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How to Share Your Steam Library with Friends and Family

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  • August 17, 2023
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  • 6 min read

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Steam, the popular gaming platform, offers a vast library of games, but what’s even better is the ability to share your game collection with friends and family. It’s a great way to let your loved ones enjoy your favorite games without having to purchase them again. 

In this article, Book Writing Founders UK will walk you through the steps to share your Steam library. Plus, we’ll provide some valuable tips to ensure your shared gaming experience is smooth and enjoyable.

Understanding Steam Family sharing

Before we dive into the step-by-step guide, let’s get a clear understanding of steam family sharing. 

It’s a feature that allows you to share your Steam library with up to five other users. This means your friends or family members can play your games on their Steam accounts without interfering with your progress or achievements. It’s like lending them a virtual game disc.

How to set up and use Steam family sharing

Explore the benefits of sharing your games with others in our article on what is a journal article. Now, let’s get started on how to set up and use Steam family sharing:

Step 1: Enable steam guard

The first step is to make sure you have Steam Guard enabled on your account. Steam guard provides an extra layer of security to protect your account from unauthorized access.

To enable it, follow these simple steps:

  • Open your Steam client and go to “steam” in the top-left corner.
  • Click on “settings” to open the settings menu.
  • In the settings menu, select “account” from the left-hand sidebar.
  • Under “account security,” click on “manage steam guard account security.”

From here, you can enable Steam Guard for your account. If it’s already enabled, you’re good to go.

Step 2: Authorize family sharing

Understand the concept of sharing and authorization in our article on what is transactional writing. Now that Steam Guard is set up, it’s time to authorize family sharing for your account. Follow these steps:

  • Open your Steam client.
  • Click on “steam” in the top-left corner.
  • Select “settings.”
  • In the settings menu, choose “family” from the left-hand sidebar.
  • Check the box that says, “Authorize library sharing on this computer.

Step 3: Share your library

Learn more about sharing and libraries in our post on how to write a copywriting brief that helps. With family sharing authorized, you can now start sharing your Steam library. Here’s how:

  • Open your Steam client.
  • Go to “steam” in the top-left corner.
  • Click on “settings.”
  • In the settings menu, select “family” from the left-hand sidebar.
  • Click on “family library sharing.”

Here, you can see a list of all the Steam accounts on your computer that are eligible for sharing. Simply check the box next to the accounts you want to share your library with and click “OK.”

Step 4: Log in to the shared account

Once you’ve authorized family sharing and selected the accounts to share your library with, your friends or family members can log in to their Steam accounts on your computer. They’ll need to do the following:

  • Open Steam and log in to their accounts.
  • On the main steam window, click on “steam” in the top-left corner.
  • Choose “settings.”
  • In the settings menu, go to “family.”
  • They should now see your account listed under “other users on this computer.” Click on it.
  • Select “authorize library sharing on this computer” for your account.

That’s it! Your friends or family members should now be able to access and play your shared games from their Steam accounts.

Tips for a smooth sharing experience

Discover more tips on gaming experiences in our article on how to say farewell to coworkers leaving message for colleague. Now that you know how to share your Steam library, let’s go over some tips to ensure a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience for everyone involved:

Communication is key:

Imagine you and your friends are all excited to play your favorite games together, but suddenly, someone accidentally interrupts your gaming session. 

To avoid such situations, talk to the people you’re sharing your games with. Discuss when you plan to play so that you can coordinate your gaming sessions without any interruptions. Communication is key, as discussed in our article on content analysis.

Library limitations: 

Sharing is caring, but there are some limitations you need to be aware of. You can’t play games from your library while someone else is playing one of your shared games. It’s essential to ensure that you’re not inconveniencing each other by trying to play at the same time.

Network speed matters: 

Imagine you’re in the middle of an epic battle, and your game suddenly lags or disconnects due to a slow internet connection. To prevent this, make sure you have a stable and fast internet connection. 

Smooth gaming experiences rely on your network’s ability to handle multiple players simultaneously, so don’t underestimate the importance of a good connection.

Game save files: 

Some games might have separate save files for different Steam accounts. This means that if you and your friends are playing the same game on different accounts, your progress won’t interfere with each other’s. 

Be aware of this to avoid accidentally overwriting each other’s game progress and achievements.

Privacy settings: 

Steam offers privacy settings that allow you to control who can see your gaming activity and online status. Take a moment to check and adjust these settings according to your preferences. It’s important to feel comfortable while gaming and to protect your privacy online.

Library cleanup: 

Over time, your game library can get quite crowded with titles you no longer play. Consider doing some library cleanup. Removing games you no longer enjoy or play can make it easier for others to find and enjoy the games they want. It also keeps your library neat and organized.

Conclusion

Sharing your Steam library with friends and family is a fantastic way to spread the joy of gaming without the need for multiple purchases. Explore more about sharing experiences in our blog post on how to say farewell to coworkers, Explore more about gaming and joy in our post on world book day 2023 announcements.

By following the simple steps outlined in this article, you can easily set up Steam family sharing and enjoy gaming together while safeguarding your account with Steam Guard.

Remember to communicate, respect each other’s gaming time, and keep your internet connection in good shape for the best-shared gaming experience. 

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