What Steam Family Sharing does and how it works

Steam Family Sharing lets you share your game library with up to five other people on your account. When you turn it on, anyone using an authorized computer can launch your games as if they owned them — they see your full library, install what they want, and play offline if needed. You keep your account and your games; they get access without paying for copies.

The catch is timing: only one person can play a game from your library at the same time. If you start playing a game you own, anyone else using your library gets a 15-minute warning, then gets kicked out. This is Steam's way of preventing one purchase from supplying an entire friend group at once.

Steam Family Sharing works across Windows, macOS, and Linux. The person borrowing your games does not need to own a Steam account with their own library — they just need a user account on the computer where your library is installed.

Key Takeaways

  • You authorize a computer as a "library computer" where anyone logged in can play your games, and you keep one computer as your personal device where only you can play.
  • The person borrowing your games needs their own Steam account, but they do not need to own any games themselves.
  • Only one person can play your games at a time across all shared computers — if you start playing, others get a 15-minute warning before being logged out.
  • You can turn Family Sharing off at any time, and you can remove specific computers from sharing without affecting others.

Setting up Family Sharing on your account

Open Steam on your computer and log in with your own account. Click your username in the top right corner, then select Settings. In the left sidebar, click Family. You will see a toggle for Steam Family Sharing — turn it on.

Steam will ask you to confirm. Click the button to enable it. You will now see a section called Authorize Library Sharing on Other Devices. This is where you choose which computer other people can use to play your games. Do not authorize your personal computer here — authorize only the computer that other people will use.

To authorize a computer, you need to log into Steam on that computer with your account first. Once you have logged in there, go back to Settings > Family on your main computer, and you will see that device listed. Click the checkbox next to it to authorize it as a library computer.

How the other person sets up their account on the shared computer

The person who will play your games needs to create or use their own Steam account. They do not need to own any games. On the shared computer, they should open Steam and log in with their own account (not yours).

Once they are logged in, they will see your entire game library in their Steam client. They can browse, install, and play any game from your library just as if they owned it. Their own game progress, achievements, and settings stay separate from yours.

If they want to play offline — without an internet connection — they need to launch the game once while online first. After that, Steam remembers they are authorized to play it offline on that computer.

Keeping your personal computer separate

The most important rule: do not authorize your own computer as a library computer. Your personal device should be the one where only you can play your games. If you authorize your own computer, anyone who logs into it can play your library, which defeats the purpose of having a personal device.

Instead, keep your personal computer as your primary device. On your personal computer, log into Steam with your own account and play your games normally. On the shared computer, you authorize it in your Family Sharing settings, but you do not make it your primary device.

This setup means your games are protected on your personal computer, and you can still share them on a separate device where other people have their own accounts.

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

If you are playing a game from your library and someone else tries to launch the same game (or any game from your library), they will see a message saying the game is in use. They have 15 minutes to save their progress and exit, or Steam will log them out automatically.

This applies even if you are playing a different game — only one person total can play anything from your library at once. If the other person owns their own copy of a game, they can play that instead while you are using your library.

The 15-minute warning gives them time to wrap up. If they do not exit, Steam closes their game and logs them out of the shared library on that computer. They can log back in and play again once you are done.

Turning off Family Sharing or removing a computer

You can remove a single computer from sharing without turning off Family Sharing entirely. Go to Settings > Family, find the computer you want to remove, and uncheck the box next to it. That computer will no longer have access to your library, but Family Sharing stays on for any other authorized computers.

If you want to turn off Family Sharing completely, go to Settings > Family and toggle it off. All authorized computers will when ready lose access to your library. You can turn it back on later if you change your mind.

If you are concerned about security — for example, if you shared your library with someone you no longer trust — you can also change your Steam password. This logs everyone out of your account everywhere and forces them to log back in, which gives you a chance to remove them from Family Sharing.

Common problems and how to fix them

If the other person cannot see your games in their library, make sure you have actually authorized the computer in your Family Sharing settings. They also need to be logged into their own Steam account on that computer, not yours. If they are logged in as you, they will see your library, but it will not work correctly for sharing.

If a game will not launch, check whether you are currently playing something from your library. Remember that only one person can play at a time. If you are not playing anything, restart the Steam client on both computers — sometimes the sharing status does not update when ready.

If the other person gets logged out unexpectedly, it usually means you started playing a game. They should have received a 15-minute warning, but if they did not see it, they can straightforward log back in and try again once you are finished.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share my games with someone who does not live with me?

Technically yes, but Steam's terms of service state that Family Sharing is meant for household members. If you share with someone outside your household, you are responsible for following Steam's rules. Steam can disable Family Sharing on your account if they determine you are misusing it.

Will the other person see my personal files or chat history?

No. Family Sharing only shares your game library. Their account is completely separate — they cannot see your friends list, chat messages, achievements, or any personal settings. They only see and play the games you own.

What if I want to play a game while the other person is playing?

You cannot both play at the same time, even if you are playing different games. If they are using your library, you have to wait until they are done. If you own a second copy of a game, you can play that instead.

Do I lose my games if I turn off Family Sharing?

No. Your games stay in your library forever. Turning off Family Sharing just removes other people's access to them. You can turn it back on anytime.

Can I authorize more than one computer for sharing?

Yes. You can authorize up to five other computers as library computers. However, remember that only one person can play your games at a time across all of them — it does not matter which computer they are on.