Steam Family Sharing lets people in your household play games from your library without buying them separately

Steam Family Sharing is a feature that lets up to five other people on the same computer, or people using different computers on the same home network, play games from your Steam library. You keep your games — they get access to play them. It works like a physical library: only one person can play a game from your library at a time, and the person whose account owns the game can always take it back by starting to play.

The setup takes about five minutes. You authorize a computer as your "library computer," or you add another person's account to your computer and give them permission. Either way, Steam handles the rest — you don't need to share passwords or give up control of your account.

Key Takeaways

  • Steam Family Sharing works on the same computer (by switching accounts) or across different computers on your home network, but only one person can play your games at a time.
  • You authorize a specific computer as your library computer, not a person — whoever logs into that computer can play your games.
  • The person playing your games does not need their own paid games; they use their own Steam account to play yours.
  • You can turn off sharing at any time, and you can always play your own games even if someone else is using them — they'll get kicked out.

Setting up sharing on the same computer

If you want someone else to play your games on your computer, you create a separate user account for them on Steam (or they use an existing one), then give them permission in your Steam settings. Open Steam, go to Settings, then Family, then Family Library Sharing. Check the box next to "Enable Steam Family Library Sharing on this computer." Steam will show you which accounts on this computer can access your library — add the person's account if it's not already listed.

That person can now log into their own Steam account on your computer and play any of your games. They'll see your library in their "Library" tab. When they want to play, Steam launches the game under their account, so their playtime and achievements are tracked separately from yours. If you start playing one of your games while they're playing, Steam gives them a warning and boots them out after a few minutes.

Setting up sharing across different computers

If you want someone in your household to play your games on a different computer, you log into your Steam account on their computer once, then authorize that computer as your library computer. Go to Settings, Family, Family Library Sharing, and check "Authorize this computer as a Steam Deck or library computer." Steam will remember that computer as one where your games are available.

After you authorize the computer, you log out of your account. The other person logs into their own account on that computer, and they'll see your entire game library available to them. They can play any of your games from their own account. You don't stay logged in — Steam keeps the authorization active in the background.

What happens when two people try to play at the same time

Only one person can play a game from your library at a time. If the other person is playing one of your games and you try to start a different game from your library, Steam will ask if you want to kick them out. If you say yes, they get a warning and have a few minutes to save and exit.

If you both try to play the same game, the same thing happens — the person who started second gets booted. This is the main limitation of Family Sharing: it's not a way to play together. It's a way to share access when you're not playing at the same time.

Removing someone from sharing or turning it off entirely

You can remove a specific person's access without turning off sharing for everyone. Go to Settings, Family, Family Library Sharing, and uncheck the box next to their account name. They'll lose access when ready, but anyone else you've authorized will keep theirs.

To turn off Family Sharing completely, uncheck "Enable Steam Family Library Sharing on this computer" or "Authorize this computer as a Steam Deck or library computer," depending on which method you used. Anyone who was using your library will lose access, but your games stay in your account.

Games that don't work with Family Sharing

Most games work fine with Family Sharing, but some publishers have turned it off for their titles. Games with strong anti-cheat systems, games that use third-party launchers, and some subscription-based games don't support sharing. When you look at a game in your library, Steam shows a small note if it's not shareable.

Free-to-play games like Dota 2 or Team Fortress 2 don't need sharing — anyone can read and play them for free on any computer. Games you own outright (single-player games, most multiplayer games) almost always work with sharing unless the publisher specifically disabled it.

Privacy and security with Family Sharing

When you authorize a computer as your library computer, you're not giving anyone access to your Steam account or password. They log into their own account and see your games available to play — that's it. They can't see your friends list, your chat history, your payment information, or anything else in your account.

The main thing to know: whoever uses an authorized computer can see that it's authorized to your account, and they can see your username. If you're sharing with someone you don't fully trust, or if you're using a public computer, don't authorize it as your library computer. Only authorize computers in your home or in the homes of people you trust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share my games with someone who doesn't live with me?

Technically yes, but Steam's terms say Family Sharing is for people in your household. If you authorize a computer in someone else's home, you're responsible for that computer. Steam can disable sharing if it detects unusual activity, like the same library being accessed from many different locations.

What if the person I'm sharing with buys their own games?

Their games stay in their account, and your games stay in yours. When they log in, they see both their library and yours combined. They can play either set of games, but the same rule applies — only one person can play from your library at a time.

Do I need to stay logged in for them to play my games?

No. Once you authorize a computer as your library computer, you can log out. Steam keeps the authorization active. The other person logs in with their own account and can play your games without you being online.

Can I share games with someone on a Steam Deck?

Yes. A Steam Deck counts as a computer for Family Sharing purposes. You can authorize it as your library computer the same way you would a regular PC, and the person using the Deck can play your games from their own account.

What happens if I change my Steam password?

Changing your password doesn't affect Family Sharing. The authorization stays active on the computers you've set up. If you're worried about security, you can deauthorize a computer remotely from your Steam account settings, even if you're not physically there.