Steam Not Opening Or Connecting Error Fix (2023)

Steam is arguably the biggest PC gaming platform right now. There is no denying that Steam has improved significantly since it was launched in September 2003. Steam has been in the market for more than 15-years but there are thousands of players who still face ‘Steam Not Opening’ and ‘Steam not connecting’ issues while accessing the platform.

If you are too are going through the same problem then don’t fret, we have brought to you a few tips and tricks that might fix the problem.

Also Read | How To Hide Games From Friends On Steam?

Before we explain multiple methods to fix the ‘Steam Not Opening’ issue, let me tell you that Steam goes down for a brief time every Tuesday around 1 to 3 PM Pacific time for routine maintenance. If you are having the same issue during the said time then wait for a while before checking out the following fixes.

If you have been having trouble opening Steam then make sure you don’t have any unnecessary application is running in the background. To check whether an application is running in the background, you simply need to right-click on the task and select ‘Task Manager’ from the menu that appears.

Now, you will have to select the “Processes’ tab and search for the Steam processes that are listed. After clicking on Steam processes, you will have to click on ‘End Task’. After closing Steam processes from the Task Manager, restart it.

Method 2: Restart Your Computer

Restarting PC solves most of the problems and it could also fix the ‘Steam Not Opening’ error. Once you have successfully restarted your PC, try to open Steam again. If you are still unable to open Steam properly, then you should try another solution.

Method 3: Update Windows

If you have the latest version of Windows installed on your PC, your 90% of the problems will be automatically solved. Yes, there are plenty of issues that only happen because of a faulty update and it is likely that that’s the reason why you are unable to open Steam properly.

To update Windows 10, you will have to follow a few steps:

• Click on the ‘Settings’ icon in the Start Menu
• Select ‘Updates and Security’

• When you click on Update a& Security, you will see a message which says ‘Updates Available’. You simply need to click on the ‘Download’ button to update your OS.

Once you have successfully updated your OS, make sure to restart your PC before you open Steam.

Method 4: Restart the Router

You simply need to shut down your PC and then turn off your router. Once you have unplugged your router, wait for a few minutes before you plug it back into the power outlet and then switch on the router and then your PC.

Method 5: Test Your RAM

There are various problems that usually happen because of RAM. It is likely that you might be facing the ‘Steam Not Connecting’ error because of RAM. Here are a few steps to check your RAM.

• You simply need to type ‘mdsched’ into the Start menu and select ‘Windows Memory Diagnostic’.
• Clicking on ‘Windows Memory Diagnostic’ will open the following window.

• You will have to select ‘Restart now and Check For Problems’ (see above pic).
• Doing this will start checking your memory and restart. Notably, the process might take a few minutes but don’t cancel it.
• Once the process is completed and your PC is rebooted, you will have to type ‘event’ into the Start Menu and select ‘Event Viewer’.
• Clicking on ‘Event Viewer’ will open a new window. From there, you will have to select Windows Logs and then ‘System. (See below pic).

• Now, you will need to right-click on ‘System’, which will open up a new menu. Select ‘Filter current log’. Notably, this option will only be available to select if you have already open the System folder by left click.

• In the Filter Log Window, Click on the drop-down menu next to ‘Event source’ until you see ‘Memory Diagnostic-Results’. After checkmark in the box, click ok.

• Doing this will take you back to the Event Viewer, where you will have two ‘Events’ listed in the filtered log. You can get full information by clicking on each event. If you don’t have any issue with your RAM then go on to the next way.
• If you have found an error in RAM then you can only fix it by replacing your RAM sticks. You can test each one, if you prefer, by shutting down your computer and removing all the sticks except the one you are working on. Then you restart your PC and repeat the step from start to here.
• Repeat this with all the sticks and replace the one which had errors with factory-recommended RAM sticks. Once you have successfully replaced all the faulty RAM sticks, check to see if the System and Compressed Memory has returned to normal CPU usage.

Method 6: Repair Steam

There is an in-built repair feature in Steam, making it easier for users to take a backup of the game file. To repair Steam, make sure you have already taken the backup of your game files. To do this, you will have to open the Steam installation folder. You can find it by simply typing ‘File Explorer’ into the Start menu.

