How To Fix Steam Keeps Freezing and Not Responding on PC

So when you try playing the game Steam keeps freezing and not responding or is Steam keeps freezing when downloading or installing the game?

For many years Steam has become the ultimate platform for playing, discussing, and creating PC games.

However, there are still a number of people who have reported that Steam keeps crashing when they launch the Steam client or when they are in the middle of the game.

If you are also dealing with Steam keeps freezing or not responding then you might wonder why it’s happening and what can you do to fix it.

Here in this article we have compiled the best fixes for you so read it till the end.

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How To Fix Steam Keeps Freezing on Windows 10 PC While Playing Game

Apply the below-mentioned fixes to resolve your problem.

Tip – Before applying the fixes you should restart your PC. In most cases, it fixes the Steam not responding issue because it flushes your PC’s RAM, and shut down programs to free up your system’s resources.

Fix 1. Launch Steam as Administrator

Start with the simple fix as it’s been recommended by the users on Reddit. To fix the error that the Steam game keeps freezing, you should launch Steam as an administrator.

Follow these steps:

• Right-click the Steam shortcut on your desktop.
• Then choose Properties.
• In the pop-up window, go to the Compatibility
• Check the option Run this program as administrator.
• After that, click Apply and OK to save the changes.

Fix 2. Restart Steam Client

Sometimes programs on Windows 10 PC stop working due to temporary bugs. Simply restarting these programs fixes the freezing or not responding issue.

You need to use Windows Task Manager to close the Steam tasks and then restart it again by pressing the desktop icon.

Fix 3. Clear Download & Web Browser Cache

Another fix that Redditors suggested fixing the Steam freezing, not responding, and incredibly running slow is by deleting the downloads and browser cache.

Follow these steps:

• Open Steam client and from the top left client menu, click on the Settings.
• In the Settings panel, select the Downloads tab and you’ll find the CLEAR DOWNLOAD CACHE button at the bottom. Click on it.
• Click OK to proceed. Then your Steam will be restarted.
• Now again go into the Steam Settings to clear the web browser cache
• Here select the Web Browser tab. Then click on the buttons DELETE WEB BROWSER CACHE and DELETE ALL BROWSER COOKIES respectively. When it’s finished, click OK.

Now run the game on Steam to see if it’s still freezing or not responding.

Fix 4. Delete ClientRegistry.blob

The Steam freezing or not responding issue can be solved if you delete the ClientRegistry.blob file from the Steam installation directory.

The ClientRegistry.blob contains the registration data of the installed games. You don’t need to worry after deleting it as it will be restored on the next login.

Follow these steps:

• Completely close the Steam program using the Task Manager.
• Then browse your steam directory. The default one is C:\Program Files\Steam.
• Then select the ClientRegistry.blob and delete it. Or you can choose to rename it.

Fix 5. Update your Graphics Driver

To play a PC game using the steam client without any glitches crashes or freezing you need updated graphics card drivers. If the graphics card drivers are outdated to faulty you will have to deal with random crashing errors.

You can update NVIDIA/AMD GPU drivers manually by visiting their official sites but finding the latest correct driver is often difficult.

So we recommend you download Driver Easy on your PC. It’s a driver updater tool that will automatically scan and update all the system’s old drivers. All you need to do is to:

• Download and Install Driver Easy.
• Run this program and click on Scan Now button. (It will scan your PC telling you how many drivers need attention)
• Now click on Update All or choose anyone at a time.
• Now Restart your PC.

You can also create a restore point, in case an updated driver causes the problem you can revert to its previous version.

Fix 6. Close Unnecessary Programs From Running Automatically

In order to fox Steam keeps freezing or not responding you need to make sure that no unnecessary programs run while the steam running.

You might have noticed that when you turn on your PC many apps start running with it chewing up your system resources. So try to close these apps and then play the Steam client.

Follow these steps:

• On your keyboard, press the Windows logo + R keys simultaneously to open the Run box.
• Type or paste taskmgr and press Enter.
• Select the Startup tab. Right-click an app and select the entry for Disable

Fix 7. Delete the AppCache Folder

Steam temporarily stores data in the AppCache folder if it gets corrupted you will see a problem while launching Steam as it might freeze or not respond.

Follow these steps to delete the AppCache folder:

• Look for the directory where Steam is installed. The default location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam.
• Look for a folder named “appcache” then delete it (or you can cut and paste it in a different location so the client thinks it is deleted).
• Restart your computer

Fix 8. Disable Antivirus and Firewall To Launch Steam

Antivirus programs sometimes become the major cause of Steam keeps freezing or not responding. You need to either disable the antivirus or Firewall or Simply delete them temporarily.

Follow these steps to disable Windows Firewall:

• Open Control Panel.
• Then choose Windows Defender Firewall.
• On the left panel, choose to Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off.
• Then check the option Turn off Windows Defender Firewall under Private network settings and Public network settings.
• Then click OK to save the changes.

Fix 9. Update Your Steam Client

If the Stam freezing when downloading or installing the games then it might be because there’s a glitch in it. You need to make sure that you have installed the updated Steam version.

Valve consistently releases the updates you should find and installed them on your PC. Follow these steps:

• Open your Steam Library.
• From a game’s library page, select. Manage > Properties.
• Select the. Updates tab and make your choice Automatic updates.