Steam is not responding - how to solve the problem

The Steam client allows you to manage content purchased on the digital distribution platform directly on your computer. Every now and then, however, you run into problems with the client. Find out here what you can do if Steam stops responding.

Steam has hung up - here's what to do

If Steam stops responding, you can quit the application via the Windows Task Manager. If you are using Steam on Mac, you also have the option to force quit the application. Follow these steps to quit Steam via the Task Manager:

1. Press the [Ctrl], [Shift], and [Esc] keys simultaneously to bring up the Task Manager. Alternatively, you can also right-click on the Windows icon in the taskbar and open the Task Manager via the menu.
2. In the Task Manager, all currently active programs are displayed. Select the "Steam" entry.
3. Click "Quit Task" in the bottom right corner.

On the Mac, you need to do the following:

1. Call the "Quit Immediately" dialog by pressing the [Option] + [Command] + [Esc] keys simultaneously. Instead of the key combination, you can also call the function via the navigation. To do this, click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner and select "Quit Immediately" from the menu.
2. Select Steam in the list of applications.
3. Click "Quit Immediately" to force the application to close.

Steam should now launch normally again. To avoid recurring problems, make sure Steam is up to date and no updates are available. If the problem occurs more often, a reinstallation can help.