When you get there, select ‘This PC’ on the left menu and choose “Windows C:” on the right. Type “steamapps” into the search bar. Now, right-click on the ‘steamapps’ folder and copy it to your Document file. Now, right-click on the “steamapps” folder again but this time you will have to choose ‘Open File Location.”

Now, all you need to do is download the Steam installer from its official website. When downloaded, when you run it for the first time, you will be given an option to repair the files. Select that option and follow onscreen instructions.

Once the repair is done, launch Steam. If you are struggling to open Steam then use the next method. If you have managed to open Steam but are unable to access your saved game data, you will have to copy the “steamapps” folder in “My Documents” back into the Steam folder and replace the file of the same name there.

Method 7: Reinstall Steam

If you are sure that there is no application is running in the background then you can opt for this fix. After opening the Task Manager, go to the “Processes” Tab. Click on a Steam process and then click on End Task. If there is no Steam process is running then keep reading.

If there are more than one Steam processes are running in the background then click on each process and then End Task untill all of them are closed. Now type ‘Steam’ into the Start menu and search for a file named Steam.exe and right-click on that file and choose ‘Open File Location’.

In that folder, you will find a file named “steamapps.” You will have to copy this file to the ‘My Documents’ folder by right-clicking on it and selecting ‘Copy’. Now, open ‘Control Panel’, where you will see all of the applications installed in your PC.

You will have to find out Steam and then click Uninstall/Change and confirm to uninstall it from your computer. When uninstalled, restart your PC.

Now, visit the official website of Steam and reinstall Steam. Once it is installed, you can access your saved game data by copying the “steamapps” folder in “My Documents” back into the Steam folder once Steam has been successfully installed.

If your Steam file had an error then reinstalling Steam will certainly solve the ‘Steam Not Opening’ error. If you are still unable to open Steam then you can check out following fixes.

Method 8: Update Your Date and Time Settings

Updating your date and time could fix ‘Steam won’t opening or connecting’ error because Steam collects real-time date from your PC. If your date and timing settings are off and not set in the right timezone then you are likely are face the issue.

Here’s how you can synchronize your date and time on your PC:

• Open Control Panel and select ‘Clock and Region’

• Now, Select ‘Date and Time’.
• Now, you will have to select a tab ‘Internet Time’ and then click “Change settings…”
• When you click on ‘Change Settings…”, make sure you have a checkmark in ‘“Synchronize with an Internet time server” option.

• Now, click on the ‘Update Now’ button. Once you have successfully updated, click on OK.
• Now, go back and try to open Steam.

Method 9: Uninstall Third-Party Antivirus

There are various third-party Anti-Viruses that prevent applications to run smoothly. If you too have installed any of the third-party Anti-virus and struggling to open Steam then make sure you have deactivated the Windows Defender.

In case you are using two antiviruses at the same time then it might cause a lot of problems. If you don’t know how to deactivate Windows Defender then keep reading.

• If you have disabled Windows Defender but still having an issue accessing the webpage, you will need to uninstall your antivirus software.
• Go to ‘Setting’s and select ‘Apps’ in the Settings Window.

• Now, you will have to find the Antivirus software and uninstall it from the Apps and Features menu.
• Now, restart your PC and we hope this will fix the ‘Steam Not Connecting’ error on your PC.

Method 10: Update Drivers

If none of the above-mentioned methods worked for you then you can try this one to fix the ‘Steam Not Working’ error. Notably, this might take a little bit of your time but it will certainly fix your Steam problem.

Here’s how to update drivers:

• To access Device Manager, you simply need to press the [X] key and the [Windows] key simultaneously.

• Now, you will need to double-click on ‘Batteries’ and then right-click on the Microsoft ACPI- Complaint Control Method Battery and then click on Properties.

• When you click on Properties,  a window will appear on your screen. Now, you will have to click on a tab ‘Driver’.
• There, you will have to click on the ‘Update Driver’ button.

• Clicking on the Update Driver will automatically begin the search for updated driver software.
• You can also download and install the latest version of your driver manually from the manufacturer’s website.
• Once you have updated your driver, restart your PC and check if Steam is running smoothly.

These are some of the fixes that you try to solve the ‘Steam Not Opening or connecting’ error on your PC. If none of the above-mentioned Steam Won’t Opening fixed worked for you then don’t worry, we will soon update a few fixes.