Steam not downloading games – How to fix it

The Steam client allows you to browse the games, purchase the ones you want and download them. But, there is nothing more frustrating than the situation in which Steam not downloading games. It seems like the download is stuck and won’t move. If that’s something you are facing, keep reading. We are going to list the solutions below.

See also: Steam friends network unreachable – Ways to fix it

Things to try when Steam not downloading games

If the download is stuck and won’t move, try the solutions listed below, and hopefully, one of them will work:

  • Go offline. Always start with the basics. When something like this happens, go offline and then go back online. Click on Steam in the top-left and click on the option Go offline. Next, click on Restart in Offline mode. Wait a couple of minutes. Click on Steam in the top-left one more time, and then select Go online option. Try to download again.
  • Close apps running in the background – some apps may be causing bandwidth issues and cause the download to freeze. If you have many apps that are running, close them. Another option is to restart your PC that will automatically close processes and apps running in the background.
  • Clear Steam Client cache – launch the client and click on Steam in the top-left corner of the screen. Click Settings. Click Clear Cache. The pop-up message will show up. Confirm the action.
  • Launch Steam as administrator – to do this, press Windows + E buttons at the same time. Next, open Steam in the Explorer. Find “Steam.exe” on the list and right-click on it. Click Properties. Next, click on the “Compatibility” option. Click Run as Administrator and then click Apply. Finally, click OK.
  • Turn of the firewall and the antivirus software. Sometimes, the antivirus on your PC and sometimes the firewall could be the reasons why the download won’t move any further. So, what you may try is to temporarily disable these and see if that will put things into motion.
  • Make sure that drivers on your PC are up to date.
  • Change the region for downloads – this may help. Here is what you need to do. Launch Steam, go to Settings, click Downloads. By clicking on the Download region, a drop-down menu will open. Choose the place close to you and then try downloading. Nothing? Go back, and choose another region.

These solutions are considered to be the most efficient, so make sure to try them out. As the last option, you can remove the Steam client from your PC and install it again.

You may also read: How to appear offline on Steam

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