Steam is one of the popular video game digital distribution platforms that allows its members to easily get their favorite PC games straight to their computer. Although this is quite a solid platform there are instances when certain issues can occur which we will be addressing today. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the Steam is Having Trouble Connecting To The Steam Servers issue.
Fix Steam not connecting to Steam server
Before performing the recommended troubleshooting steps for this particular problem I suggest that you try restarting your computer first. This will refresh the operating system as well as remove corrupt temporary data and is quite effective in fixing the Steam is Having Trouble Connecting To The Steam Servers issue.
Time needed: 10 minutes.
Steps to perform to fix Steam is not connecting to server
- Check if Steam servers are online
The first thing you will need to do in this case is to verify if there are any problems on the Steam server side. Although quite rare, there are cases when the servers will be offline due to some maintenance or some unexpected network activity. You can go to https://downdetector.com/status/steam/ to check on this.
- Perform a winsock reset
Search for “Command Prompt” by typing it in the search bar.
Right-click the first entry which will pop up as a search result and select the “Run as administrator” context menu entry.
Type netsh winsock reset in the command prompt windows then press enter.
Type netsh int ip reset reset.log hit in the command prompt windows then press enter.
Restart your computer. - Run Steam as an administrator
When you run Steam as an administrator you will give it permission to use certain system files that it needs to run smoothly.
Locate the Steam shortcut on your computer and open its properties it by right-clicking its entry.
Choose Properties from the pop-up context menu.
Navigate to the Compatibility tab in the Properties window
Check the box next to the Run this program as an administrator option
Save the changes by clicking OK or Apply.
Try checking if Steam can now connect to the servers. - Add an Exception for Steam on the Firewall
Sometimes this problem can be caused by the Windows Firewall blocking Steam from connecting.
Type Control Panel in the search bar then click on the result.
Click Windows Defender Firewall.
Click Advanced Settings.
Click Inbound Rules
Click New Rule.
Select Program from the Rule Type window, then click Next.
Click Browse below This program path to select the program executable file, then click Next.
Ensure Allow the connection is selected, then click Next.
Select When to apply the rule (Domain, Private, or Public), then click Next.
Enter a Name and optional Description, then click Finish.
Check if the Steam will not connect to Steam server issue still occurs. - Reinstall Steam
If the issue persists then this might already be caused by a corrupted Steam software. In this case, you will need to uninstall then reinstall Steam.
Uninstall Steam
Click on Start
Click on Settings
Click on Apps
Click on Steam from the list of apps then click on Uninstall.
Restart your computer
Install Steam
Go to https://store.steampowered.com/about/.
Click on the install Steam button
Double-click on the downloaded setup file to install it.
Once the Steam client has been installed try to check if the Steam is having trouble connecting to Steam servers problem still occurs.
