How to Fix Steam Service Error on Windows?

Fix Steam Service Error on Windows – A Steam service error is an error message that appears when Steam first loads. If Steam doesn’t have the correct permissions to run, the Steam client returns a Steam service error message.

How to Fix the Steam Service Error?

1. Disable Third-Party Antivirus Software

Fix Steam Service Error on Windows – Users with third-party antivirus software might need to disable those utilities. To do that, right-click the system tray icon for your antivirus software to open its context menu.

Then select a disable option of some description on the context menu to turn off the antivirus utility’s shield for a certain time of time.

However, since you’re prone to cyberattacks when accessing the Internet without a proper shield, instead of disabling your antivirus altogether, we recommend using less restrictive software such as Eset Internet Security. This antivirus solution is created to protect all types of digital activities one may engage in.

It has a powerful firewall that secures your Internet connection and it comes with additional shields that ensure safe shopping, banking, and communication experience. It has multilayered protection that can detect all sorts of threats including viruses, rootkits, ransomware, worms, spyware, and more. And also it has a high detection rate and is very likely to block threats before they get a chance to cause any damage to your system.

3. Configure Steam to run as an administrator

1. If you have a desktop shortcut for Steam, right-click it and select the Properties option.
2. If you don’t have a desktop shortcut for the software, right-click the Steam EXE file within its folder and select Properties.
   • The default folder path for Steam is:C: > Program Files> Steam (x86)
3. Select the Compatibility tab.
4. Select the Run this program as an administrator setting there.
5. Click the Apply option, and press the OK button.

4. Turn off Windows Defender Firewall

1. Enter firewall in the home screen search box to find Window Dedefender Firewall.
2. Click on it and open its Control Panel applet window.
3. Click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off on the left of the applet.
4. Next, select the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall options within Customize Settings.
5. Click OK to exit.
6. Thereafter, launch Steam again.

5. Configure the Steam service to start automatically

1. Press the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut, which opens Run.
2. Type services. msc in the Open box, and click the OK option.
3. Double-click Steam Client Service to open the properties window for it.
4. Click the Stop button if the service is running.
5. Select the Automatic option on the Startup type drop-down menu.
6. Press the Start button.
7. Select the Apply option to save changes.
8. Then click OK to exit.

6. Allow Steam through Firewall

Make sure that the Firewall is not blocking steam connections:

• Type in Control Panel in Windows search and press Enter
• Go to System and Security and click on Windows Defender Firewall
• On the left side of the window, click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall
• Click Change settings (if you are not on an administrator account, you will be asked to enter a password)
• Scroll down and enable Private and Public access to the following entries.
• Finally, click OK.

7. Use Command Prompt

1. First, right-click your Steam shortcut and select the Open file location option.
2. Then note down the full folder path for Steam within File Explorer. Alternatively, copy it to the clipboard by pressing the Ctrl + C hotkey.
3. Open the Run window by pressing Windows key + R.
4. Enter cmd, and press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter hotkey.
5. Then enter the full path of Steam followed by /repair in the Command Prompt.
   1. For example, depending on the file location, the command for the default Steam path would look like this:
6. Press the Return key after entering the repair command.

Those are some of the more widely confirmed fixes for the Steam service error. Running Steam as an administrator will often fix the issue. However, some users might need to fix the error with the other resolutions.

Also Read: How to Fix the K_mode_Exception_Not_Handled Windows