How to Family Share a Game on Steam
Steam'southward library sharing feature is user-friendly, simply has some drawbacks.
Taylor Martin/CNETWith its no-strings-attached approach and a frequent sales, Steam -- Valve's digital gaming distribution service -- makes it easy for gamers to build up sizable gaming libraries. Unlikegame subscription services (Xbox Game Pass,Apple Arcade,Google Play Pass), you tin purchase individual games on Steam without a monthly commitment.
Another perk? Steam Family unit Sharing lets yous share your game library with others. Even though this feature is aimed at helping parents distribute and monitor what their kids play, information technology as well lets you lend games to your friends. Here's a step-past-footstep guide on how to share your Steam library.
Protect your account by enabling Steam Guard
Safeguarding your game library should exist your meridian priority. This mode, even if you share your account, everything will still be protected and inside your command. To do that, you need to enable Steam Baby-sit. Steam Guard -- which is free to plough on -- provides an boosted level of security that protects your account from unauthorized access.
Here's how to enable Steam Baby-sit on your account with the desktop app or in browser:
1. Become to Steam'south homepage and brand certain you're logged in.
2. In the upper right corner, click your username.
3. In the driblet-down menu, click Account Details.
iv. Gyre downwardly to Account Security and click Manage Steam Guard.
Enabling Steam Guard can help protect your account, even if yous don't share it.
Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNETFrom there, you tin choose between having Steam Guard codes sent to your phone or email, or you tin plough Steam Guard off entirely. You'll also see the pick to deauthorize all other computers or devices other than the 1 y'all're currently using that might have saved your login information. Steam recommends sending Baby-sit codes to your phone equally a grade of two-factor authentication.
Sending codes to your phone provides an additional level of security on your account.
Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNETShare your Steam game library
Log into your family fellow member or friend's computer with your Steam account to get started. Y'all tin exercise this from your app, here's how:
1. In the top left corner, clickSteam.
2. Select Settings (on Windows) or Preferences(on Mac) from the drop-down card.
3. SelectFamilyin the side menu
4. Click the box that saysAuthorize Library Sharing on this computer.
You can authorize library sharing in the Steam app.
Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNETThis gives you lot the pick to authorize any accounts that have also logged into the aforementioned computer. If no 1 else has, you'll become a message saying "No other local accounts found." Subsequently this is consummate, log out of your business relationship and your friend or family fellow member can log back into theirs. They should now have the power to download and install select games from your library.
Yous can select upwards to five users who can access and apply your library across 10 devices that you lot've authorized. While you tin can't gear up up Family unit Sharing in a browser, you tin can check which devices and accounts have access to your Steam Library. You tin can also revoke access.
Here's how to cheque in the Steam app:
i. In the upper correct corner, click your username.
2.In the driblet-down carte du jour, clickAccount Details.
three. Curl down to Family unit Settings and clickManage Family Library Sharing.
4.If whatever accounts or devices have admission that you no longer wish to, you lot canclick Revoke nether Sharing Condition.
Checking in a browser is essentially the aforementioned, one time y'all log into the Steam site:
1. Go to Steam'southward homepage and make sure you're logged in.
ii. In the upper right corner, click your username.
3. In the drop-down menu, clickAccount Details.
4. Scroll down to Family Settings and click Manage Family Library Sharing.
five. If any accounts or devices have access that you no longer wish to, you can click Revoke nether Sharing Status.
Pros of sharing your gaming library with Steam Family Sharing
- Sharing your games with others.
- Existence able to try out games when your family unit or friends share their business relationship with you lot.
- Parents can have a bit more control over games their younger children may play.
- Easy to view and revoke admission to who has access to your library.
- Gives the user yous're sharing with a chance to try a game without investing money right away.
Cons of sharing your gaming library with Steam Family Sharing
- Steam'due south sharing features aren't perfect.
- Only 5 accounts tin access your gaming library from upwards to x different computers.
- You lot demand an internet connection to access the shared libraries.
- Libraries can only be shared in their entirety.
- Some games don't qualify for sharing because they require a subscription.
- Shared games can merely be accessed past 1 person at a time, and so you won't exist able to hands play games together.
- The account holder has priority access to their games. If y'all start playing a game while some other person is already playing, they'll have the choice to buy the game or stop the session.
Source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/share-your-steam-library-with-friends/
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