Steam Family Sharing is an immensely popular feature that allows gamers to share their favorite video games with family and friends. However, it’s not always smooth sailing, and some users might encounter a common problem: Steam Family Sharing Not Working.
Firstly, ensure that both Steam accounts – the one sharing and the one receiving – have Steam Guard enabled. Steam Guard is a crucial security feature that can be activated via Steam settings. Sign in to your Steam account > Settings > Account > Manage Steam Guard Account Security.
Sometimes, the problem lies with the game itself. Not all games are sharable on Steam due to licensing agreements. You can check the game’s store page or the list of games in the family sharing settings to see if it’s shareable. If you’ve checked these and everything is in order, but the problem persists, you might need to re-authorize shared Steam Libraries. Some users have found success by logging into the game owner’s account, de-authorizing the computer through Settings > Family > Authorize Library Sharing on this computer, and then re-authorizing it.
Another critical point to remember, Steam’s family sharing only allows for one shared user to play a game at a time. If an owner decides to play a game while a shared user is also playing, the shared user will receive a prompt to either purchase the game or end their session. Finally, occasional bugs can sometimes be fixed by a simple system restart or re-installing the Steam client.
There may well be a myriad of reasons as to why the Steam Family Sharing feature might not be working, from a minor system glitch to an issue with the game itself. However, by following these tips, users should be able to resolve these problems efficiently and get back to the world of gaming.