Store:Steam
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OS X May 12, 2010
Linux February 14, 2013
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Key points
- DRM: Digital distribution platform with accompanying client required for downloading and often playing games as well. Games can also be DRM-Free or contain third party DRM.
- Refund policy: 14 days or 2 hours of playtime,; see the Steam Refunds and Pre-release titles are refundable through the Store Transactions
- Two-factor authentication: Steam Mobile app or email
- Some games sold through third parties activate on Steam; see Retail / Digital CD Keys.
- Periodic free weekend and individual publisher-driven events provide temporary and permanent free access to select titles.
General information
- Official store
- Official Support
- Account details
- Steam Community Discussions
- Steam Users' Forums
- Steam Database
Big Picture
- This mode can be launched by clicking on the Big Picture icon, by pushing Alt+↵ Enter while the Steam window is on focus, or through the home button on a controller.
- See PC gaming on a TV and couch for general setup information.
- Allows Steam to be used with a controller.
Adjust font size DPI (Windows)
- Steam does not always respect the Windows DPI settings.
- Appears to work if the Windows DPI settings are also adjusted above 100% size.
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Taskbar showing on top (Windows)
- This is caused by the incompatibility with DPI scaling in Windows.
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Family Sharing
- Allows sharing games between accounts. Each account gets separate saves, achievements, et al. except for DRM keys, which are shared.[1]
- If the account's main owner is playing a game from their own account, or someone else is using family share on that account, you are presented with the "buy" option instead of install/play for the selected game.[2]
- VAC bans can apply to the both the perpetrator and the owning account of a shared game, and the Family Share feature can be revoked entirely.[1]
- Games with 3rd party DRM tied to account-locked keys (such as Uplay), have the feature specifically turned off by their publisher, or are VAC-banned cannot be shared and are not shown in shared accounts.[1]
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Issues fixed
Error 80 And Application Load Error P:0000065432
- Restart Steam.
Failed To Find Steam
- Restart Steam. If this doesn't work, then see Delete ClientRegistry.blob.
Failed to start game. App already running
- This may appear when launching the same game twice. Restart Steam if it still appears.
Game fails to launch or has odd gamebreaking issues
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Lowered volume when using background Metro apps while Steam is open (Windows 8)
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Make the Big Picture web browser faster (Windows)
- This feature is enabled by default for compatibility reasons. It can add significant delays when loading any content on the internet, and as such is not usually required.
- Certain browsers such as Chrome may benefit from this change too.
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Steam fails to launch
- No error messages are present, placeholder.
Delete ClientRegistry.blob
- Steam updates sometimes fail to progress, or the message Failed to find Steam appears.
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Reinstalling Steam
- If the other solutions don't work, then follow these instructions.
- Every Steam game should be installed in a separate folder, outside the main Steam installation location, this makes it easier to play and backup such games again.
Step One
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Step Two
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Step Three
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Changing the main Steam installation paths
- This is for games downloaded outside of the main Steam installation path.
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Unable to download any games
- Steam servers are currently unavailable.
- Steam servers are too busy.
- The Steam servers are currently too busy to handle your request. Please try again in a few minutes.
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Unable to log in
- Steam has an official support page for most network issues here.
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Other information
Change a game's language
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Delete files stored in the Steam Cloud
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Disable Steam announcements
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Disabling automatic game updates
- This feature has never been available. The Only update this game when I launch it checkbox doesn't do anything either, the only way to avoid updates is by playing Offline.[3]
Steam Offline Mode
- The Steam Offline Mode can only be enabled after logging in at least once with a working internet connection.
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Toggle Steam Cloud per game
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Toggle the Steam overlay per game
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Copying a game from a different computer
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