Even though Microsoft is cornering the gaming community with the PC Game Pass subscription on Windows, not everyone enjoys the Xbox experience and selected titles. Some users prefer the Steam store to download games and engage with the community. But what if the Steam store fails to load in the first place? Here are the best ways to fix Steam not loading or showing a blank screen on Windows.
There is no real alternative for the Steam store on Windows. Maybe you want to download the latest game from the Steam Store or want to gift your friend one, Steam store not opening can leave you in confusion. Let’s fix the issue once and for all.
1. Check Internet Connection
This may seem basic, but you need to ensure a working internet connection on your computer. Steam store might fail to load on slow internet speeds.
Step 1: Open Settings app on Windows 11 (use Windows + I keys).
Step 2: Go to Network & internet menu.
Step 3: Make sure your computer is connected to a Wi-Fi connection (preferably 5 GHz) or, even better, utilize the Ethernet connection for a flawless Steam experience.
2. Check Steam Server Status
Before we move to advanced solutions to fix Steam store not working, you need to check Steam servers. If the company servers face a hard time keeping up with user requests, they might go down.
Unlike Xbox, Steam doesn’t offer any official site to check the server status. You must visit downdetector and search for Steam. If others face the same, you will notice high outage graphs and user comments.
You can also visit Steam Status (unofficial one) site and check every server status in detail.
3. Force Close Steam
This trick worked for us when we faced the Stream store not loading issue on our computer. You need to completely close the Steam app and try loading the store again.
Step 1: Right-click on the Windows key and open the Task Manager menu.
Step 2: Find Steam from the list and select it.
Step 3: Click on the End Task button and close the app.
Try opening the Steam app again and see if the store is loading or not.
4. Sign Out and Sign in Again
Due to an account authentication error, Steam might not load the store for you. Let’s sign out from the Steam account and sign back in using the same credentials.
Step 1: Open Steam app on your PC.
Step 2: Select the drop-down menu at the top and log out from your account.
Step 3: Login using the same account details and start using the store.
5. Update Steam App
Not everyone enjoys the idea of keeping the installed apps up-to-date on Windows. If you work with an old Steam build on your computer, the store might start giving you trouble. Let’s update Steam to the latest version, shall we?
Step 1: Open Steam on Windows.
Step 2: Select Steam from the menu bar.
Step 3: Check for Steam client updates and install the latest app build on your PC.
6. Delete Steam Cache
If you are still facing issues with the Steam store not loading on Windows, you need to clear the app cache and download data.
Step 1: Press Windows + R keys and open the Run menu.
Step 2: Type steam://flushconfig and press OK.
Step 3: The command will open the Steam download cache pop-up. Click OK and clear cache.
7. Run Steam in Big Picture Mode
Many users have reported successful results with this trick. You need to run Steam in Big Picture mode.
Step 1: Select the up arrow in the Windows 11 taskbar.
Step 2: Click on the Steam icon.
Step 3: Select Big Picture and enjoy the Steam experience on a big display.
8. Opt for Steam Beta Program
Steam might have already fixed the issue in the beta build. You need to sign up for the beta program from the Steam app.
Step 1: Open the Steam app and click on Steam at the top.
Step 2: Select Settings and find Beta participation under Account.
Step 3: Select Change and opt for the beta program.
Wait for some time, and Steam will ask you to download the updated beta app build.
9. Clear Browser Cache in Steam
You need to delete web browser data and try loading the Steam store again.
Step 1: Open Steam settings (follow the steps in the section above).
Step 2: Select Web Browser from the left sidebar.
Step 3: Click on delete web browser data and confirm your decision.
Start Using Steam Store on Windows
If none of the tricks are working, you need to use the Steam web to engage with the community and download games. Which trick helped you troubleshoot the Steam store not working issue? Share your findings in the comments below.
