Leaving a Steam Family Group removes your access to shared games and library features
A Steam Family Group is a feature that lets up to six accounts on the same computer share purchased games and some features. When you leave, you lose access to games shared by other family members, but games you bought yourself stay in your library. The person who created the group (the organizer) controls who can join and leave.
Leaving is permanent until the organizer invites you back. Once you leave, you cannot rejoin on your own — someone with organizer rights has to send you a new invitation. If you are the organizer and want to leave, you first need to transfer organizer rights to another member or delete the group entirely.
Key Takeaways
- Leaving a Steam Family Group removes your access to shared games but keeps games you purchased yourself in your library.
- You can leave from your account settings under Family, but the organizer can also remove you without your permission.
- If you are the organizer, you must transfer organizer rights to another member before you can leave the group.
- Once you leave, you cannot rejoin without a new invitation from someone with organizer rights.
How to leave if you are a regular member
Open Steam on your computer and go to Settings in the upper left menu. Click the Family tab on the left side. You will see your family group listed with the organizer's name and the other members.
Click the button that says Leave Family. Steam will ask you to confirm. Once you confirm, you are out of the group when ready. Any games you were playing from the shared library will no longer be playable, though games you own will still work.
How to leave if you are the organizer
If you created the group, you cannot straightforward leave. You must first give organizer rights to another member. In the Family settings, find another member you trust and click the button next to their name that says Make Organizer. That person now has the same control you do.
Once someone else is an organizer, you can click Leave Family just like a regular member. The group continues without you, and the new organizer can manage it going forward. If you want to delete the group entirely instead of leaving it, you can do that from the same Family settings page — but this removes everyone from the group, not just you.
What happens to your games when you leave
Games you purchased with your own money stay in your library and remain playable. Games that other family members bought are no longer available to you once you leave. If you were in the middle of playing a shared game when you left, Steam will stop letting you launch it.
You keep your achievements, playtime, and save files for games you own. Shared games you were playing may have save files stored on your computer, but you will not be able to access them through Steam once the sharing stops.
What the organizer can do without your permission
The organizer can remove you from the family group at any time without asking. They do not need your consent or warning. If they remove you, the effect is the same as if you left — you lose access to shared games, but keep your own purchases.
The organizer can also see which games you have played and when, change the group settings, and invite or remove other members. They cannot see your passwords or access your account directly, but they have full control over the family group itself.
Rejoining after you leave
You cannot send yourself a new invitation or rejoin on your own. The organizer or any other organizer in the group has to invite you back. They do this from the Family settings by clicking Invite Member and entering your account name or email address.
Once they send the invitation, you will see a notification in Steam. You can accept it to rejoin the group and regain access to shared games. If the organizer has changed the group settings or removed certain members, the group may look different than when you left.
Troubleshooting if the leave button does not appear
If you cannot find the Leave Family button, check that you are looking in the right place. Go to Settings > Family and make sure you are logged into the correct account. Some accounts may not show family settings if they have never been part of a group.
If you are the organizer and the button does not appear, you need to make someone else an organizer first. Try refreshing Steam or restarting the process if the button still does not show up after you have transferred organizer rights. If the problem continues, you may need to contact Steam Support, though they cannot force the organizer to remove you — they can only help with technical issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave a Steam Family Group on my phone or through the Steam app?
No. You must use the Steam desktop process on a computer. The mobile app and web browser do not have family group settings. Log in on a computer, go to Settings > Family, and leave from there.
What if I leave and then want to rejoin the same group?
You have to wait for the organizer or another organizer to invite you back. There is no way to rejoin without an invitation. If the organizer is not responding, you may need to contact them outside of Steam to ask for a new invitation.
Do I lose my Steam account when I leave a family group?
No. Leaving a family group only removes you from that group. Your Steam account, your games, your friends list, and your profile all stay exactly the same. You can still play games you own and use Steam normally.
Can the organizer see my passwords after I leave?
No. The organizer never has access to your password, whether you are in the group or not. They can only see which games you have played and manage the family group settings. Your account security is separate from family group membership.
What if everyone leaves the family group?
If all members leave, the group still exists but becomes empty. The organizer can invite people back or delete the group entirely. An empty group does not affect anyone's account or games.