While there isn’t an exact explanation why this happens, user reports say that it mainly occurs when they are trying to log in or download a new game. Well, whatever the case, if you are here because your Steam keeps freezing or not responding, then worry not! We have all the fixes related to this problem.
How to Fix Steam Not Responding or Keeps Freezing
Programs generally start freezing when your processor doesn’t have enough memory. So a simple reboot of your PC should be enough to fix this issue. However, if your Steam still keeps freezing even after the system reboot, you can take a look at these methods that have fixed this issue for many users.
Restart Your Steam Client App
Apps keep crashing and freezing in Windows all the time. And you shouldn’t take it as a big deal. If you are facing this issue, simply restarting your Steam Client does the trick most of the time. To do that: See if the problem is fixed, and you can use Steam normally without any issue. If it doesn’t work, you can move on to the next method.
Clear Download Cache and Web-Browser Cache from Steam Client
These annoying freezing and not responding issues can also be fixed by deleting web browser cache and download. But, the problem arises when you can’t click any button. If that is the case for you, skip this method and try the next method instead. However, if your Steam only stops responding randomly and you can still interact with it, you can follow these steps: Now, close the Steam client and relaunch it. See if your problem is gone now. If it is still the same, you can try the next method.
Run Steam Flush Command
Broken or corrupted files on your Steam directory can also cause this issue. You can use this method to fix the broken or corrupted files on your Steam Directory. To use this method: When this process is completed, it opens a brand new Steam login window. Now, log in to your Steam account by using your Username and Password. See if you can run Steam without any freezes or lags. If it’s still freezing, you can try this next method.
Check for Windows Updates
If your PC is missing some major or important updates, it can result in some rare cases where the programs stop responding and freeze randomly. So checking if you have some missing updates is always a good idea. Follow these steps to update Windows: If you have missing updates, it will automatically download and install them. After it is successfully installed, you can restart your PC and launch Steam to see if your issue is fixed.
Update Your Graphics Driver
Your outdated driver might be the cause of this problem too. Outdated or corrupted drivers are known to cause many problems for Windows users. So updating your graphics driver can fix this problem as well. To update your graphics driver: After your driver has been updated, restart your PC and launch Steam. Check if your problem is fixed. If not, you can move on to the next step.
Prevent Auto-Launching of Apps on Windows Startup
Some apps are launched automatically when you start your Windows. When you have a lot of these apps, they can rack up quite a bit of memory and resources, which causes other apps to freeze randomly. To prevent this issue, you can disable them from auto-launching in Task Manager. To do that: After the restart, launch Steam and see if it runs normally without any issue.
Delete Temp Files
Temp files are basically temporary files that your PC no longer needs. These files are created by Windows and programs you use, and can sometimes take up a lot of space on your PC. Cleaning the temp files regularly ensures that your PC is running smoothly. To delete your temp files: After this, close the File Explorer and launch Steam from the desktop. Check if the freezing problem is gone. If not, you can move on to the next method.
Repair Your Steam Services
You might face this problem when you have corrupted files in your Steam directory. You can fix this issue by repairing your SteamService.exe file. But before running this troubleshooting method, make sure you’ve closed your Steam Client app. Here’re the steps: Running this command will open up the terminal on your PC and run some scripts. The terminal closes by itself when this process is completed, so you don’t have to do anything. Just sit back and let it do its thing. Now, launch Steam from your desktop. Your problem should be fixed by now. If it’s still lagging and freezing, you can try the next method.
Reinstall Your Steam
If none of the methods worked and you’re still having the same issue, you can try reinstalling Steam as a last resort. To proceed with this method, you can follow these methods: After the installation process is complete, log in to your account using your Username and Password. Check if it runs normally and there are no freezing issues. These methods are usually enough to solve the freezing issues in Steam. However, if you’re still having the problem even after you’ve tried all of these methods, you can try updating your date & time, and disabling your VPN and antivirus programs.
