8 Ways to Overcome Steam Access Denied on Windows

 Steam is a multi-station gaming platform where players can buy, trade and play the games of their choice. Steam allows transactions within the platform, so it must provide an optimal level of security to satisfy the doubts of its consumers. Therefore, these security measures may conflict with your machine's security settings.

“Steam Access Denied” errors occur when these security settings conflict or when Steam misinterprets your actions on the platform. When this happens, Steam will no longer be accessible. If you experience the same problem, here are some ways to overcome Steam Access Denied on Windows.

1. Restart Steam via File Explorer

One simple solution to deal with the Steam Access Denied error is to manually restart the Steam app from File Explorer instead of accessing it directly from your desktop icon. Follow the given steps to navigate to your Steam file directory.

Restart Steam Through File Explorer

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the location where your Steam folder is installed.

2. Find the Steam app and run it from there.

Starting Steam directly from the original application file can fix the Steam Access Denied error. Likewise, if Steam is already running in the background, close it in Task Manager.

2. Sign Out of Steam Account

Sometimes, due to prolonged activity on Steam accounts and changes in system security settings during that time, your actions may be interpreted as interrogative, resulting in the Steam Access Denied error. A simple fix like logging back into your steam account might solve it. Here's how to do it:

Sign Out From Steam Account

1. Hover over the top-right corner of your Steam app and click on the drop-down menu.

2. Click Log out of account.

3. In the pop-up window, click Logout.

3. Turn off or on the VPN

After restarting Steam and logging back into your account, check if the VPN is turned on. Your activity will become monitored if the VPN keeps on changing the IP address. Try turning off the VPN for a bit and see if you still get the same error when trying to access Steam.

Try using a VPN if you haven't used one before to see if IP hiding helps get rid of this error. In some cases, external interference by the ISP is the cause of the Steam Access Denied error, and changing the IP address (via a VPN) usually fixes it.

To achieve that, all you need to do is download a VPN (free trial), turn it on, then log in to your Steam account.

4. Clear DNS Cache

With DNS, your computer is assigned a unique name, or address that can be used by other applications and systems to identify your computer as harmless and registered. It is possible that clearing the DNS cache will resolve the Steam Access Denied error by removing obsolete entries. Follow these steps to clear the DNS cache:

Clear DNS Cache

1. Search for cmd in the Windows search bar.

2. Right-click on the command prompt icon and select Run as administrator.

3. Enter the following commands one by one to clean up your DNS efficiently.

1. ipconfig /flushdns

2. ipconfig /registerdns

3. ipconfig /release

4. ipconfig /renew

5. netsh winsock reset

4. Restart the computer after you cleared the DNS.

After the flush, it is important to restart the computer to ensure that the DNS cache is cleared and the addresses are reset properly. Not restarting the system can cause further problems. Make sure not to skip this step.

5. Change DNS Address

If clearing the DNS cache doesn't solve the problem, consider changing your DNS address. Doing so will give your system an alternate identity and resolve the Steam Access Denied error. To do this, follow these steps:

Change DNS Address

1. Search for Control Panel in Windows search bar and open it.

2. Click Network and Internet and navigate to Network and Sharing Center.

3. Click Change adapter settings.

4. Right click on the network you are using and select Properties.

5. Find and select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) in the Properties window.

6. Click Use the following DNS server addresses and change the Preferred and Alternate addresses to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 respectively.

7. Click OK and close the window.

This will remove the automatically assigned DNS address and instead use the aforementioned DNS. If you are currently using it, consider changing it to a different address.

6. Game File Integrity Verification

Check the integrity of the game files if you get this error when trying to play a certain game. By doing so, you will replace the corrupted files of the game that caused the Steam Access Denied error, and you will be able to play it. Verify game file integrity by following the steps below:

Game File Integrity Verification

1. Open Steam and navigate to Library.

2. Right-click on the game showing this error.

3. Go to its Properties.

4. In the menu, navigate to LOCAL FILES and click Verify Integrity of game files.

5. Wait until the progress bar reaches 100%, then reload the game.

If you are having trouble accessing any game, consider disabling your firewall if none of the previous fixes have worked.

7. Disable Firewalls

The built-in security protocols in Steam can interfere with your system firewall resulting in the Steam Access Denied error. Therefore, disabling the firewall will reduce packet filtering on the network and help you solve the problem. Follow the steps below to disable the firewall:

Disable Firewalls

1. Search for Control Panel in Windows search bar and open it.

2. Click System and Security and navigate to Windows Defender Firewall.

3. Click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off and select Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended) for public and private network settings.

You should turn the firewall back on if turning it off doesn't work, as it acts as a barrier against viruses and other threats. Don't jeopardize your safety.

8. Deleting Steam Temp Files

Deleting temp files removes unwanted extensions or cached files that may interact with the main application. This will not only solve the problem but will also slightly increase the response time of the app.

Deleting Steam Temp Files

1. Navigate to the top right corner of your Steam app and click on Steam.

2. Click Settings.

3. Find and click Downloads in the menu.

4. Then, click Clear Download Cache.

Conclusion

So that's how to fix Steam Access Denied on Windows. Hopefully one of the methods on this list will help you fix it. Consider updating Windows or uninstalling and reinstalling Steam if nothing else works.

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Resa Risyan

Just an ordinary person who wants to share a little knowledge, hopefully the knowledge I provide can be useful for all of us. Keep in mind! Useful knowledge is an investment in the afterlife.