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Steam is a popular gaming platform, but like any software, it can sometimes run into issues. Common problems include the application freezing, games not launching, or connectivity issues.
Fortunately, restarting Steam is a simple yet effective way to resolve many of these problems. This article will guide you through five different methods to restart Steam effectively.
Why Would You Want to Restart Your Steam App?
Sometimes Steam app get various errors and problems, that can be solved or at least ‘softened’ by rebooting it, such as:
- It can trigger both app and game updates if they’re not updating by itself.
- It can ‘restart’ Steam Cloud sync errors that are stuck.
- Helps with ‘Verifying Installation’ getting stuck or issues with Steam Friends network.
- It might be helpful with ‘Login error E87‘.
Useful: if you’re looking to hide your activity on Steam — see here.
And if you want to increase your PC performance, see how to lower your Steam RAM usage here.
Method 1: Restart Steam Directly from the App
If Steam is open and responsive, the easiest way to restart it is from within the application itself. Follow these steps:
- In the top-left corner of the “Steam” window, click “Steam”.
- Select “Exit” from the dropdown menu to close Steam.
- After closing, double-click the “Steam” shortcut on your desktop or press the ‘Win + S’ keys, type “Steam”, and click to reopen it.
Note: Clicking the X button in the top right corner doesn’t fully close the app, as background processes still persist. Use the client menu to completely close “Steam“.
Method 2: Restart Steam via the Taskbar
This method involves using the taskbar to close and reopen Steam. It’s a quick way to restart the application without needing to dive into any system settings.
- Right-click the “Steam” icon in the taskbar (at the bottom of your screen).
- Select “Exit” or “Exit Steam”.
- Double-click the “Steam” shortcut on your desktop or find it in the ‘Start‘ menu and click to open.
Method 3: Restart Steam Using Offline-Online Mode
Switching to Offline Mode can help resolve connectivity issues and refresh the connection when you switch back to Online Mode.
- Open “Steam” and go to the “Steam” menu in the top-left corner.
- Select “Go Offline” and confirm your choice by clicking “Start in Offline Mode”. Steam should restart in Offline Mode.
- To switch back to “Online Mode”, once Steam is open, go to the “Steam” menu and select “Go Online”.
- Confirm your selection by clicking “Start in Online Mode”.
Method 4: Restart Steam with Task Manager
If Steam is not responding, and closing it using the client menu doesn’t terminate the background processes, using Task Manager to end the Steam process can be effective.
- Press ‘Ctrl + Shift + Esc’ to open “Task Manager” directly or find it in the Windows Search bar.
- In “Task Manager”, move to the “Processes” tab and find “Steam” in the list.
- Right-click on it and select “End task”.
- Use the “Steam” shortcut on your desktop or in the ‘Start’ menu to open it again.
Method 5: Restart Your System
Restarting your computer is a thorough way to refresh all running applications, including Steam. This method is useful if Steam issues persist despite trying the previous methods.
- Ensure all your work is saved before proceeding.
- Click the ‘Start’ menu, select the power icon, and choose “Restart”.
- Once your computer restarts, use the “Steam” shortcut to open the application.
And that’s it. Restarting “Steam” is a straightforward process that can resolve many common issues.
Useful: rebooting Steam service can also help with the ‘failed to find Steam’ error.
If you still have questions or need further assistance, feel free to comment below.
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