What Steam Family Sharing Actually Does
Steam Family Sharing lets you share your game library with other people on your computer and theirs, without giving them your password. When you turn it on, anyone with an account on your PC can play your games. You can also authorize one other person's computer so their account can play your games there — but only one person at a time can play from your library on that second computer.
This is different from just letting someone use your account. You stay logged in as yourself. They log in as themselves. Steam tracks who is playing what, and the system stops one person's game if the other person starts playing something from your library at the same time.
The feature exists because most households have one Steam account with hundreds of dollars of games, and multiple people who want to play them. Family Sharing is Valve's way of saying that's okay — as long as you're actually in the same household and not reselling access to strangers.
Key Takeaways
- Family Sharing requires you to authorize your computer and one other person's computer through your Steam account settings, not through a separate tool or website.
- On your own computer, anyone with a user account can play your games; on the other person's computer, only their account can play your games.
- Only one person can play a game from your library at the same time across both computers — if two people try, the second person gets a warning and their game stops.
- You can turn off Family Sharing at any time, and you can change which computer is authorized without waiting for a cooldown.
- Steam does not verify you are related or living together, but the terms of service say Family Sharing is only for household members.
How to Set Up Family Sharing on Your Computer
Open Steam on the computer where your games are. Click your username in the top right corner and select Settings. On the left side, click Family. You will see a toggle that says Authorize Library Sharing on Other Devices — turn it on.
Steam will ask you to confirm. It will also tell you that you can authorize one other computer. Once you turn it on, anyone who has a user account on your computer can now play your games by logging into Steam with their own account. You do not need to do anything else for your computer.
If you want to turn it off later, go back to the same screen and toggle it off. Any games being played will stop, but the other person's account is not deleted and their save files stay on the computer.
How to Authorize Another Person's Computer
You can let one other person play your games on their own computer. To do this, log into Steam on their computer using your account. Go to Settings, then Family, and turn on Authorize Library Sharing on Other Devices. Then log out of your account.
Now that person can log into their own account on that computer and play your games. You should log out of your account on their computer — do not stay logged in. If you stay logged in, you are blocking them from playing when you are not using the computer, because Steam will not let two accounts use the library at the same time.
You can authorize a different computer later if you need to. There is no waiting period. Just log into your account on the new computer, turn on Family Sharing, and log out. The old computer loses access.
What Happens When Two People Try to Play at Once
If you are playing a game from your library on your computer, and the other person tries to play a different game from your library on their authorized computer, Steam will stop their game. They will see a message saying the library owner is playing a game, and they have a few minutes to save and quit.
This happens even if you are playing different games. Steam counts the entire library as one resource — only one person can use it at a time. The person on the authorized computer gets priority if they start first, but if you start playing while they are already in a game, their game gets interrupted.
This is the main limitation of Family Sharing. If two people in your household want to play at the same time, one of them needs their own copy of the game, or you need to buy the game twice.
Games That Do Not Work With Family Sharing
Some games on Steam do not allow Family Sharing. These are usually games with strong anti-cheat systems or games that use third-party DRM (digital rights management). The game publisher decides whether to allow it, not Steam.
When you look at a game's store page, scroll down to the section called Legal. If the game does not support Family Sharing, it will say so there. You will not be able to play that game from the authorized computer, though you can still play it on your own computer.
Games with this restriction are less common than they used to be, but they do exist. If you are thinking about buying a game specifically to share, check this section first.
Removing Family Sharing and Changing Authorized Computers
To stop sharing your library, go to Settings > Family and toggle off Authorize Library Sharing on Other Devices. This removes access from both your computer and the other authorized computer when ready. Any games being played will stop.
If you want to authorize a different computer instead of the current one, you do not need to turn off Family Sharing first. Just log into your account on the new computer, turn on Family Sharing there, and log out. The previous computer automatically loses access, and you can authorize the new one right away.
You can also remove access from just the other person's computer by going to your account page on the Steam website. Click Devices under Account, find the computer you want to deauthorize, and click Deauthorize. This keeps Family Sharing on for your own computer.
Why Your Games Might Not Show Up on the Other Computer
If the other person logs in and does not see your games, the most common reason is that you are still logged into your account on that computer. Log out of your account first, then have them log in with theirs. Steam will not show the shared library while the account owner is logged in.
The second reason is that the game requires a third-party launcher or account. Some games need you to log into a separate service — like Ubisoft Connect or Epic Games — even though you bought them on Steam. Those games may not work through Family Sharing, or they may require the other person to have their own account with that service.
If you see a game in your library but it does not appear on the other computer at all, check the game's store page for the Family Sharing restriction mentioned above. If it says the game does not support Family Sharing, that is why.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share my games with friends who do not live with me?
Steam's terms of service say Family Sharing is only for household members. Steam does not verify this, but if you share with someone outside your household and Steam detects it, they can disable your account's Family Sharing feature or take other action. The risk is yours.
What happens to the other person's save files if I turn off Family Sharing?
Their save files stay on the computer. Turning off Family Sharing does not delete anything. If you turn it back on later, they can still play and their progress is still there. The only thing that changes is whether they can start new games.
Can I share with more than one person?
You can authorize one other computer, and anyone with a user account on your own computer can play your games. So if you have two other people, you can let one use their own computer and one use your computer. But you cannot authorize two different computers.
Do I need to buy a second copy of a game if two people want to play at the same time?
Yes, if you want both people playing at the same time. Family Sharing only lets one person use your library at a time. If you want simultaneous play, one person needs their own copy of the game.
What if I move and get a new computer?
Log into your account on the new computer and turn on Family Sharing. The old computer automatically loses access. You can do this when ready — there is no waiting period or limit on how often you can change authorized computers.