What Steam Family Sharing does and how it works
Steam Family Sharing lets you share your game library with up to five other people on your account, and them with you. When you set it up, anyone in your family group can play games you own on their own computer or device — they don't need to buy those games separately. The person whose account owns the game can play at the same time as someone else in the group, but only one person from the group can play the same game at once unless you own multiple copies.
The setup takes about ten minutes and requires you to designate one computer as your "library computer" — the one where your account stays logged in. Anyone else in the family group can then log into their own account on that computer and play your games from there. On their own computers, they log in as themselves, and Steam automatically lets them launch games you own.
This is different from simply sharing your Steam password. With Family Sharing, each person keeps their own account, their own save files, and their own friends list. Valve tracks who owns what and prevents abuse by limiting how many people can play simultaneously and requiring the library computer to stay connected to the internet.
Key Takeaways
- You need a Steam account, a computer to designate as your library computer, and the Steam app installed on that computer and any others where people will play.
- Set up Family Sharing in Steam Settings under Family, then add family members by their Steam username or email address.
- Only one person can play the same game at the same time unless you own multiple copies, but different people can play different games simultaneously.
- The library computer must stay logged into your account and connected to the internet, but you can play your games on other computers by logging in as yourself.
- Anyone in your family group can see all the games you own and play them, so only invite people you trust with access to your entire library.
Before you start: what you need
You need a Steam account with games already purchased on it. If you don't have Steam yet, download it from steampowered.com and create an account — that's free. You also need at least one computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux with Steam installed.
Everyone you want to share with needs their own Steam account. If someone doesn't have one yet, they can create one for free at steampowered.com. They don't need to own any games themselves — they'll be able to play yours once you set up Family Sharing.
You'll also need the Steam usernames or email addresses of the people you want to invite. Write these down before you start, because you'll enter them during setup.
Step-by-step setup on your library computer
Open Steam on the computer you want to use as your library computer — this is the one that will stay logged into your account. Click your username in the top right corner and select Settings.
In the Settings window, click the Family tab on the left side. You'll see a section called "Family Library Sharing" with a toggle switch. Click the toggle to turn it on. Steam will ask you to confirm — click Enable.
Once it's on, you'll see a section that says "Authorize Library Sharing on this device". This is already done for the computer you're on. Below that, you'll see "Family group members" with a button that says Add a member. Click it.
A window will open asking for the Steam username or email address of the person you want to add. Type it in and click Add. Steam will send them an invitation. They need to accept it in their own Steam account before they can access your games. Repeat this step for each person you want to share with — you can add up to five people.
How the other person accepts and starts playing
The person you invited will see a notification in their Steam account that they've been added to a family group. They need to open Steam, go to Settings, click the Family tab, and accept the invitation. Once they do, they'll see your library listed under "Family Library Sharing".
On the library computer (the one logged into your account), they can log out of their own account and log into theirs. Then they can launch any of your games directly from their library. On their own computer, they log in as themselves, and your games will appear in their library with a small icon showing they're shared. They can launch them the same way they'd launch any game they own.
The first time they play a shared game, Steam may ask them to authorize the library computer. This is a security step — they just need to click Authorize and it's done.
Rules about who can play when
Only one person can play the same game at the same time, even if multiple people in your family group own copies of it. If you're playing a game and someone else tries to launch it, Steam will give them a message saying the game is in use and ask if they want to wait or play a different game.
Different people can play different games at the same time with no problem. If you're playing Game A and someone else in your family group is playing Game B, that works fine.
If you own two copies of the same game — for example, if you bought it twice or received it as a gift — then two people can play it simultaneously. Steam counts each copy separately.
What happens to save files and achievements
Each person's save files and achievements stay with their own account. If you play a game and reach level 10, then someone else in your family group plays the same game, they start from the beginning — your progress doesn't transfer. Their achievements and playtime are recorded under their account, not yours.
Some games store save files in the cloud through Steam Cloud, which means they sync across computers. Other games store saves only on the computer where you played. Either way, each account's saves are separate. If you're worried about someone overwriting your progress, you can keep your library computer as the only place you play, and let others play on their own computers.
Removing someone from your family group
If you want to stop sharing with someone, go back to Steam Settings, click the Family tab, and find their name in the "Family group members" list. Click the X next to their name. They'll immediately lose access to your games, though any games they're currently playing will finish the session they're in.
You can also remove the library computer authorization from a specific device. In the Family settings, scroll down to "Authorize Library Sharing on this device" and you'll see a list of computers that are authorized. Click the X next to any computer to remove it. That computer will no longer be able to access your shared games.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play my games on multiple computers at once?
Yes, but only if you're logged into your own account on each computer. You can be playing a game on your laptop while someone else in your family group plays a different game on the library computer. You cannot play the same game on two computers at the same time unless you own two copies.
What if the library computer goes offline?
If the library computer loses internet connection, people can still play games they've already launched, but they can't start new games. Once the library computer is back online, everything works normally again. This is why the library computer needs to stay connected — it's how Steam verifies that sharing is still authorized.
Can someone see my personal information or chat history?
No. Family Sharing only gives access to your game library. They can't see your friends list, your chat messages, your email, or any personal settings. Each person's account remains completely separate.
What if I want to stop sharing with everyone?
Go to Steam Settings, click the Family tab, and toggle off "Family Library Sharing". This immediately removes everyone's access. You can turn it back on anytime and re-add people.
Do I need to stay logged into the library computer all the time?
Yes, your account needs to stay logged in on the library computer for Family Sharing to work. You can lock the computer or put it to sleep — that's fine. But if you log out or restart without logging back in, other people won't be able to play your games until you log back in.