how does steam family sharing work

How Does Steam Family Sharing Work?

Steam Family Sharing allows you to share your Steam library with other users on your account's authorized computers. It's not a simple gifting system; instead, it allows another user to play your games while you are not playing them. This means only one person can play a shared game at a time. The system works by authorizing a computer to access your library. Once authorized, a secondary user can log into their own Steam account on that authorized computer and access the games you've chosen to share. This secondary user will need their own Steam account. They will not have access to your account information, purchase history, or wallet. They can only play the games you explicitly share with them. The shared games are essentially "borrowed" – the owner retains full ownership and can revoke access at any time.

Can I Share All My Steam Games with My Family?

No, you cannot share all your Steam games. You can choose which games you wish to share from your library. You have complete control over which titles are available for sharing. This allows you to selectively share games appropriate for other family members or games you're comfortable lending. Games that are marked as non-shareable by the developer cannot be shared through the Family Sharing feature, regardless of your settings. Also, certain DLC or add-ons might not be shared along with the base game. It's best to review the games individually to confirm their shareability.

What Are the Limitations of Steam Family Sharing?

Steam Family Sharing comes with several limitations:

• One User at a Time: Only one person can play a shared game at any given time. If the owner of the games logs in, the shared game will immediately become unavailable to the other user.
• Limited Game Selection: Not all games are shareable. Developers can opt out of Family Sharing. Furthermore, you choose which games to share; you are not obligated to share all of them.
• Authorized Computers Only: The shared games are only accessible on computers that have been specifically authorized by the account owner. You must authorize each computer individually.
• No Access to Account Information: The shared user only has access to the designated games; they cannot access the account owner's purchase history, wallet, or any other account settings.
• Potential for Conflicts: If there are multiple family members using the same authorized computer, there might be conflicts if they attempt to play the same shared game simultaneously.
• Save Data: Save data is typically tied to the individual user's account, not the game itself. Therefore, progress made by one user in a shared game will not be automatically transferred to another user.

How Do I Authorize a Computer for Steam Family Sharing?

Authorizing a computer for Steam Family Sharing is a straightforward process:

1. Log in: Log into your Steam account on the computer you wish to authorize.
2. Settings: Go to your Steam client settings. This is usually found under the "Steam" menu in the upper left corner.
3. Family: Locate the "Family" section within the settings.
4. Authorize This Computer: You should find an option to authorize this computer for family sharing. Click it.
5. Confirmation: Steam will confirm the authorization. Once authorized, other users can log into their Steam accounts on this computer and access the shared games.
6. Revoke Authorization (if needed): You can also revoke authorization for a computer from the same "Family" settings menu if you no longer want to share your games on that specific machine. This will prevent anyone from accessing your shared games on that computer until it's authorized again.

Remember to always be mindful of the limitations and responsible for your shared games.

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