4 Ways to Fix Steam Family Sharing Not Working on Windows 11

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Steam Family Sharing Limitations

Steam Family Sharing may not work on your Windows 11 PC due to one of the following limitations:

Common Fixes

Fix 1: Authorize Library Sharing in Steam

Steam Family Sharing won’t work on Windows 11 if the Steam client app doesn’t have the necessary library sharing authorization. Open its settings to check and enable it.

Step 1:Open the Steam app, clickSteamat the top left corner, and selectSettings.

Step 2:SelectFamilyfrom the left sidebar and enableAuthorize Library Sharing on this device.

Fix 2: Permit Steam Through Windows Security

If you’re getting a ‘Shared library locked or not showing’ error while running the Steam Family Sharing feature, the Windows Security app is restricting its access to the Steam servers.Open Windows Security appsettings to manually add Steam as an exception.

Step 1:Press the Windows key, searchWindows Security, and click to open it.

Step 2:SelectVirus & threat protectionfrom the left sidebar, and clickManage settingsunder ‘Virus & threat protection settings’.

Step 3:Scroll down and clickAdd or remove exclusionsunder Exclusions.

Step 4:Next, clickAdd an exclusionand selectFolder.

Step 5:Paste ‘C:\Program Files (x86)‘ in the address bar, press Enter, and select theSteamfolder. ClickSelect Folderto finalize adding Steam as an exception in Windows Security.

Fix 3: Verify Game Files Integrity

If the game you wish to share has missing or corrupt files, Steam Family Sharing may not work as intended. Use Steam’s ‘Verify integrity of the game files’ feature to automatically repair them.

Step 1:Open theLibrarytab in the Steam app, right-click a game that isn’t functioning properly in Steam Family Sharing, and selectProperties.

Step 2:SelectInstalled Filesfrom the left sidebar, and clickVerify integrity of game files.

Fix 4: Reset the Winsock Catalog

The Winsock Catalog manages network communication on Windows 11. Its corruption or misconfiguration may halt Steam Family Sharing. To fix it, reset the Winsock Catalog usingCommand Promptand retry sharing your game on Steam.

Step 1:Press the Windows key, searchCommand Prompt, and clickRun as administrator.

Step 2:Paste the below command in the console and hit Enter to reset the Winsock Catalog.

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Last updated on 08 August, 2024

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