Steaming through gaming platforms is one of the most important tasks in a gamer’s life. But sometimes, because of some unknown reason, steam may deny opening. There can be a number of reasons behind this problem. It can be due to the presence of some corrupt or missing file.
This issue can be easily resolved by manually following a few operations. Here we have discussed some of the solutions, follow them step-by-step to resolve the problem.
How to Fix Steam Not Opening?
Here are the solutions.
Solution 1: Force Close All Running Processes of Steam
Before moving to the complex and tedious solutions, it is better to try the simple ones. In this process, we close all the Steam related processes and relaunch them with the help of the Task Manager.
There are some processes that don’t end completely even when we close them. So, when you open them again they restart from the very point where you left them before, and this can cause a problem in the application. To fix this issue, follow these steps:
Step 1: Press ctrl + alt + del simultaneously, and select Task Manager from the list of options.
Step 2: Start looking up for the steam related process, then right-click on them and select End Process from the menu appeared. Start with Steam Client Bootstrapper.
Step 3: Now, open the steam again and see whether the problem is resolved or not.
Solution 2: Launch Steam As Administrator
Some applications can require administrative privileges to run at times. By giving administrative privileges to any applications, we allow the client to read as well as write.
To run steam as an administrator, right-click on it and select Run as administrator from the appeared dropdown menu. This will surely resolve the issue if the reason was administrator privilege.
Solution 3: Change ClientRegistry.blob
If the above two methods didn’t work for you, we advise you to try this method before switching to the complicated ones. The ClientRegistry.blob file, which is generally located in your Steam folder, is used to store stream data and settings. And this file can be corrupt sometimes. To resolve this issue, follow the mentioned steps:
Step 1: Exit the steam as well as all the processes related to it, by following the above methods.
Step 2: Go to your Steam directory. Most commonly it is C:\Program Files\Steam.
Step 3: Now, navigate to ClientRegistry.blob and rename the file as ClientRegistryold.blob.
Step 4: Now, restart the steam and wait for the file to get recreated.
This method will surely work for you, but if not follow the below-mentioned steps:
Step 1: Again open your Steam directory.
Step 2: Navigate to Steamerrorreporter.exe.
Step 3: Now, relaunch the Steam again and check if the problem is resolved or not.
Solution 4: Delete and Reinstall Steam Client
If all the above-mentioned methods didn’t work for you, then it is time to switch to deleting the Steam files. Make sure your system won’t get interrupted at the time of this process as it can take a while for completion. Follow these steps to do this.
Step 1: Go to your steam directory and look out for the below-mentioned files:
Steam.exe (Application)
SteamApps (Folder)
Step 2: Now, Delete all files and folders from the directory except the two above mentioned files.
Step 3: Reboot your system and launch the Steam application as administrator. It will start downloading the missing files and will launch successfully after the completion.
Solution 5: Update Graphics Drivers
Graphics card driver is a key element in our system and an outdated one can cause many problems for a user.
They interact with the hardware as well as the software of the system. If the problem is because of the Graphics drivers, then this can be easily resolved by just updating them. Follow these steps to update the Graphics drivers.
Step 1: Open the manufacturer’s website and download the latest version of your Graphics driver from there. However, update the Windows to its latest version as well.
Step 2: Now, restart your system and open the Steam application again. Check whether the problem is fixed or not.
Solution 6: Set Date and Time
The problem in Steam can also be caused by incorrect date and time in your system as the steam relies on your system for real-time data.
Your system must have the correct time with respect to your geographic location, else the launching will fail. This can be easily corrected by setting the correct date and time by following these steps.
Step 1: Right-click on the Clock located at the right corner of the toolbar.
Step 2: Now, select Adjust Date/Time from the appeared list.
Step 3: Go to the Set Time Automatically option and turn it off.
Step 4: Relaunch the Steam application and check if it is working properly.
Solution 7: Delete the App Cache Folder
There is a folder named “appcache” present in the Steam directory, which stores data about the Steam applications and setups. The information stored by this folder can speed up the next launch of the Steam application.
But, sometimes this folder can get corrupted due to unknown reasons. This issue can be solved by deleting appcache folder. This folder will automatically recreate at the time of application launch.
Step 1: Go to your Steam Directory by following the path C: ProgramFiles (x86)/Steam.
Step 2: Now, Copy the appcache folder and paste it to a safe location.
Step 3: Right-click on the appcache folder and select Delete from the appeared menu.
Step 4: Open the Steam client again and check whether it is working properly. Delete the backed-up folder created before if it is working fine.
Solution 8: Temporarily Disable Antivirus/Firewall Applications
Antivirus/Firewall applications can also cause the issue with the Steam application. This can be easily ruled out by temporarily disabling your Antivirus/Firewall. Check for the blocked files in Antivirus software as well, there is a chance that Steam client-related files that are required to run the application are blocked by the Antivirus. Follow these steps to do this:
Step 1: Disable Antivirus.
Step 2: Disable Firewall.
Step 3: Now, open Steam as Administrator and see if it is working fine or not.
Make sure you enable the antivirus/firewall again. If the application is working properly, then add Steam Client as an exception in the Antivirus/Firewall settings.
Conclusion
We hope that the above-listed methods helped you with this issue. You can also try disabling the GPU overclocking if the previous didn’t work. If you have any other queries or suggestions, please write them down in the comment section.