FIX: Steam Crashes or Freezes on Windows 10/11. (2025)

When Steam crashes or freezes when you play your favorite game, it's very frustrating, so in this guide we'll help you solve these problems.

Steam crashes can be caused by various reasons and it is often difficult to identify the exact cause because there is no information about the cause of the problem. However, here are some common reasons why Steam might crash:

• Outdated or corrupt game files.
• Conflicts with Antivirus/Firewall Software.
• Graphics driver issues.
• Damaged Steam Client files.

In this tutorial you'll find several method to resolve the Steam client crashing & freezing issues on Windows 11/10.

Hot to FIX: Steam Crashing or Freezing on Windows 11/10.

Before moving on to the below advanced solutions, try the simple steps below and see if the problem is resolved.

1. Restart your computer.
2. Make sure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements for the game you are playing.
3. Update Windows.
4. Disconnect any external USB devices (e.g. Game controllers, USB disks, etc.)
5. Disconnect from VPN/Proxies.
6. Temporarily disable or uninstall third-party antivirus programs. *

* Note: I suggest keeping your Antivirus/Firewall disabled while trying the other methods as well.

1. Run Steam as Administrator.
2. Delete Steam's Download Cache.
3. Verify Integrity of Game files on Steam.
4. Update Video Drivers.
5. Delete Steam's APPCACHE folder.
6. Delete Steam Beta file.

Method 1. Run Steam as Administrator.

A simple method to fix the Steam client crashing problem, is to run Stem client as Administrator. To do that:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate at the following location on disk:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\

2. Right-click on "Steam.exe" file and select Properties.

3. Select the Compatibility tab, check the "Run this program as an administrator" box, and click Apply > OK.

4. Now open Steam and check if the issue has been resolved.

Method 2: Delete Steam's Download Cache.

An overloaded Steam cache can sometimes cause the Steam app and games to malfunction. Clearing the download cache on Stem may help resolve this issue.

1. Launch the Steam app.

2. Click on the Steam menu in the top left of the menu bar and select Settings.

3. Select Downloads from the left pane, and then on the right, click the CLEAR DOWNLOAD CACHE button.

4. When prompted with a verification message, select OK.

5. Steam will restart and clear the download cache.
6. Log in again with your Steam account to start gaming.

Method 3. Verify Integrity of Steam Game files.

If one or more game files on Steam are corrupted/damaged, crashes may occur while playing your favorite game. Verifying the integrity of game files through the Steam client can help correct the crashing problems on Steam.

1. Open the Steam app and click Library on the title bar.

2. Right click on the game that crashes and select the Properties option.

3. Select the Local Files tab and click the Verify integrity of game files button.

4. When the verification is done, restart the Steam client.

Method 4: Update the Graphics Drivers

Having an unstable or outdated graphics driver on your system can also cause Steam client to crash. In this case update or reinstall the graphics drivers according to the instructions below.

1a. Press Windows + R keys to load the Run dialog box.
1b. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter to open the device manager.

2. In the Device Manager window, locate and double-click the Display adapters option to expand it.

3. Right-click on your graphics adapter and select Update driver.*

* Note: If you own a laptop with a secondary graphics adapters (discrete GPU), update the drivers on the secondary adapter.(e.g. AMD Radeon or NVidia)

4. In the "Update Drivers" window, select Search automatically for drivers.

5. Allow the system to search and install any available graphics drivers and then restart your PC. *

* Note: If Windows cannot find an updated graphics driver, visit the official support site of you Graphics adapter manufacturer (e.g. NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel), and download and install the graphics drivers from there.

Method 5: Delete Steam's APPCACHE folder.

If the Steam client still crashing after applying the above methods, then proceed and delete the Steam "appcache" folder.

1. Restart your computer to make sure that no Steam process is running.

2. Open Explorer and navigate to the following path:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam

3. Locate and delete the appcache folder.

4. Start Steam.

Method 6: Delete Steam Beta file.

If you are using the beta version of Steam, it could be the cause of the problem. Sometimes, the beta version of Steam is unstable and can lead to various issues. You can easily unregister the beta version of Steam by deleting the beta file in Steam's "package" folder.

1. Open File Explorer and navigate at the following location on disk:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\package

2. Now see if there is a file named "beta" and if so, delete it.

3. Then, try to open the Steam app again and see if Steam works without any problems.

Method 7: Uninstall and Reinstall the Steam app.

If none of the above methods fixed the Steam not opening issue, uninstalling and reinstalling the Steam app usually fixes it.

Step 1. Backup Steam Games.

As a precautionary measure, go ahead and back up your Steam games to another location. To do that:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the following location:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps

2. Then proceed and Copy the common folder to another location/disk.

Step 2. Remove and Reinstall Steam app.

1a. Press Windows + R keys to load the Run dialog box.
1b. Type appwiz.cpl and press Enter to open Programs and Features.

2. Find and right-click on Steam app and click Uninstall. (or alternatively select the Steam app and click Uninstall from the menu).

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall Steam and then restart your PC.

4. Finally, go to Steam webpage and click Install Steam to download and install the latest Steam client.

5. Open Steam and check if your games are there. If not, close Steam and copy the "common" folder from the backup location back to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps" folder.

That's it! Which method worked for you?
Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.

If this article was useful for you, please consider supporting us by making a donation. Even $1 can a make a huge difference for us in our effort to continue to help others while keeping this site free: