later use a different computer where Family Share is not set up, they can still play the games they bought because those games are in their own library.