Sometimes, Steam may not go online. If you’re experiencing this issue, not to worry. In this post, we’ll discuss what causes Steam to not go online and how to fix the problem.
Why won’t Steam go online?
Steam not going online can be due to different reasons. Following are some of the most common reasons.
Network issues: If your network connection is poor or not stable, Steam won’t go online.
Server issues: Steam’s servers must be running fine to make sure Steam runs fine. If the servers are down, you will encounter issues like the not going online issue.
Antivirus software: Your antivirus software may interfere with Steam and make Steam not go online.
Steam cache issues: Steam cache can become corrupted and prevent you from accessing the online features of Steam.
How to fix Steam won’t go online issues
To fix the problem, you can try these methods:
Method 1: Check your internet connection
Method 2: Check Steam’s server status
Method 3: Disable your antivirus software
Method 4: Clear Steam cache
Method 5: Reinstall Steam
Method 1: Check your internet connection
When your Steam can’t go online, the first thing you should do is to check your internet connection. Ensure the network connection is stable and the network speed is fine.
You can open several websites and check if the web pages are loaded properly and quickly. If the web pages are loaded slowly, the network connection can be poor. In this case, you can do the following:
Turn off your modem/router, turn off your computer, turn on modem/router and then turn on your computer.
After that, launch Steam and see if it can go online.
Method 2: Check Steam’s server status
If Steam’s servers are down or having issues, Steam won’t go online. So go to Steam’s official website or social media pages to see if there are any notifications about this issue.
If the servers are down, you can’t do anything but wait for the Steam official to fix it.
Method 3: Disable your antivirus software
Your antivirus software can interfere with Steam and make it not go online. You can temporarily disable your antivirus software and check if the issue is fixed. While the antivirus software is disabled, if the issue is gone, you can add Steam to the exception list of your antivirus software or contact the antivirus software vendor for further assistance.
Method 4: Clear Steam cache
Steam cache is good as it can allow Steam to boot quickly and easily. However, if the cache files become corrupted, it can cause Steam to not go online. So, to fix the problem, you can try clearing the Steam cache. Here’s how:
1) Ensure Steam is exit.
2) Go to the Steam installation directory. The default installation directory is: C:\Program Files\Steam or C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam.
3) Delete this folder: “appcache”.
Deleting the “appcache” folder just refreshes Steam. It won’t have any negative impact. Once you relaunch Steam, this folder will get created again automatically.
4) Restart Steam and check if the issue is fixed.
If you can log into Steam, you can also try to clear the Steam download cache. Here’s how:
1) Open Steam.
2) Click Steam > Settings.
3) In the Settings panel, select the Downloads tab, and then click the Clear Download Cache button in the right panel.
Method 5: Reinstall Steam
Try reinstalling Steam and see if it helps with the problem. Reinstalling Steam will remove all temporary files, settings and preferences.
1) Right-click on the Start menu button at the bottom left corner of the desktop and then select Apps and Features.
2) In the right pane, scroll down and click on Steam. Then click on Uninstall and follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall Steam from your computer.
3) Restart your computer.
4) Download the latest version of Steam from Steam’s website and install it on your computer.
Steam still won’t go online?
The above methods work in most cases. But if they don’t work for you, you may want to head to try some other methods.
Change Steam’s download region
Sometimes, changing the download region can help fix the Steam not going online issue. Here’s how to change the download region in Steam:
1) Open Steam.
2) Click Steam > Settings.
3) In the Settings panel, select the Downloads tab, and then select another download region from the Download Region drop-down menu in the right panel.
4) Click OK to save the changes.
Tip: Try various regions in your country first. Start from the one that’s closest to you. If the regions in your country don’t work, try those which are not in your country. Try as many regions as you can until you find the one that works.
Flush your DNS
You can follow these steps to flush your DNS:
1) Press Win+R to open the Run box.
2) Type “cmd” into the Run box and then press Enter. Then the Command Prompt window will open.
3) In the Command Prompt window, type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter. After that, you’ll see a message saying that the DNS Resolver Cache was successfully flushed.
4) Restart your computer.
Update network drivers
To update network drivers, you can follow these steps:
1) Open Device Manager.
2) Expand the “Network adapters” category.
3) Right-click on your network adapter and select “Update driver“.
4) Select search automatically for drivers. Then Windows will update the driver automatically
Tip: If Windows fails to update the driver, you can go to your PC manufacturer’s website to download the latest version of the network driver.
If you have tried all the above methods and Steam still can’t go online, you can contact Steam Support for further assistance.
1) Go to the Steam Support website.
2) Describe your issue.
3) If possible, attach screenshots or files of the issue
4) Submit the ticket.
After that, wait for the reply from Steam. It could take some time for Steam to respond to your ticket. Just wait patiently until they respond to you.
Hopefully you find this post helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below. I’ll get back to you ASAP.