Steam 2nd Account Is Asking Me to Buy Game Again

Steam'due south library sharing feature is user-friendly, but has some drawbacks.

Taylor Martin/CNET

With its no-strings-attached approach and a frequent sales, Steam -- Valve'south digital gaming distribution service --  makes it like shooting fish in a barrel for gamers to build up sizable gaming libraries. Dissimilargame subscription services (Xbox Game Pass,Apple Arcade,Google Play Pass), you can purchase private games on Steam without a monthly commitment.

Another perk? Steam Family unit Sharing lets you share your game library with others. Even though this feature is aimed at helping parents distribute and monitor what their kids play, information technology also lets you lend games to your friends. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to share your Steam library.

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Protect your account by enabling Steam Guard

Safeguarding your game library should be your top priority. This way, even if you share your account, everything will nonetheless exist protected and within your control. To do that, yous need to enable Steam Guard. Steam Guard -- which is costless to turn on -- provides an additional level of security that protects your account from unauthorized access.

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Hither'south how to enable Steam Guard on your account with the desktop app or in browser:

1. Go to Steam'south homepage and brand certain you lot're logged in.

two. In the upper right corner, click your username.

3. In the drop-down card, click Account Details.

four. Curlicue down to Account Security and click Manage Steam Guard.

Enabling Steam Baby-sit can help protect your business relationship, even if you lot don't share it.

Screenshot by Shelby Dark-brown/CNET

From in that location, you lot can choose betwixt having Steam Guard codes sent to your telephone or email, or you lot tin plough Steam Guard off entirely. You'll as well see the selection to deauthorize all other computers or devices other than the one you're currently using that might have saved your login information. Steam recommends sending Baby-sit codes to your phone every bit a form of 2-factor authentication.

Sending codes to your phone provides an additional level of security on your business relationship.

Screenshot past Shelby Brown/CNET

Share your Steam game library

Log into your family member or friend'due south computer with your Steam account to get started. Y'all tin can practise this from your app, here's how:

1. In the top left corner, clickSteam.

two. Select Settings (on Windows) or Preferences(on Mac) from the drop-downward menu.

3. SelectFamily unitin the side menu

iv. Click the box that saysAuthorize Library Sharing on this computer.

You tin can authorize library sharing in the Steam app.

Screenshot past Shelby Brown/CNET

This gives yous the pick to authorize whatsoever accounts that have also logged into the same computer. If no one else has, you lot'll become a message proverb "No other local accounts plant." Afterwards this is complete, log out of your account and your friend or family member can log dorsum into theirs. They should at present have the ability to download and install select games from your library.

You can select up to five users who tin admission and use your library across x devices that you've authorized. While yous can't fix up Family unit Sharing in a browser, you tin check which devices and accounts have access to your Steam Library. You lot can too revoke admission.

Here's how to check in the Steam app:

1. In the upper correct corner, click your username.

2.In the driblet-down menu, clickAccount Details.

3. Ringlet down to Family Settings and clickManage Family Library Sharing.

4.If whatsoever accounts or devices have access that you no longer wish to, you tin canclick Revoke under Sharing Status.

Checking in a browser is essentially the same, in one case you log into the Steam site:

ane. Go to Steam'due south homepage and brand certain you're logged in.

2. In the upper correct corner, click your username.

iii. In the drop-down menu, clickAccount Details.

4. Ringlet down to Family Settings and click Manage Family unit Library Sharing.

5. If any accounts or devices have access that you no longer wish to, y'all can click Revoke under Sharing Condition.

Pros of sharing your gaming library with Steam Family Sharing

• Sharing your games with others.
• Being able to try out games when your family or friends share their account with you.
• Parents can take a scrap more control over games their younger children may play.
• Easy to view and revoke access to who has access to your library.
• Gives the user you're sharing with a chance to effort a game without investing money correct away.

Cons of sharing your gaming library with Steam Family Sharing

• Steam's sharing features aren't perfect.
• Only five accounts tin access your gaming library from upwards to 10 different computers.
• Y'all demand an internet connection to access the shared libraries.
• Libraries can only be shared in their entirety.
• Some games don't qualify for sharing because they require a subscription.
• Shared games can only exist accessed by 1 person at a fourth dimension, so you won't be able to easily play games together.
• The account holder has priority access to their games. If yous first playing a game while another person is already playing, they'll take the option to buy the game or end the session.

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Source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/share-your-steam-library-with-friends/