What Steam Family Sharing does

Steam Family Sharing lets you share your game library with up to five other people on your account, and they can play those games on their own computers without owning them. When you turn it on, anyone in your family group can download and launch your games from their own Steam account — but only one person can play a game from your library at a time, and only when your account is either playing something else or not in use.

The feature is built into Steam itself. You don't need to buy anything extra or set up a separate service. It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and it applies to most games in your library, though a small number of titles have restrictions that prevent sharing.

Key Takeaways

  • Steam Family Sharing lets up to five people on different computers play games from your library using their own Steam accounts.
  • Only one person can play a shared game at a time, and your account must either be offline or playing a different game.
  • You set up sharing through Settings > Family, and you can remove people or turn the feature off at any time.
  • Games with always-online requirements, multiplayer passes, or subscription components often cannot be shared, and the publisher decides which games may have access to.
  • Anyone using a shared game can earn their own achievements and save their own progress, but they cannot trade items or use the Steam Community Market.

How to turn on Family Sharing and add people

Open Steam on your computer and go to Settings (the gear icon in the top right). Select Family in the left menu, then check the box next to "Authorize Library Sharing on Other Computers." Steam will ask you to confirm your password.

Once you turn it on, anyone who uses your computer can access your library. To let people on other computers play your games, you need to add them to your family group. Go back to the Family section and select "Manage other members." You can invite people by their Steam username or email address. They'll receive an invitation and can accept it from their own account. After they accept, they can download and play your games on their own computer.

The person you're sharing with doesn't need to own the games or pay anything. They just need their own Steam account and a computer with Steam installed. They can play on Windows, Mac, or Linux regardless of what system you use.

The one-at-a-time rule and how it works in practice

Only one person can play a game from your shared library at the same time. This means if your friend is playing a game you own, you cannot play that same game until they stop. However, you can play a different game from your library while they're playing, or you can play a game you own separately.

If someone tries to launch a shared game while another person is already playing it, Steam will give them a choice: they can wait for the other person to finish, or they can ask the current player to stop. The current player gets a notification and can choose to quit the game or keep playing. If they keep playing, the other person cannot launch the game.

This limitation exists because most games have licensing terms that allow only one person to play at a time. It's not a technical restriction Steam chose — it's how the game publishers' agreements work.

Which games cannot be shared

Most games in your Steam library can be shared, but some publishers have opted out. Games that typically cannot be shared include those with always-online requirements tied to your account, games with built-in subscription services, and some multiplayer games where the publisher wants each player to own a copy.

When you look at a game in your library, you can check whether it can be shared. If it can't, Steam displays a message saying the publisher has not authorized sharing for that title. There's no way around this — it's a decision made by the game's publisher, not by Steam or by you.

Some games that fall into this category include Destiny 2, Warframe, and various games with battle pass systems or seasonal content tied to individual accounts. If you're unsure about a specific game, search for its name in your library and look for the sharing restriction notice.

What shared players can and cannot do

When someone plays a game from your shared library, they can earn achievements, unlock content, and save their progress under their own account. Their achievements show up on their profile, and their save files belong to them. If they stop playing and you start playing the same game, you'll see your own separate save files and achievements.

However, shared players cannot use the Steam Community Market to buy or sell items, and they cannot trade items with other players. If a game has cosmetics or items that can be bought or traded, the shared player can use them in the game but cannot move them to another account or sell them. This restriction prevents people from using Family Sharing to farm items and resell them.

Shared players also cannot gift games or use Steam gift cards on the account that owns the library. They can only play what's already been shared with them.

Managing who has access and removing people

You can see everyone in your family group by going to Settings > Family > Manage other members. From there, you can remove anyone at any time. When you remove someone, they lose access to your library immediately — any games they're currently playing will close.

You can also turn off Family Sharing entirely by unchecking the "Authorize Library Sharing on Other Computers" box in Settings > Family. This removes everyone's access to your library and prevents anyone from using your games on other computers.

If you're concerned about security, remember that anyone you add to your family group can see your library and download your games. Only add people you trust. You can also set a PIN in the Family settings to prevent unauthorized changes to your family group.

What happens if someone moves or stops using Steam

If someone in your family group stops using Steam or moves to a different computer, you can remove them from the Family section at any time. They'll lose access to your library, and any games they were playing will close.

Steam doesn't have a limit on how many times you can add or remove people, so you can change your family group as your situation changes. If a family member wants to rejoin later, you can invite them again.

If you're the one moving to a new computer, your library moves with you. Just sign into your Steam account on the new computer, and you can download your games there. Anyone in your family group will still have access to your library on their computers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share my games with friends who don't live with me?

Yes. Steam Family Sharing doesn't check where people live — it only checks that they have their own Steam account and access to a computer. You can share with anyone, whether they're family or friends. The only limit is that you can add up to five people to your family group.

What if I buy a new game — do I have to do anything to share it?

No. Any game you buy automatically becomes part of your shared library. Everyone in your family group can download and play it right away, as long as it doesn't have a publisher restriction on sharing.

Can two people play the same game together if one of them owns it and the other is using Family Sharing?

No. The one-at-a-time rule applies regardless of who owns the game. If one person is playing a game from your library, nobody else can play that same game until they stop, even if you're the owner.

Will my saves and achievements be affected if someone else plays my games?

No. Each person who plays a shared game has their own save files and achievements. Your progress stays separate from theirs. If you both play the same game, you'll each see your own saves when you launch it.

Can I use Family Sharing on more than one computer?

Yes. You can authorize sharing on multiple computers. Anyone in your family group can download your games on any of those computers and play them on their own account.