Family Sharing lets one Steam account share games with other accounts on the same computer

Family Sharing is a Steam feature that lets you share your game library with other people who use your computer. When you turn it on, anyone with an account on that PC can play your games — they just need to be logged into their own account. You don't hand over your password, and you keep full control of which computer the sharing happens on.

The feature works because Steam separates your game library from the account that owns it. Once Family Sharing is active on a machine, other accounts on that same computer can launch and play any game you own, as long as you're not playing something at the same time. If you try to play a game while someone else is using your library, Steam will ask them to stop or give them a few minutes to save and quit.

This is different from letting someone borrow your password — it's built into Steam's design and doesn't expose your account to risk. You can turn it off anytime, and it only affects the one computer where you set it up.

Key Takeaways

  • Family Sharing must be set up on the specific computer where you want to share games, and it only works for accounts on that machine.
  • You need to authorize the computer in your Steam account settings, then enable Family Sharing and choose which account can use your library.
  • Only one person can play your games at a time — if you start playing, anyone else using your library gets a warning to save and quit.
  • You can set up Family Sharing on up to 10 computers, but only one person per household should use each shared library to avoid Steam's restrictions.

How to authorize your computer in Steam

Before you can share games, Steam needs to know that the computer is yours. Open Steam on the computer where you want to set up sharing, then log in with your account. Go to Steam menu (top left) and select Settings.

In the Settings window, click the Family tab on the left side. You'll see an option that says Authorize Library Sharing on this Computer — click the checkbox next to it. Steam will ask you to confirm; click OK. This tells Steam that this computer is part of your account and can access your library.

You only need to do this once per computer. After you authorize it, you can move on to the next step.

Enable Family Sharing and choose who can use your games

Once the computer is authorized, you're still in the Family tab of Settings. Below the authorization checkbox, you'll see a section called Family Library Sharing. Click the checkbox that says Enable Family Library Sharing on this Computer.

When you turn this on, Steam shows you a list of all the user accounts on your computer. Each account will have a checkbox next to it. Check the box for each account that should be able to play your games. If you only want one other person to use your library, check only their account. You can change this list anytime by coming back to this same screen.

Click OK to save your choices. Family Sharing is now active on this computer.

How the other person plays your games

The person using your shared library doesn't need your password. They just log into their own Steam account on the computer, and when they open Steam, they'll see your games in their library alongside any games they own.

They can launch any of your games the same way they'd launch their own — by clicking the game name and hitting Play. Steam will download the game if it's not already on the computer. The first time they play, it might take a few minutes to prepare the game, but after that it launches normally.

If you try to play one of your games while they're playing, Steam will show them a notification that you want to play. They'll have a few minutes to save their progress and quit, or Steam will close the game for them.

What happens when two people try to play at the same time

Steam only lets one person play from your library at a time. If someone is already playing one of your games and you try to start a different game from your library, Steam will interrupt them with a warning. The warning gives them a countdown — usually five minutes — to save their game and quit.

If they don't quit by the time the countdown ends, Steam closes the game automatically. This is a hard limit: you can't both play at the same time, even if you're playing different games. Games you own personally are the only ones affected — if the other person owns a game themselves, they can play it while you're playing something from your library.

This is why Family Sharing works best when people play at different times, or when you set it up for people in the same household who can coordinate.

Turn off Family Sharing or remove someone from the list

Go back to Steam menu > Settings > Family tab. Under Family Library Sharing, uncheck the box next to any account you want to remove from your library. They'll lose access to your games immediately, though any games they're currently playing will finish.

If you want to turn off Family Sharing completely on this computer, uncheck the Enable Family Library Sharing on this Computer box. No one else will be able to play your games on this machine anymore, but you'll still be able to play them yourself.

You can also remove the computer's authorization entirely by unchecking Authorize Library Sharing on this Computer in the same settings area. This is useful if you're selling the computer or giving it away — it makes sure your account is no longer connected to it.

Set up Family Sharing on multiple computers

You can authorize and share games on up to 10 different computers using the same Steam account. Each computer goes through the same process: log in with your account, go to Settings > Family, check Authorize Library Sharing on this Computer, then enable Family Sharing and choose which accounts can use your library.

The key thing to know is that Steam limits how many people can use your library across all your authorized computers. If you set up sharing on a computer at home and a computer at a friend's house, make sure only one person per household is using your library — otherwise Steam may restrict access to prevent abuse. Steam's system is designed to catch patterns where too many different people are playing from the same library in different locations.

If you stop using a computer, you can deauthorize it from the same Family settings page. This frees up one of your 10 slots so you can authorize a different machine later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share my games with someone who doesn't live with me?

Technically yes, but Steam's terms say Family Sharing is meant for household members. If you set it up with someone far away and Steam detects the pattern — different people playing from different locations — it may restrict your library. It's safest to only share with people in your home.

What if I forget to deauthorize a computer before I sell it?

Go to your Steam account settings on any computer and look for a list of authorized devices. You can deauthorize computers remotely from there, even if you don't have physical access to them anymore. Do this as soon as you realize the computer is gone.

Do I need to stay logged in for other people to play my games?

No. Once Family Sharing is set up, other accounts can play your games whether you're logged in or not. You only need to be logged in if you want to play something yourself.

Will my saves and settings transfer to the other person's account?

No. Each Steam account keeps its own game saves, achievements, and settings. If two people play the same game from your library, they'll have separate save files and progress.

Can I use Family Sharing on a laptop I take places?

Yes, but be careful. If you authorize a laptop and set up sharing, then take it to a friend's house and log into their account, Steam might flag unusual activity. It's better to only set up Family Sharing on computers that stay in one place.