Steam is a popular platform where you can get a digital copy of your favorite PC game. Instead of going to a store to buy a physical copy of the game you can just download it to your computer which is quite convenient for most people. Although this is a solid platform there are instances when certain issues can occur. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the Steam keeps crashing issue.
How To Fix Steam Keeps Crashing Issue
Before performing any of the recommended troubleshooting steps listed below it’s best to restart your computer first. This action refreshes the operating system and remove any corrupt temporary data that could be causing the problem.
There are several factors that can cause this particular problem. Listed below are the troubleshooting step that you need to perform to fix this.
Delete ClientRegistry.blob
The ClientRegistry.blob is where the information of your registration and installed games is being stored. If data that is stored has been corrupted then it could cause this problem. What you should do to fix this is to delete the ClientRegistry.blob. Don’t worry about losing anything as it will be restored the next time you log in.
- Completely exit Steam and end all tasks
- Browse your Steam directory at C:\Program Files\Steam.
- Locate ‘clientregistry.blob’.
- Rename the file to ‘clientregistryold.blob’ (or you can delete the file completely).
- Restart Steam and allow the file to be recreated.
Check if the Steam keeps crashing issue still occurs.
Try running Steam in Safe mode with Networking
It’s possible that a third party application installed in your computer is causing this problem. To check if this is the culprit you will need to run Steam in Safe Mode with networking.
- Select the Start button at the bottom of your screen and then navigate to Settings.
- Select Update & security and then Recovery. When the screen shows up the advanced settings, select Restart now.
- Your computer will now restart, presenting the Choose an option screen. From here, select Troubleshoot – Advanced Options – Startup Settings, then Restart.
- Your PC will reboot again and this time, you’ll be able to choose to start up in either Safe Mode (option 4, or select it by pressing F4) or Safe Mode With Networking (option 5; tap F4 if you can’t choose it manually).
- Run Steam and try connecting it to the internet and logging in. If the issue does not occur then the problem could be caused by a third party application, possibly the antivirus software.
Turn off the antivirus software
There’s a possibility that the antivirus software of your computer is causing this problem. To check if this is the culprit you should try to temporarily disable the antivirus software.
Avast
- Right-click on the avast! icon in the system tray. Select avast! shields control and there will be options to disable avast for 10 minutes, 1 hour, until the computer is restarted or permanently.
Bitdefender
- Double click on the system icon for Bit Defender.
- When the Bit Defender window appears, move the mouse arrow to the left side and click >> Virus Shield.
- Move mouse arrow to the black check by Virus Shield is enabled and click.
- The black works will change to red, >> Virus Shield is disabled.
- Move mouse arrow to the top right corner and click the down arrows.
- Bit Defender is now inactive.
- To enable Bit Defender, do the same steps except click to enable.
Microsoft Security Essentials
- Right-click on the MSE icon in the system tray and choose Open.
- Click the Settings tab, then click Real Time Protection.
- Uncheck the box next to “Turn on real time protection”.
- Click the “Save changes” button.
- Exit MSE when done.
ESET
- Double click on the system tray icon to open the main application window.
- Or via Start >> All Programs >> ESET >> ESET Smart Security.
- Click Setup >> Antivirus and antispyware >> Temporarily disable Antivirus and antispyware protection.
- When prompted to confirm temporarily disable select Yes.
- Note: Protection will be automatically started after a system reboot.
McAfee
- Navigate to the system tray on the bottom right hand corner and look for the McAfee icon.
- Right-click it -> chose “Exit.”
- A popup will warn that protection will now be disabled. Click on “Yes” to disable the Antivirus guard.
Check if the Steam keeps crashing issue still occurs.
Run Steam as an administrator
There are instances when Steam will require an elevated privilege to run certain processes. If it is not given administrator access then there’s a possibility that this problem could occur.
- Go to the directory where Steam is installed which is usually in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam.
- Look for an exe file named as “Steam.exe”. This is the main Steam launcher. You should right click on it and select Properties from the list of options. Select the Compatibility tab from the top of the screen. At the bottom of the small window, you will see a checkbox which says “Run this program as administrator”. Make sure it is checked. Save changes and exit.
- Look for an exe file named as “GameOverlayUI.exe”. You should right click on it and select Properties from the list of options. Select the Compatibility tab from the top of the screen. At the bottom of the small window, you will see a checkbox which says “Run this program as administrator”. Make sure it is checked. Save changes and exit.
- Restart your computer.
Check if the Steam keeps crashing issue still occurs.
Delete the AppCache folder
If the data stored in the AppCache folder is corrupted then it can cause this particular problem. To check if this is the culprit you will need to delete this folder.
- Look for the directory where Steam is installed. The default location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam.
- Look for a folder named “appcache” then delete it (or you can cut and paste it in a different location so the client thinks it is deleted).
- Restart your computer
Check if the Steam keeps crashing issue still occurs.
Try updating your drivers
- Press the Win(windows) + R key to bring up the run window (make sure to run it as administrator).
- Type “dxdiag”. This will open up the DirectX diagnostic tool. It will list all the available hardware that is installed on your PC along with the versions of the software.
- Use your official hardware name to search for the latest drivers available and download them through the internet. You can also update drivers using the Windows update. Follow the steps listed below.
- Press Windows + R button to bring up the Run application. In the dialogue box, type “devmgmt.msc”. This will launch your computer’s device manager.
- Once in the device manager, right click on the device and select the option which says “update driver”.
- Once you click it, another window will pop up asking if you want Windows to automatically search the internet for the available drivers or if you want to browse them yourself. Select the first option.
- If the drivers are the latest then Windows will pop a dialogue box stating that the best drivers available are already installed. If not, it will start downloading them and install them momentarily.
Check if the Steam keeps crashing issue still occurs.
Uninstall then reinstall Steam
One last troubleshooting step that you should do in case the issue persists is to uninstall then reinstall Steam.
Backup your game
- Open your Steam PC client by double-clicking it on the Desktop.
- Click the Steam button at the top right part of the window and choose Settings from the dropdown menu. Navigate to the Downloads tab in the Settings window and click on Steam Library Folders.
- Here you should see the full list of all libraries you currently use and the folders you should look for when backing up. Since the default folder is C >> Program Files (x86) >> Steam >> steamapps.
- Go to the location above by clicking to open any folder or the File Explorer and clicking This PC or My Computer at the right pane. After that, open the location above and find the “steamapps” folder.
- Right-click the folder and choose the Copy option from the context menu. Go to any location outside the Steam folder on your computer and paste the folder by right-clicking and choosing Paste. The best location would be your Desktop.
- Repeat the same process for all library folders. After uninstalling Steam, you will have to add the folders again as the Steam library folders as you did the first time.
Uninstall Steam
- Log in with an admin account on your computer.
- Click on the Start button then on the gear icon in order to open settings if you are using windows 10.
- Click on Apps which should immediately open a list of all installed programs on your PC.
- Locate the Steam entry on the list and click on it once. Click on the Uninstall button above the list and confirm any dialog boxes which may appear. Follow the instructions on-screen in order to uninstall Steam and restart your computer afterwards.
- Open the official Steam website then download the Steam installer. Follow the instructions on how to install Steam.
Check if the Steam keeps crashing issue still occurs.