Steam Family Sharing lets multiple people on the same computer play games from one account's library

Steam Family Sharing is a feature that lets you share your game library with other people who use your computer. When you turn it on, anyone with a user account on that computer can launch and play the games you own — they do not need their own copies or their own Steam account with money spent on them. The person whose account owns the games stays logged in on the computer, and the other people use their own Windows or Mac user accounts to access those games.

This works because Steam ties games to the computer itself, not just to one person. Once you set up Family Sharing, Steam remembers which games belong to your account, and the system lets other local users run them. You keep full control: you can turn the feature off at any time, remove people from the shared list, or stop sharing with a specific computer.

Key Takeaways

  • Family Sharing requires the account that owns the games to stay logged in on the computer, while other people use their own Windows or Mac user accounts to play those games.
  • You set up Family Sharing in Steam settings under the Parental Controls section, where you authorize the computer and add people to the shared list.
  • Only one person can play a shared game at the same time — if the owner is playing, nobody else can launch that game until they stop.
  • The person whose account owns the games can revoke sharing at any time, and shared games stop working immediately when they do.
  • Games that require a separate account (like World of Warcraft or Valorant) cannot be shared, even though they appear in your Steam library.

Turn on Family Sharing in Steam settings

Open Steam on the computer where you want to share games. Click your account name in the top right corner and select Settings. On the left side, scroll down and click Parental Controls. If you have not set up parental controls before, Steam will ask you to create a PIN — choose a number you will remember, because you need it to change these settings later.

Once you are in Parental Controls, look for the section called Family Library Sharing (the exact name may vary slightly depending on your Steam version). Check the box next to Enable Family Library Sharing on this computer. Steam will show you a list of user accounts on your computer. Select the accounts you want to give access to your games — these are the Windows or Mac user accounts, not Steam accounts. Click Save and close the settings window.

The account that owns the games must stay logged into Steam on that computer for Family Sharing to work. You do not need to be actively playing — Steam just needs to be running in the background. If you log out of Steam or switch to a different Steam account, the shared games stop working for other people immediately.

How other people play your shared games

Each person who wants to play your games needs to have their own user account on the computer. They do not need a Steam account or to own any games themselves. They simply log into their Windows or Mac user account, open Steam, and look at their library. Your shared games will appear there alongside any games they own themselves.

When they click a shared game and select Play, Steam launches it under their account. From the game's perspective, they are a separate player — their save files, settings, and progress stay separate from yours. If they play an online multiplayer game, they appear as a different player to other people in the game.

The only restriction is that only one person can play a shared game at the same time. If you are playing a game from your library, nobody else can launch that same game until you close it. If someone else is playing one of your games, you cannot start it. Steam will tell them the game is in use and block the launch.

Games that cannot be shared

Some games require you to log into a separate account — usually games made by companies other than Valve that have their own account systems. World of Warcraft, Valorant, Final Fantasy XIV, and Destiny 2 are common examples. These games appear in your Steam library, but Family Sharing does not work for them because the game itself checks your account, not Steam's.

A few games also have restrictions built into their license that prevent sharing. These are rare, but Steam will tell you if a game cannot be shared — look for a note in the game's library page. Most games work fine with Family Sharing, so you will only run into this problem with specific titles.

Stop sharing or remove someone from the list

If you want to turn off Family Sharing completely, go back to Settings > Parental Controls > Family Library Sharing and uncheck the box next to Enable Family Library Sharing on this computer. Shared games stop working immediately for everyone else.

If you want to keep Family Sharing on but remove one specific person, uncheck their name in the user account list and click Save. That person's account will no longer see your games, though any other accounts you left checked will still have access.

You can also revoke sharing from a distance. If you log into Steam on a different computer or on the Steam website, you can see all the computers where you have authorized Family Sharing. You can remove any of them from that list, and sharing stops on that computer even if you are not there.

What happens to save files and achievements

Each person's save files, achievements, and game settings stay completely separate. If you play a game and reach level 30, and someone else plays the same game on their account, their character starts at level 1. Their progress does not affect yours, and your progress does not affect theirs. Steam keeps track of who earned which achievements, so achievements stay tied to the person who earned them.

If someone deletes a game from their account, it does not delete it from yours. They are just removing it from their own library view. The game stays in your library and in the shared pool, and they can reinstall it whenever they want.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share games with someone who lives in a different house?

No. Family Sharing only works on the same computer. If you want someone in a different location to play your games, you would need to give them your Steam account login, which Steam's terms of service do not allow. Steam Remote Play is an alternative that lets you stream games to another computer, but that is a different feature.

What if someone else's Steam account owns games I want to play?

If they set up Family Sharing on your computer and add your user account to the list, you can play their games the same way they play yours. Family Sharing works both directions — whoever sets it up shares their library with everyone on the authorized list.

Do I need to buy a separate copy of a game for each person?

No. One copy covers everyone on the shared list, as long as only one person plays it at a time. If two people want to play the same game simultaneously, you would need to own it twice — once on each account.

Can I use Family Sharing on more than one computer?

Yes. You can set up Family Sharing on multiple computers. Your games will be available on all of them, but you can only play on one computer at a time. If you are playing a game on Computer A, you cannot play it on Computer B until you stop on Computer A.

What happens if I forget my parental controls PIN?

You will need to reset it through your Steam account settings on the Steam website. Log in to your account, go to Account Details, and look for the Parental Controls section. You can reset the PIN from there, though Steam may ask you to verify your identity first.