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

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Try Basic Fixes

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 theCtrl + Shift + Escshortcut to open the Task Manager.

Step 2: On theProcessestab, right-click onSteamand selectEnd task.

Step 3:Right-click on theSteam shortcut> selectRun as administratorfrom 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 theWindows key + Rto open the Run dialog box. Type the below command and pressEnter.

Step 2: Select theappcachefolder > click thetrash iconat 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 theWindows key + Eto open File Explorer and navigate to the folder where you have installed Steam. It’s typically in:

Step 2:Locate and select theClientRegsitry.blobfile and click thetrash iconat 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Over time, configuration files may become corrupted or outdated, leading to performance issues.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 theWindows Key + Rto open the Run dialog box. Typesteam://flushconfigin the box and hitEnter. 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 onlycrashes 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 theLibrarymenu. Right-click on theproblematic gameand selectProperties.

Step 2: Select Local Files from the sidebar and click theVerify integrity of game filesbutton.

Fix 6: Update Graphics Drivers

Another possible reason Steam may experience problems is if your PC’sgraphics driver is outdated or malfunctioning.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

Step 1: Right-click on theStart icon> selectDevice Managerfrom the list.

Step 2: Double-click onDisplay adaptersto expand it. Right-click on your driver > select theUpdate 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 theStart icon> selectInstalled appsfrom the list.

Step 2: Locate theSteamapp on the list > click thethree-dot menu iconnext to it > selectUninstall.

Step 3: SelectUninstallto confirm.

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

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Last updated on 16 August, 2024

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