What Steam Family Sharing does and who can use it
Steam Family Sharing lets up to five other people play games from your Steam library on the same computer or their own computers, without buying those games separately. You keep your account and your games — you're just giving other people permission to run them. The people you share with don't need to own the games themselves, and they can play while you're offline.
The catch is that only one person can play a game from your library at a time. If you're playing a game you own, nobody else can play anything from your library until you stop. If someone else is playing one of your games, you can't play anything from your library either — though you can still play games you own separately on your own account.
Steam Family Sharing works across Windows, macOS, and Linux. It doesn't work on Steam Deck yet, though Valve has said they're working on it. The feature is free — there's no subscription or extra cost beyond your regular Steam account.
Key Takeaways
- Only one person can play games from your library at a time, whether it's you or someone you've shared with.
- You set up Family Sharing in Steam settings by authorizing a computer and adding family members or friends to your account.
- The person playing your games needs to log into that authorized computer with their own Steam account, or you can let them use your account on their own computer.
- You can remove someone from Family Sharing at any time, and their access to your games stops immediately.
- Some games have restrictions on sharing — you'll see a warning when you try to share a game that has limits.
Setting up Family Sharing on your computer
Open Steam and go to Settings (on Windows and Linux, this is in the top menu; on macOS, it's in the Steam menu). Click Account in the left sidebar, then find the section called "Family Library Sharing" or "Family Sharing" depending on your version of Steam. You'll see a button to authorize this computer.
Click "Authorize Library Sharing on this Device." Steam will ask you to confirm — this marks the computer as one where other people can play your games. You can authorize up to 10 computers this way, though only one person can play at a time across all of them.
After you authorize the computer, go back to Settings and click "Manage other computers" or "Manage Family Library Sharing." Here you'll add the people who can play your games. You can add up to five people. For each person, you'll need their Steam username or their email address associated with their Steam account. Click the plus icon and enter their information.
The person you're sharing with will see your library appear in their Steam client under "Library" — they don't need to do anything on their end except accept the share if Steam prompts them. They can then download and play any of your games from their own account on that authorized computer.
How the shared person actually plays your games
There are two ways someone can play games from your library. The first way is the intended method: they log into their own Steam account on a computer you've authorized for Family Sharing. When they open Steam, they'll see your games in their library and can download and play them normally.
The second way — which works but has more friction — is that they log into your Steam account on their own computer. This lets them play your games on their machine, but it means they're using your account, not theirs. Steam will warn them that this isn't the recommended setup. If you do this, you should use a strong password and consider enabling Steam Guard, which requires a code from your email or phone to log in from a new device.
If you're sharing with someone in your household, the first method is simpler: authorize your computer, add them to Family Sharing, and they log in with their own account. If you're sharing with someone who lives elsewhere, you'll probably end up using the second method, where they log into your account on their computer — but understand that this gives them access to your entire Steam account, not just the games.
Games that can't be shared and why
Most games can be shared, but some publishers have blocked Family Sharing on their titles. When you try to share a game with restrictions, Steam shows a warning that says something like "This game has been marked as not compatible with Family Library Sharing." You won't be able to share that game, even though you own it.
Publishers do this for licensing reasons — some games have agreements that limit how many people can play a copy at once, or they have anti-cheat systems that don't work well with shared accounts. Games with heavy online multiplayer components or battle passes are more likely to have restrictions. Single-player games and cooperative games usually don't have blocks.
If a game you want to share is blocked, the person you're sharing with would need to buy their own copy. There's no way around the restriction from your end.
Removing someone from Family Sharing
Go back to Settings, click Account, and find Family Library Sharing. Click "Manage other computers" or the equivalent option in your version of Steam. You'll see a list of the people you're sharing with. Click the X or remove button next to their name.
Their access stops immediately — they can't download new games from your library, and if they're currently playing one of your games, they'll be disconnected. Any games they've already downloaded stay on their computer, but they won't be able to run them.
You can also remove access by deauthorizing a computer entirely. If you go to Settings, Account, and Family Library Sharing, you can see all the computers you've authorized. Click "Deauthorize" next to any computer, and nobody on that computer can play your games anymore — even if they're in your Family Sharing list.
What happens if you and someone else want to play at the same time
Steam will stop one of you. If you're the account owner and you try to start a game while someone else is playing one of your games, Steam asks if you want to stop their game and start yours. If you click yes, their game closes and they get a message saying the game was stopped because the account owner started playing.
If someone else tries to start a game while you're playing, they get a message saying the library is in use and they have to wait. They can't force you to stop — only you can do that by stopping your game or logging out.
This is why Family Sharing works best when people coordinate — if you know someone else wants to play at a certain time, you can plan around it. If you need to play games at the same time regularly, you'd both need your own copies or your own Steam accounts with games purchased separately.
Privacy and security things to know
When you add someone to Family Sharing, they can see your entire game library and your playtime on those games. They can't see your personal information, your friends list, or your chat history — but they do know what you own and how much you play.
If someone logs into your Steam account on their computer (the second method mentioned earlier), they have full access to your account. They can see everything, change settings, and potentially make purchases if you have payment methods saved. Only share your account login this way with people you trust completely, and consider removing payment methods before giving someone your password.
Steam Guard adds a layer of security. If you enable it, anyone logging into your account from a new device needs a code from your email or a mobile authenticator app. This prevents someone from logging in if they only have your password. You can set it up in Settings, Account, and then look for the Steam Guard section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share my games with someone who doesn't live with me?
Yes, but the setup is less straightforward. They would need to log into your Steam account on their own computer, which gives them access to your entire account, not just the games. Alternatively, if you authorize your computer for Family Sharing and add them, they'd need to log into their own account on your physical computer — which only works if they have access to it.
What if someone I'm sharing with buys a game — do I get it too?
No. Games are tied to the account that purchased them. If someone in your Family Sharing group buys a game on their own account, only they can play it. You'd need to buy it separately to play it on your account.
Can I share my games with more than five people?
No, Steam limits Family Sharing to five people plus yourself. If you need to share with more people, you'd have to remove someone and add someone else, or those extra people would need to buy their own copies.
Does Family Sharing work on Steam Deck?
Not yet. Valve has announced they're working on Steam Deck support for Family Sharing, but it's not available. For now, you can only use Family Sharing on Windows, macOS, and Linux computers.
What happens to shared games if I close my Steam account?
If you close your account, your games are gone and anyone you shared with loses access immediately. The games are tied to your account — they don't transfer or stay playable if the account is closed.