How to Fix a “Could not connect to the Steam network” Issue

Don’t get steamed, one of these will work

Steam’s “Could not connect to the Steam network” sometimes appears out of the blue and prevents you from using many app features. If you’ve encountered this error and the error doesn’t go away, you’ll have to follow a few troubleshooting tips to resolve your problem. These tips fix the items that may be causing your Steam network error, allowing your app to communicate with the platform’s servers and let you access the app features. Let’s find out the possible solutions to this problem.

If you’re curious why Steam displays the above error, some reasons are that your app has a minor technical problem, your internet connection isn’t working, Steam’s servers are down, your firewall has blocked Steam’s internet access, and more.

Force Close and Re-Open Steam on Your Computer

One method that can possiblyresolve your Steam network erroris force-closing and relaunching your Steam app. Doing so turns off and back on all your app features, resolving many minor problems.

Check Your Internet Connection

Another reason you get a “Could not connect to the Steam network” error is that your app is having trouble connecting to the company’s servers. This usually happens when your internet connection stops working.

In this case, check and fix the issues with your connection. You can check if your connection is faulty by opening a web browser and loading a site. If your site fails, that indicates your connection has issues.

You can reboot your router to possiblyresolve your connection problem. If that doesn’t work,fix issues with your network adapter. Lastly, contact your internet service provider (ISP) for further help.

Check if Steam Is Down

If your internet connection is working, check if Steam’s servers are down. The platform’s servers may be experiencing an issue, causing your client to be unable to reach those servers.

You can check if Steam is down using theunofficial Steam Statussite, theDowndetectorsite, or theunofficial Steam Status account on X(formerly Twitter).

If Steam is down, wait until the company fixes the issue. The company is likely aware of the problem you’re experiencing and may already be working on a solution.

Run Steam With Admin Privileges

One reason some apps fail to work properly on Windows PCs is that those apps may be lacking the required system permissions. This happens when you run your apps from a regular user account, not an admin one.

You can fix that bylaunching your Steam app as an administrator. This gives the app all the rights it requires to function.

Restart Your Computer

If your Steam network issue persists, your Windows operating system may be experiencing a problem. Such issues prevent your installed apps from working correctly.

You can resolve many minor issues with your system byrebooting your computer.

Turn Off Your Antivirus and Firewall

If restarting your computer hasn’t fixed your Steam network error, your antivirus or firewall may have blocked Steam’s access to the internet. This happens when your antivirus or firewall detects your app to be a potential threat, which isn’t always true.

You can temporarilyturn off your antivirusand firewall to see if that resolves your problem.

LaunchSteamand see if the app works. If your problem persists, disable your PC’s firewall as follows.

Make Steam Use the TCP Protocol

Steam uses UDP as the default protocol to make network connections. When you experience network issues with the app, it’s a good idea to make the app switch to theTCP protocol, which can possibly fix your “Could not connect to the Steam network” error.

Remove and Reinstall Steam on Your Computer

If none of the above methods fixed your Steam network issue, your last solution is touninstalland reinstall the app on your computer. Your app may be experiencing a major core file problem, being unable to connect to the company’s servers. You can fix that by deleting and reinstalling your app.

Note that you lose your downloaded games, and the game progresses when youremove Steam. You can preserve that content by backing up thesteamappsfolder from yourSteamapp directory.

After removing Steam, go to theSteam websiteand download and install a fresh copy of the app on your computer.

Troubleshooting Steam’s Network Connectivity Issue on Your Computer

Steam’s network issueprevents you from using many app features that rely on the internet. If your error doesn’t go away after multiple attempts to connect the app to the internet, use the above methods to resolve your issue.

The above methods fix nearly all the items that can cause your “Could not connect to the Steam network” error,allowing your Steam client to connect to the internetand give you access to all the web-enabled features.

Mahesh has been obsessed with technology since he got his first gadget a decade or so ago. Over the last few years, he’s written a number of tech articles on various online publications including but not limited to MakeTechEasier and Android AppStorm.Read Mahesh’s Full Bio

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How to Fix a “Could not connect to the Steam network” Issue#

Force Close and Re-Open Steam on Your Computer#

Check Your Internet Connection#

Check if Steam Is Down#

Run Steam With Admin Privileges#

Restart Your Computer#

Turn Off Your Antivirus and Firewall#

Make Steam Use the TCP Protocol#

Remove and Reinstall Steam on Your Computer#

Troubleshooting Steam’s Network Connectivity Issue on Your Computer#

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