Steam not loading? Try this troubleshooting guide

Whilst the first important step is to open up a web browser to see if your internet connection is up and running, steam may be down. Try checking websites such as Down Detector and Is Steam down to check if it’s a server issue.

By pressing Alt + Ctrl + Delete, users can select task manager to see all running programs. Make sure to end all Steam processes and restart the Steam client. If this doesn’t work, try restarting the PC/Laptop and trying this process again if not fixed.

It’s easy to miss Steam booting up if multiple applications are active, especially for those using multiple monitors. Simply press Alt+Tab to cycle through open programs to check that Steam has loaded. Holding Alt+Tab will also show all open programs at a glance too.

Another quick way to solve performance issues is the clear Steams cache. Whilst caching usually speeds up heavily used programs, this temporary data can also corrupt over time and cause issues. Follow the below file path to locate and delete Steams cache:

C:// > Program Files (86x) > Steam > App cache

For users running the beta client of Steam, this probably isn’t helping matters. Rather than uninstalling and redownloading a Steam Library, users can simply delete the beta file in the Steam file directory to revert to the general release candidate. Go to the following to delete it:

C:// > Program Files (x86) > Steam > Package

Antivirus or Firewall software may be blocking connections to Steams servers. Before going into the relevant program and making an exception for Steam, make sure the lack of connectivity isn’t due to a larger malware or virus issue.

Update the software and run a scan beforehand to play things safe.

Quite an odd fix, but for users running out of ideas this may solve the Steam not loading issue. Go to the following file path and rename the ‘ClientRegistry.blob’ file to ‘ClientRegistryOld.blob’ then restart Steam for the new file to be created:

C:// > Program Files (x86) > Steam

We’re using this as a last-case scenario as uninstalling Steam will wipe a user’s local library too. This forces users to instal games again which can take a long time to do.

Simply to the Windows Control Panel then Programs and Features to find the Steam client. Then click ‘Uninstall’.

If reinstalling Steam hasn’t helped, performing a Windows System Restore probably will. This is a useful tool to use when programs have stopped working and all other troubleshooting methods have failed.

Go to Control Panel > Recovery > System Restore. Next, find an automatic restore point and find a date before the issues started with Steam and confirm.