Steam is a popular video game digital distribution platform that makes it easier for anyone to get their favorite games straight to their computers. Although this is quite a solid platform there are instances when certain issues can occur which can be fixed by running Steam as an administrator. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will show you how to run Steam as an administrator the quick and easy way.
Here’s how to run Steam as an administrator
- Look for the directory where Steam is installed and open it. The default location of it is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam.
- Once in the directory, look for an exe file named as “Steam.exe”. This is the main Steam launcher.
- 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” in the Steam folder.
- 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.
- The next step is to grant full control to all of the Steam folders. Please note that we have granted administrator access to the two main exe files in Steam. Now we will proceed with the whole folder.
- Open your Steam directory. The default location for Steam is (C:\Program Files\Steam). If you installed Steam another directory, you can also browse to that.
- Once you have located your Steam folder, right click it and select Properties. Browse to the Security tab and click on Advanced found at the bottom of the screen.
- The first 4 rows are editable while the last two or not. Make sure the box for full control is checked for these 4 rows. If your settings may differ, you can change the settings through the method listed below.
- Click on the row and click the button Edit. A window will come forward consisting of all the options in form of check boxes. Check all of them including Full Control. Click Apply, save changes, and exit. Do this for the first 4 rows and exit after changing.
- Relaunch Steam.
This is the quick an easy way to give administrative access to Steam.