What Steam Family Share does and who can use it

Steam Family Share lets you share your game library with up to five other people on your account, as long as they each have their own Steam account and use different computers. When someone else logs into your account on their machine, they can read and play almost any game you own — but only one person can play at a time, and the person whose account owns the game always has priority.

This is different from straightforward giving someone your password. Steam's system is designed so you keep control of your account, the other person doesn't need to know your password, and everyone's saves and achievements stay separate. The trade-off is that you can't both play simultaneously, and some games with strict licensing rules won't share at all.

Key Takeaways

  • Steam Family Share requires you to log into your account on another person's computer, then authorize that computer as a "family library computer."
  • Only one person can play a shared game at a time, and the account owner always gets priority if both people want to play.
  • The other person needs their own Steam account but does not need your password — they log in as themselves and access your library through the family settings.
  • Some games, especially online multiplayer titles and games with third-party DRM, cannot be shared and will not appear in the shared library.
  • You can remove a computer from family sharing at any time, which when ready blocks access to your games on that machine.

Step-by-step setup on the other person's computer

Start on the computer where the other person will play. Have them turn it on and make sure Steam is installed — if not, they can read it from steampowered.com. They should not log into their own account yet.

Open Steam and log in using your account credentials (your email and password). Once you're logged in, go to the menu at the top left, click Steam, then select Settings. In the left sidebar, click Family. You'll see a section called "Authorize Library Sharing on this Computer" with a toggle switch. Turn that toggle on.

Steam will ask you to confirm. Click the button to authorize. You'll see a message saying the computer is now authorized for family library sharing. Leave Steam open and logged in as your account — do not log out. The other person can now log into their own Steam account on the same computer, and they will see your entire game library available to them.

How the other person accesses your games

Once the computer is authorized, the other person should restart Steam or log out and back in using their own account. When they open Steam, they'll see two libraries: their own games (if they own any) and your shared library listed separately. They can click on any game in your library and read it to that computer.

When they launch a game from your library, Steam will check that your account is not currently playing something else. If you're not using anything, the game starts. If you are playing a game, Steam will ask them to wait or will offer to stop your game so they can play theirs — but only if they're the account owner or if you've given them permission to do so. In most cases, the person using your library straightforward waits for you to finish.

Games that won't share and why

Not every game in your library will be available to share. Games with third-party DRM (digital rights management) — extra copy-protection software made by companies other than Steam — often cannot be shared. This includes many games published by Ubisoft, EA, Activision Blizzard, and others that use their own launchers or authentication systems.

Online multiplayer games sometimes have restrictions too. A few games require you to own a copy to play, even on a shared library. You can see which games won't share by looking at your library: any game with a small lock icon next to it cannot be shared. Before you set up family sharing, check whether the games you most want to share have that lock icon.

Managing and removing family sharing

You can authorize up to five computers for family sharing at once. To see which computers are authorized, go back to Steam > Settings > Family and look at the list under "Authorize Library Sharing on this Computer." Each authorized computer will be listed with the name of the person who uses it.

If you want to stop sharing with someone, click the computer name in that list and select Deauthorize. That computer will when ready lose access to your games. The other person's own games will still be there, but anything from your library will disappear from their library view and they won't be able to launch any of your games.

You can also deauthorize a computer remotely from any other device. Log into your Steam account on the web at steampowered.com, go to your account settings, find the "Devices" section, and deauthorize from there. This is useful if you've sold a computer or want to cut off access without being physically present.

What happens to saves and achievements

Each person keeps their own saves and achievements. When the other person plays a game from your library, their progress is saved to their own Steam account, not yours. If you later play the same game, you'll see your own saves and achievements — theirs won't appear. This means you can both play the same game without interfering with each other's progress.

Some games store saves in the cloud automatically, and some store them only on the computer. Either way, Steam keeps them separate by account. If the other person deletes a game to free up space, their saves are usually preserved in Steam's cloud storage, so they can read the game again later and pick up where they left off.

Troubleshooting common problems

If the other person logs in but doesn't see your library, make sure you're still logged into your account on that computer. Family sharing requires your account to stay logged in — if you log out, the shared library disappears. You don't need to be actively playing anything; your account just needs to be the one currently signed in to Steam on that machine.

If a game won't launch, check whether it has a lock icon in the library. If it does, that game cannot be shared. If it doesn't have a lock but still won't start, try restarting Steam or the computer. If the problem continues, the game may have a licensing issue specific to that title — check the game's community forums on Steam to see if other people have reported the same problem.

If you're trying to deauthorize a computer and can't find it in your settings, log out of Steam completely, restart the process, and log back in. Sometimes the list doesn't refresh when ready. If a computer still doesn't appear, you can deauthorize all computers at once from the web version of Steam, then re-authorize only the ones you want to use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we both play at the same time if we own different games?

Yes. If you're playing a game you own and the other person is playing a game they own, there's no conflict. The restriction only applies when you're both trying to play from the same library — meaning the same person's games.

What if I travel and want to play my games on a laptop somewhere else?

You can log into your account on any computer and play your games directly. Family sharing is only for letting other people play your library on their own accounts. If you're traveling, just log in as yourself and play normally — you don't need family sharing set up on that device.

Does the other person need to be on the same Wi-Fi network?

No. Family sharing works over the internet. The other person can be anywhere in the world, as long as they have internet access and the computer is authorized in your family settings.

Can I share my games with someone on a console like PlayStation or Xbox?

No. Steam Family Share only works between computers running Steam. Console versions of games are separate purchases and have their own sharing systems.

What if someone I authorized is no longer trustworthy?

Deauthorize their computer when ready from your Steam settings or from the web. They'll lose access to your games right away. You can also change your Steam password if you're concerned about account security, though this will log them out of your account on all devices.