Steam Family Sharing lets household members play your games without buying separate copies

Steam Family Sharing is a feature that lets you authorize your computer so other people in your household can play the games you own. When you set it up, anyone with a user account on your computer can launch your library. Only one person can play at a time, and the account owner (you) can always start a game and bump other players off. It's built into Steam itself — no extra software or payment required.

The setup takes about five minutes and works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. You need to own the games, have a Steam account, and have physical access to the computer where you're setting it up. After that, other household members just log into their own Windows user account on that machine and can see your games ready to play.

Key Takeaways

  • Family Sharing works on the computer where you set it up, and other people use their own Windows user account to access your game library.
  • Only one person can play your games at a time across all shared computers, even if you own multiple machines.
  • The account owner can always start playing and will automatically kick off anyone else who is currently playing.
  • You turn on Family Sharing in Steam Settings under Family, then authorize the computer and create a manager account for household members.
  • Games with third-party anti-cheat software or always-online requirements may not work when shared, and some publishers block sharing entirely.

How to turn on Family Sharing in Steam Settings

Open Steam on the computer you want to share from. Click your account name in the top right corner and select Settings. On the left side, click Family. You'll see a toggle for "Authorize Library Sharing on this Computer" — click it to turn it on.

Steam will ask you to confirm. After you do, the setting stays on. You don't need to restart Steam or your computer. That's the technical part done. Now you need to set up who can actually use the shared library.

Creating a manager account for household members

Family Sharing uses a manager account — a separate Steam account that household members will use to access your games. This is not their personal Steam account. You create it, set a password, and give it to them. When they log into the manager account on the shared computer, they'll see your entire game library available to play.

You don't create the manager account inside Steam. Instead, go to the Steam website and create a new account the normal way — visit steampowered.com, click "Login" in the top right, then "Create a new account." Use a name and password you'll remember or write down. You don't need to add a phone number, email, or payment method. Once it's created, go back to Steam Settings > Family on your computer. The new account should appear in the list under "Library Sharing." Click the checkbox next to it to authorize it.

Each household member gets one manager account. If three people live with you, you create three separate manager accounts. Each one has its own password, so each person can keep their game progress and settings separate.

How other people play your games on the shared computer

When someone wants to play, they restart the computer or log out of the current Windows user account. Then they log into their own Windows user account (not the manager account — their personal one). They open Steam, and in the login screen, they click "Switch User" at the bottom. They select the manager account you created for them and enter the password.

Steam will load, and they'll see your entire game library. They can click any game and hit "Play." Their progress saves to the manager account, so next time they log in as that manager, they'll be at the same spot. If you (the account owner) start playing a game while they're playing, they'll get a warning that you're taking over, and the game will close.

What games won't work with Family Sharing

Most games work fine when shared, but some don't. Games with third-party anti-cheat software — like Valorant, Apex Legends, or Rust — often block sharing because the anti-cheat system doesn't recognize the manager account as legitimate. The game will refuse to launch or will kick the player out mid-game.

Some publishers also disable sharing on their own games. Ubisoft games, for example, often require the person playing to own the game themselves. You'll only find out when someone tries to launch the game and gets an error message. There's no master list of blocked games — you have to test them.

Games that require an always-online connection to a specific account (like some MMOs) may also refuse to work. If a game requires you to log into a separate launcher or account system, the manager account won't have access to that system, and the game won't start.

Setting up Family Sharing on multiple computers

You can authorize Family Sharing on up to 10 computers. If you have a desktop and a laptop, you can set it up on both. The same manager accounts work on all of them. However, the rule about only one person playing at a time still applies across all your computers — if someone is playing on your desktop, nobody else can play on your laptop, even if it's a different game.

To add another computer, just repeat the first step: open Steam on that computer, go to Settings > Family, and turn on "Authorize Library Sharing on this Computer." Then go back to your main computer's Steam Settings > Family and make sure the manager accounts are still checked. They should be — Steam remembers them.

Turning off Family Sharing or removing a manager account

If you want to stop sharing, go back to Steam Settings > Family and uncheck the manager accounts you want to remove. They'll lose access when ready. If you want to turn off sharing entirely on a computer, toggle off "Authorize Library Sharing on this Computer." Anyone logged into a manager account on that machine will be kicked out of any running games.

You can also remove a computer from your account entirely. Go to your Steam account page on the web (not in the app), click "Devices" or "Computers," find the computer you want to remove, and click the trash icon. That computer will no longer have access to your library.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Family Sharing on my own account to play on two computers at once?

No. Only one person can play your games at a time, period — whether it's you on two computers or you plus someone else. If you try to start a game on your laptop while someone is playing on your desktop, you'll get a message asking if you want to take over and close their game.

What happens if someone changes the password on the manager account?

They can change it themselves by going to the Steam website and using the "Forgot Password" link. If you need to change it, you have to log into that manager account on the Steam website directly. The password is separate from your own account password, so changing one doesn't affect the other.

Do I need to buy a separate copy of a game for someone to play it through Family Sharing?

No. If you own the game, they can play it through the manager account. You don't pay anything extra. The only limit is that only one person can play at a time across all your computers.

Can I use Family Sharing if I move to a different house?

Technically yes, but Steam's terms say Family Sharing is meant for household members. If you authorize a computer and then move away, Steam may eventually ask you to re-authorize it. If you're sharing with people who don't live with you, Steam may disable the feature on that account.

What if someone tries to play a game that's blocked by the publisher?

They'll get an error message saying the game can't be played on this account. There's no way around it — the game itself is refusing to launch. You'd have to buy a separate copy for them, or they'd have to use a different computer where they own the game themselves.