What Steam Family Share does and how it works
Steam Family Share lets you share your game library with up to five other people on your household devices. When you set it up, anyone with a Steam account can log into your computer and play any game you own — they play under their own account, earn their own achievements, and keep their own save files. You keep full access to your library at the same time.
The catch is location: the people you share with need to be able to use a computer in your home, or you need to be comfortable with them logging into your account remotely. Steam doesn't charge for Family Share, and it doesn't limit how many games the other person can play or how long they can play them. The only real restriction is that only one person can play at a time on the same computer — if you're playing a game, someone else can't launch a different game on that same machine until you stop.
This is different from buying a second copy of a game. You're not giving anyone a separate license; you're letting them use the copy you bought. If you stop sharing with them, they lose access to those games when ready.
Key Takeaways
- Steam Family Share requires you to authorize a computer and let another person's account access your library on that machine.
- Only one person can play games at a time on the same computer, even if you own multiple copies of the same game.
- The person you share with plays under their own Steam account and keeps their own save files and achievements.
- You can remove someone from Family Share at any time, and they when ready lose access to your games on that computer.
- Family Share works best when the other person lives with you or has regular access to your computer.
How to authorize a computer for Family Share
Start by opening Steam on the computer you want to share from. Log in with your own account. Click the word Steam in the top left corner, then select Settings. On the left side, click Family. You'll see a toggle that says Enable Steam Family Library Sharing — turn it on.
Steam will ask you to confirm. Click the button to enable it. You'll now see a section that says Authorized Computers with your current computer listed. This is the computer people will log into to play your games. You can authorize up to 10 computers total, but only 5 accounts can use Family Share at the same time across all your authorized machines.
If you want to share on a different computer, log into Steam on that computer with your account, go back to Settings > Family, and the new computer will appear in your authorized list automatically. You don't need to do anything else — it's now ready for someone else to log in.
How to let someone else access your library
Once you've authorized a computer, the other person needs to log into Steam on that machine with their own account. They don't use your password. They create or use their existing Steam account, then select Switch User or log out and log back in as themselves.
When they launch Steam under their own account on your authorized computer, they'll see your entire library available to them. They can read and play any game you own. Their progress, achievements, and save files stay tied to their account — you won't see their playtime or interfere with their saves.
If you want to stop sharing with a specific person, go back to Settings > Family on your account and remove them from the list. They'll lose access to your games on that computer when ready, though any save files they created stay on the computer's hard drive.
What happens when two people want to play at the same time
If you're playing a game on the authorized computer and someone else tries to launch a different game, Steam will show them a message: the other person is using the library. They have the option to ask you to stop, but you don't have to — you can keep playing. They straightforward can't start their game until you close yours.
This is the biggest practical limit of Family Share. If you live with someone and you both want to play games at the same time, you'll need either a second computer or a second copy of the game. Many people solve this by buying a second Steam account and purchasing games on both accounts, or by using Family Share on one computer and buying their own copy on another.
If you own multiple copies of the same game (which is rare but possible if you bought it twice), both people still can't play simultaneously on the same computer. The one-at-a-time rule applies to the computer itself, not to individual games.
Games that don't work with Family Share
Most games work fine with Family Share, but some publishers have blocked it. Games with strong anti-cheat systems sometimes don't allow sharing because the publisher worries about account security or cheating. A few games require you to own them separately on each account.
Before you set up Family Share expecting to share a specific game, check the game's store page on Steam. Scroll down to the section called Legal or Notes — if the game blocks Family Share, it will say so there. If you don't see a warning, the game should work.
If someone tries to play a blocked game and gets an error, they can't work around it. They would need to buy their own copy or the publisher would need to remove the restriction.
Security and account safety with Family Share
You never give anyone your Steam password when you set up Family Share. The other person logs in with their own account on your authorized computer. This is safe as long as you trust the person — they have access to your computer, but not to your Steam account itself.
The main risk is if you authorize a computer you don't control anymore. If you sell a computer, give it away, or use a shared computer at a library or school, remove that computer from your authorized list first. Go to Settings > Family and click the X next to the computer name. Anyone with access to that machine can no longer play your games.
Steam also has a security feature: if you log into your account from a new location, Steam may ask you to confirm your identity by email. This protects you if someone tries to access your account without permission. Family Share doesn't bypass this — it only works on computers you've explicitly authorized.
How to remove someone from Family Share
Open Steam and go to Settings > Family. You'll see a list of accounts that have access to your library. Click the X next to the person's name to remove them. They lose access when ready — the next time they try to launch a game, they'll get an error message.
Removing someone doesn't delete their save files from the computer. If they had progress in a game, that progress stays on the hard drive. But they can't play any more games from your library unless you add them back.
If you want to stop sharing with everyone, toggle off Enable Steam Family Library Sharing entirely. This removes all accounts at once and disables Family Share on that computer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Family Share on my laptop and my desktop at the same time?
Yes. You can authorize both computers and let the same person access your library on both machines. However, they can only play on one computer at a time — if they're playing a game on your laptop, they can't launch a game on your desktop until they stop.
What if I move or buy a new computer?
Authorize the new computer the same way you authorized the first one: log into Steam with your account, go to Settings > Family, and enable sharing. Then remove the old computer from your authorized list so no one can access your games there anymore.
Can someone play my games if they're not at my house?
Not through Family Share. Family Share only works on computers you've authorized, and those are usually computers in your home. If you want to play your games on a computer somewhere else, you log into your own Steam account on that machine — that's different from Family Share and doesn't involve anyone else.
Do I need to buy games separately for each person?
Not if you use Family Share. One purchase covers everyone you share with. However, if you both want to play the same game at the same time on the same computer, you would need to buy it twice — once for your account and once for theirs.
What if someone I shared with buys their own copy of a game?
They can play their own copy under their account without any issue. If they own a game and you own a game, you can both play different games at the same time on the same computer — the one-at-a-time rule only applies when you're sharing your library.