What Steam Family Sharing does
Steam Family Sharing lets you share your game library with up to five other people on your account, and they can play those games on their own computers without owning them. You keep your library — the other people get temporary access to play while you're not using your account. It's the closest Steam comes to a library card for video games.
The catch is timing: only one person can play from your library at a time. If you're playing a game you own, nobody else can launch anything from your collection until you stop. If someone else is playing, you can't start a game from your library — though you can still play games you own separately on a different computer.
This works across computers, not just one household machine. A family member in another city can install and play your games on their own PC or Mac, as long as Steam knows it's an authorized device.
Key Takeaways
- You can share your entire Steam library with up to five other people, and they play on their own accounts and computers.
- Only one person can play games from your shared library at the same time — if you're playing, nobody else can launch anything until you stop.
- You authorize a computer as a "library computer" once, and anyone with a Steam account on that machine can play your games.
- The person sharing the library keeps all their achievements, saves, and progress — shared players get their own separate saves.
- Steam tracks who is playing what and will block access if it detects account sharing abuse or simultaneous play from your library.
How to set up Family Sharing on your account
Start in Steam on your own computer. Click your username in the top right, then select Settings. Go to the Family tab on the left side. You'll see a button that says Manage other computers — click that.
Steam will show you a list of computers already connected to your account. Find the computer where the other person will play, and check the box next to Authorize Library Sharing on this device. That's it for setup on your end. Steam will remember that computer as authorized.
Now the other person needs to log into Steam on that same computer using their own account. They don't need to do anything special — once they log in, they'll see your entire library in their Steam client under the Library tab. They can install and play any game from your collection.
What happens when two people want to play at the same time
If you try to start a game while someone else is already playing from your library, Steam will show you a message: the other player is using your library, and you have the option to stop their game and start yours. If you do, they get kicked out and lose any unsaved progress in that game.
The person playing from your library sees the same warning in reverse — if you try to launch a game, they get a notification that the library owner is starting something, and they can either quit or lose their session. Most of the time, whoever clicks first wins.
This is why Family Sharing works best when people play at different times. If you and a family member both want to play simultaneously, you'll need separate copies of the games — or one of you needs to own the game separately.
How saves and achievements work with shared games
Each person who plays a game from your library gets their own separate save file and their own achievement progress. If you play a game you own, your saves stay yours. If someone else plays that same game through Family Sharing, their saves are completely separate — they won't overwrite yours, and you won't see their progress.
Achievements work the same way. If you earn an achievement in a game you own, it shows on your profile. If someone else earns an achievement in that same game through your shared library, it shows on their profile, not yours. Your stats and theirs never mix.
This separation is automatic — Steam handles it behind the scenes. You don't need to do anything to keep saves separate, and you can't accidentally erase someone else's progress by playing the same game.
Restrictions and what Steam doesn't allow
Steam monitors Family Sharing for abuse. If the system detects that you're sharing your account password with someone so they can log in as you (rather than using their own account on an authorized computer), Steam can restrict or disable sharing on your account.
You also can't use Family Sharing to bypass regional pricing. If a game is cheaper in another region, Steam won't let you share it with someone in a region where it costs more — the system checks location and will block access if it looks like price arbitrage.
Some games have additional restrictions. A few titles — usually online multiplayer games with strict licensing — don't work with Family Sharing at all. Steam will show you a warning on those games saying they can't be shared. You'll see this before you authorize a computer, so you know which games are off-limits.
Setting up Family Sharing on a second computer
If you want to share your library on more than one computer, repeat the authorization process for each machine. Go back to Settings > Family > Manage other computers, and authorize the new computer the same way.
You can authorize up to ten computers total on your account. However, only five of those can have Family Sharing active at once — that's the limit on how many people can access your library simultaneously (though remember, only one can play at a time anyway).
Each authorized computer works independently. If you authorize your home PC and your laptop, family members can play your games on either machine. The library is the same on both — they're just different entry points to the same collection.
What to do if Family Sharing stops working
If someone can't see your games in their library, first check that the computer is still authorized. Go to Settings > Family > Manage other computers and confirm the box is still checked. Sometimes Steam un-authorizes a computer if it hasn't been used in a long time.
If the computer is authorized but the games still don't show up, have the other person log out of Steam completely, restart the Steam client, and log back in. This refreshes their library list and usually fixes the problem.
If you changed your Steam password recently, you may need to re-authorize the computer. Go through the authorization process again — it only takes a few seconds. Steam sometimes requires this as a security measure after password changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share my Steam library with someone who doesn't live with me?
Yes. Family Sharing works across any distance — the other person just needs access to a computer you've authorized. They log in with their own Steam account on that computer, and your library appears in their client. Steam doesn't verify that people are actually related or living together.
What happens to my games if I stop sharing with someone?
If you un-authorize a computer, the person on that machine loses access to your library when ready. Any games they were playing stop working. Their own games and purchases stay on their account — only your shared games disappear. Their saves and achievements remain on their account even after access ends.
Can someone play my games on their phone or tablet?
Not through Family Sharing. Steam's sharing feature only works on computers — Windows PCs and Macs. Mobile devices aren't supported. Some games have separate mobile versions, but those are different apps and not part of Family Sharing.
Do I need to stay logged in for someone else to play my games?
No. Once you authorize a computer, the other person can play your games on their own account without you being logged in anywhere. You can be offline, playing a different game, or using a completely different computer — it doesn't matter. The authorization is permanent until you remove it.
What if someone buys a game while using my shared library?
They can't. When someone plays a game from your library, they're using your ownership. If they want to buy a game, they have to purchase it on their own account. Once they own it, they can play it anytime without needing your library access.