7 Ways to Fix Steam Not Opening or Crashing on Windows 11 or 10

Quick Tips

• In most cases, clearing the Steam app cache and configuration should solve your problem.
• If Steam crashes only when you open a specific game, verify the integrity of the game files.
• If nothing else works, you may have to uninstall and reinstall Steam on your PC.

Try Basic Fixes

• Check if Steam is down: If Steam servers face an outage, you might run into errors. You can visit Steamstat to ensure the Steam Store, community, and web APIs run normally. If Steam servers are down, wait for the company to resolve the issues.
• Turn off your antivirus program: An overly-protective antivirus program can also interfere with the Steam client and lead to such problems. To check for this possibility, temporarily disable your antivirus program and then use Steam again.
• Leave the Steam Beta program: While participating in Steam’s beta program gives you early access to new and upcoming features, it can also make the app unstable at times. Hence, it’s best to leave Steam’s beta program to avoid any issues.

Fix 1: End Steam Processes and Run It as an Administrator

A common reason Steam may crash on your PC is due to issues with its background processes. You can terminate the Steam-related processes and restart the app to see if that resolves the issue.

Step 1: Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc shortcut to open the Task Manager.

Step 2: On the Processes tab, right-click on Steam and select End task.

Step 3: Right-click on the Steam shortcut > select Run as administrator from the context menu.

Fix 2: Clear Steam App Cache

Overwhelming cache data can also cause the Steam app to misbehave on Windows. If that’s the case, getting rid of the Steam app cache will help.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type the below command and press Enter.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam

Step 2: Select the appcache folder > click the trash icon at the top to delete it.

Fix 3: Delete the ClientRegistry.blob File

The “ClientRegistry.blob” file on your PC stores the registration data for all the games installed through Steam. If this file becomes inaccessible or corrupt, the Steam app may freeze or crash when installing games.

Deleting the “ClientRegistry.blob” file will force the Steam app to recreate it on your computer and resolve any issues with it.

Step 1: Close the Steam app on your computer. Press the Windows key + E to open File Explorer and navigate to the folder where you have installed Steam. It’s typically in:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam

Step 2: Locate and select the ClientRegsitry.blob file and click the trash icon at the top to delete it.

Fix 4: Flush the Steam Configuration

Over time, configuration files may become corrupted or outdated, leading to performance issues. Flushing the Steam configuration effectively fixes issues with the app.

Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type steam://flushconfig in the box and hit Enter. This will delete your download cache and log you out of the app. After that, you should be able to use the Steam app again.

Fix 5: Verify the Integrity of Game Files

If Steam only crashes when you open a specific game, some of the files associated with that game are likely corrupt or missing from your computer. Fortunately, Steam includes an option that can help you verify the integrity of the game files and fix issues with them. Here’s how to access it.

Step 1: In the Steam app, navigate to the Library menu. Right-click on the problematic game and select Properties.

Step 2: Select Local Files from the sidebar and click the Verify integrity of game files button.

Fix 6: Update Graphics Drivers

Another possible reason Steam may experience problems is if your PC’s graphics driver is outdated or malfunctioning. Here’s how to fix it.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon > select Device Manager from the list.

Step 2: Double-click on Display adapters to expand it. Right-click on your driver > select the Update driver.

Follow the on-screen prompts to finish updating the driver. After that, try to use Steam again.

Fix 7: Reinstall the Steam App

If all else fails, consider uninstalling and reinstalling the Steam client on your PC as a last resort. Here are the steps for the same.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon > select Installed apps from the list.

Step 2: Locate the Steam app on the list > click the three-dot menu icon next to it > select Uninstall.

Step 3: Select Uninstall to confirm.

After removing that, download and install the Steam app again. Following this, it will work smoothly.