Top 5 Ways to Fix ‘Steam Stuck on Verifying Installation’ Error in Windows
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Basic Fixes
Fix 1: Change Download Region
In case there is an outage of Steam in your location, you can try manually switching the download region to complete the file validation. This can fix the Steam “Stuck on Verifying Installation” error.
Step 1:Open the Steam app, and navigate toSteam > Settings.
Step 2:Click on theDownloadsoption from the left sidebar.
Step 3:Click the drop-down for the Download Region andselect another region.
Step 4:Click on theOKbutton at the bottom to apply the changes and close the Settings window.
Fix 2: Clear Download Cache
The outdated or corrupt Steam download cache can cause a ton of problems with the Steam app, including the “Stuck on Verifying Installation” error. Rather than manually deleting the cache from the Steam folder in File Explorer, you can use the Settings section of the app to wipe the download cache.
Step 1:Open the Steam app, and navigate toSteam > Settings > Downloads, as done previously.
Step 2:Here, click on theClear Download Cachebutton.
Step 3:Lastly, click on theOKbutton.
Steam will close automatically and relaunch. You will have to sign in again. You can then try to verify your installation files.
Fix 3: Temporarily Disable the Anti-virus Program
If the Steam verifying installation process is still stuck, you might want to turn off the Windows Defender or any other third-party anti-virus program on your PC to fix this error. You can turn it back on after Steam can successfully verify the files. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1:Press the Windows key to open the Start menu, typeVirus & threat protectionin the search bar, and press Enter.
Step 2:Click on theManage settingsoption under Virus & threat protection settings section.
Step 3:Click on thetoggle below the Real-time protectionto disable it.
Step 4:When theUser Account Controlwindow shows up,clickon theYesbutton.
Step 5:Close the Windows Security app.
Alternatively, if you use a third-party anti-virus program on your PC, go to the System tray icons area on the bottom-right corner and disable it temporarily or until the next reboot. Then, open the Steam app and check if the verification completes successfully.
Fix 4: Repair the Steam Library Folder
Corruption of the Steam library folder items can also produce Steam stuck on validating error. So, you can repair the folder using the Settings section in the Steam app. Here’s how:
Step 1:Launch theSteamapp, and navigate toSteam > Settings > Downloads.
Step 2:Here, click on theSteam Library Foldersbutton from the right pane.
Step 3:Click on thethree horizontal dots (…) buttonin the right corner and select theRepair Folderoption.
Step 4:When the User Account Control window appears,click on the Yesbutton.
After the repair completes,click on the Closebutton.
Note: If you have installed games on another drive, you’ll need to repair it using the same Steam Library Folder repair process.
Fix 5: Repair Steam
As a final step, you can try reinstalling Steam. However, simply uninstalling Steam will remove all the installed games as well. Thankfully, you can preserve your installed games and reset Steam to fix the Steam ‘verifying installation’ error. Here’s how.
Step 1:Completely close the Steam app from theTask Manager.
Step 2: Now, press theWindows key + Eto launch theFile Explorer. Navigate to the following path.
Step 3:Apart from thesteamapps folderand thesteam.exeapplication file,delete everything in the folder.
Step 4:Once deleted, the folder should look something like this.
Step 5:Now justrelaunch the Steam app. It will download the latest updates and recreate all the removed folders. You will have to sign in to your account again.
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Last updated on 26 June, 2024
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