What Steam Family Sharing Does
Steam Family Sharing lets you share your game library with up to five other people on your account, and them with you. When you set it up, anyone in your family group can read and play the games you own — without needing to buy them again. The person whose account owns the game stays the owner; the other people are just borrowing access.
The catch is that only one person can play a game from your library at the same time. If you're playing a game you own, nobody else in your family group can play that same game until you stop. Other games are fine — two people can play two different games from the same library simultaneously. But the same title, at the same moment, belongs to one person only.
This works across Windows, Mac, and Linux. It does not work on Steam Deck unless you set it up as a secondary device, which has different rules. Mobile phones and tablets cannot use Family Sharing at all.
Key Takeaways
- You can share your game library with up to five other people, and they can share theirs with you, but only one person plays any single game at a time.
- The person who owns the game stays the owner; others are borrowing access and cannot gift, trade, or modify the game.
- You set up Family Sharing through your Steam account settings, then authorize a shared computer where others can log in and read your games.
- Games you own stay in your library even while others are playing them, and you can remove someone from the group at any time.
- Some games block Family Sharing entirely, and a few others have restrictions — always check the store page before assuming a game can be shared.
How to Set Up Family Sharing on Your Account
Start by opening Steam on your computer and going to Settings in the top left menu. Click Family on the left sidebar. You will see a section called "Authorize Library Sharing on This Device" with a toggle switch. Turn it on.
Once you turn it on, Steam asks you to confirm. This is the moment you are saying "other people can log into this computer and read my games." After you confirm, the setting is active. You do not need to do anything else on your own account — the sharing is now available.
The next step happens on the other person's computer. They log into Steam on that same device using their own account. They go to Settings, then Family, and turn on "Use authorization from another account on this device." They select your account from the list. Now they can see your games in their library and read them.
You can authorize up to ten devices total, but only one person per device can use your shared library at a time. If you authorize your laptop and your desktop, two different people can each use one device — but not the same device.
What Games You Can and Cannot Share
Most games on Steam can be shared, but not all. Some publishers have decided to block Family Sharing on their titles. Before you assume a game is shareable, check the store page: scroll down to the section called "Legal" or look for a line that says "Family Library Sharing" with a yes or no answer.
Games that often block sharing include online multiplayer titles where the publisher wants to prevent account abuse, and some subscription-based games. Single-player games and cooperative games usually allow sharing. If a game blocks it, the person borrowing your library straightforward will not see that game in their list — it will not read or launch.
A small number of games allow sharing but have restrictions. For example, some games let you share but require the borrower to own a separate license for online multiplayer. Always read the store page to know what you are getting into before you share.
What the Borrower Can and Cannot Do
When someone borrows your game through Family Sharing, they can read it, play it, and earn achievements. Their progress and saves are tied to their own account, so they keep everything they earn. They cannot gift the game, trade it, or modify it. They cannot sell it or give it away. The game stays yours; they are just using it.
If you remove them from your Family Sharing group, they lose access to all your games when ready. Any saves they made stay on their account, but they cannot launch the games anymore. If they want to keep playing, they have to buy the game themselves.
The borrower also cannot change any of your account settings or see your personal information. They only see the games in your library and can read the ones that are shareable.
How the One-Game-at-a-Time Rule Works in Practice
Imagine you own a game called "Example Quest" and you share your library with your sibling. You start playing Example Quest. Your sibling tries to launch it from their account on a different computer. Steam will not let them start the game — it shows a message saying the game is in use on another device. They have to wait until you close the game and stop playing.
While you are playing Example Quest, your sibling can play any other game from your library that you own. If you own ten games and you are playing one, they can play any of the other nine. The restriction is per-game, not per-library.
If you both want to play the same game at the same time, one of you has to buy it separately. There is no workaround for this — it is a hard limit built into how Steam Family Sharing works.
Removing Someone from Family Sharing
You can remove a person from your Family Sharing group at any time. Go to Settings, then Family, and look for the list of people sharing your library. Click the X next to their name. They lose access to your games when ready — any games they were playing will close.
You can also remove authorization from a specific device. In the same Family settings, you see a list of authorized devices. Click the X next to any device to revoke sharing on that computer. Anyone logged into that device loses access to your library, but they can still use their own account and their own games.
Removing someone does not delete their saves or achievements. If they later buy the game themselves, all their progress is still there.
Common Problems and How to Fix Them
If someone cannot see a game in their library even though you own it, the game probably blocks Family Sharing. Check the store page to confirm. If it does not block sharing, restart Steam on both computers and try again.
If a game closes when someone tries to play it while you are playing the same game, that is the one-game-at-a-time rule in action. You have to stop playing first. There is no way around this.
If someone cannot log into a shared computer, make sure you authorized that specific device in your Family settings. They also need to use their own Steam account, not yours. If they try to log in with your account, they are not using Family Sharing — they are just using your account, which defeats the purpose.
If you want to use Family Sharing on a Steam Deck, the rules are different. You can set up a secondary account on the device, but it works differently than computer sharing. Check Steam's official documentation for Deck-specific instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share my games with someone who lives far away?
Technically yes, but Steam's terms say Family Sharing is meant for people in the same household. If you authorize a device in another location, Steam may flag it as unusual activity. You can share with distant family members, but do so at your own risk — Steam could disable sharing on your account if they determine you are violating the terms.
What happens if someone buys a game while borrowing it from my library?
They now own it separately. They can play it whenever they want, even if you are playing it. Their save files and achievements carry over to their own copy. If you later remove them from Family Sharing, they still have the game because they bought it.
Can I share my library with someone on a different Steam account in my household?
Yes. You authorize the device they use, and they log in with their own account. They see your games in their library and can read them. This is the intended use of Family Sharing.
Do I lose my games if I share them?
No. Your games stay in your library. You can play them anytime, even while someone else is playing a different game from your library. Sharing does not remove anything from your account.
What if someone in my family group buys a game — can I play it?
Yes, if they set up Family Sharing on their account the same way you did. They authorize a device, you log in with your account on that device, and you see their games in your library. Family Sharing works both ways.