One of the biggest problems Steam can have is when the application crashes and we can’t open it. This can happen normally, but also after trying to run a game and it doesn’t work. To solve this most of the time we just have to run the task manager, find all the processes related to it and end them, after this we can wait a few minutes and start the application again.
Run Steam as administrator
It is possible that in order to run an application, it needs administrator permissions, so we simply have to give them these in order to be able to use it, and in the case of Steam, it is not something that is too complicated. We just have to go to the folder where the application is installed and right-click on the executable to start it as administrator, or simply use the Windows search menu to search for “Steam” and click on the “Run as administration” option.
Do not start this program in compatibility mode
There are many programs that we may want to run with compatibility for another operating system because they are actually developed for older ones, but this is not the case with Steam. This application has been updated over the years to offer the greatest possible compatibility, so if we have this mode activated, it is best to deactivate it to avoid problems.
Delete the application cache
Another reason why Steam may have problems is because of the temporary files stored by the application, i.e. the cache. Deleting it is very simple, since we only have to open the folder where we have the program installed, look for the “appcache” subfolder and delete it.
Other ways to fix Steam error
Once we have seen the simplest ways we have to solve the problem of Steam not opening, we have others that are not more complicated, but they require a little time since they have more steps.
Restart your computer and update the OS
Something very common that we can do when an application does not work is to directly restart the PC, but we must also remember that there are times when programs may not work because certain Windows updates are not installed. To update the operating system we only have to type “Search for updates” in the Windows search engine, we will click on the button with this same name once the configuration opens, and after this it will show us if we have any pending updates.
Once this is done, we just have to install them and proceed to restart the computer so that the changes are completed. If you were planning to turn off the PC from the beginning, it is better to do this first so that you do not have to restart it again.
Allow Steam to pass through the Firewall
Many applications may need additional permissions to work, especially those that need an internet connection, and one of the reasons why it is not starting may have to do with how it makes this connection. At first, it is possible that if we have a VPN it fails, although it is not really something that is too common, but we can also have this problem if the Firewall is blocking the connection, so we must make the application able to pass through it.
To do this, simply open the Firewall settings and go to the option that says “Allow an application through the firewall.” A new window will open where you can select the applications you want to pass through.
Delete Steam settings and restart the application
On the other hand, there is a way to remove the application configuration in case for some reason it is affecting the program startup, this also works, for example, when a game does not open. To do this we just have to press Windows + R to open the “Run” menu, once this is done we can enter the command steam://flushconfig that allows us to remove the program configuration.
Reinstall Steam
As a last option, there is one that we can always rely on, and that is to reinstall the application, as this really allows us to ensure that we completely remove any type of configuration that the program has.