Almost all Steam users, without exception, having played for some time, become more familiar with the service and earned the first items in the local inventory, learn that in this application the sale or exchange of these items between players is provided.

This is very convenient if, for example, you got an item for an unloved hero or an ugly “skin” for a weapon in CS:GO, and you want to exchange these things for those you like better. Therefore, every respectable gamer should know how to open inventory on Steam for exchange.

If the user is configured to exchange and wants the contents of his inventory to be known as soon as possible more people, the advisable solution would be to open your Steam account and inventory for viewing and sharing. In this case, any registered Steam user will be able to see the contents of another player's "virtual storage" and offer reasonable barter.

Setting up inventory privacy

To open inventory on steam To exchange things with other players, you need to do a few simple operations:
  • Launch the Steam application, log in, exit to the main screen.
  • In the upper right corner, after “Store”, “Library”, “Community” the user’s nickname will be written. You should click on it and select the last item in the menu that opens - “Inventory”.
  • The next window will open a list of the player's in-game assets with various tabs classifying items by game, the last of which will be a general tab with all Steam items. There will also be two buttons at the top: “Exchange Offers” and “More...”. You need to press the second button and select “Inventory privacy settings” in the pop-up menu.
  • Next, check the box in the “Inventory (?)” Submenu – opposite the “Open” item. It is also recommended to uncheck the box next to "Keep your Steam Gift Inventory hidden regardless of other settings."
  • After clicking the "Save Changes" button, the settings will be saved. Sometimes you need to wait about half an hour for the changes to take effect.

Steam Broadcasts let you watch your friends play their favorite games. You can also set up broadcasts to give others the opportunity to watch you play.

For more information about the broadcasts, please read the official update.

What browser is required to view?

The following browsers currently support Steam broadcasts:

  • Steam client
  • Google Chrome (versions 39+)
  • Apple Safari (versions 8+ on OSX)
  • Internet Explorer (version 11 on Windows 8; not supported on other versions of Windows)
  • Mozilla Firefox (version 42+)

The above does not apply to mobile devices. Steam broadcasts are not supported on iOS devices.

What are the requirements for a broadcast account?

Accounts that meet the following requirements can broadcast games:

  • The account must have made a purchase on Steam, that is, the account must not have
  • The account should not be blocked from accessing the community
Are there any restrictions on content?

As a Steam subscriber, you agree to be bound by the terms of the Steam Subscriber Agreement, Steam Code of Conduct and. You are responsible for the use of your account and for any messages posted, comments and actions taken through the account. Your online actions and relationships with other subscribers should be governed by common sense and etiquette.

How to complain about a broadcast?

Select “Report” in the window or on the broadcast page. After filing a complaint, Steam may store all or part of the broadcast for review.

How can I make my broadcast visible in the community hub?

To do this, select “Everyone can watch my broadcasts” in the broadcast privacy settings.

How can I find out who is watching my broadcast?

If your friend starts watching or asks to watch your broadcast, you will receive a notification. You can view the list of viewers at any time in the broadcast panel of the Steam overlay or, if you are watching your own broadcast, at the top of the chat.

Can I save my broadcast?

No, on this moment broadcasts are carried out only in live. However, if a broadcast has been reported, Steam may retain all or part of it for review.

How do I change the video bitrate and resolution, configure the microphone, and set the desktop settings?

To access advanced settings, open the Steam client menu and go to the “Broadcasts” tab.

On what operating systems is it possible to broadcast?

Steam streaming is currently possible via the Steam client on Windows 7, 8 and 10. Linux support, macOS and Windows Vista will be available in the future.

Troubleshooting broadcast problems

If broadcast for a long time function with malfunctions, perhaps something is preventing them from working.

Because some of the instructions require advanced computer skills and may be outside of Steam, we recommend contacting your local computer technician for assistance.

Restarting the computer

The best way to start setup is to restart both Steam and your computer.

Checking broadcast settings

Make sure they are used necessary settings broadcasts.

You can find these settings in the “Broadcast” tab by going to Steam > Settings in the Steam client.

Reinstalling Steam

The Steam reinstallation file can be downloaded, after which Steam can be installed in the same location where it is currently installed.

This process will ensure that all files required for the overlay to work are configured correctly. It will not affect already installed games.

ATTENTION! Uninstalling Steam will remove all game content.

Update local network

Restart all modems and routers on your local network. Long and continuous operation network equipment may cause network errors or slow connection speeds. Because of this, broadcast requests may take longer than usual or the connection may expire completely.

If you are using wireless connection, try connecting network cable directly to the computer.

Checking your network connection

Some ISPs cache or compress network data to save throughput(especially it concerns mobile networks). This may cause problems with Steam. We recommend checking whether the problem persists when connecting to another network, preferably another provider.

Checking firewalls

Some firewalls may block broadcasts from working when the Steam client connects to the servers. We recommend contacting a computer technician to ensure that your firewall is not interfering with Steam. You may need to disable your firewall for a while. You can also try adding Steam to the exclusion list.

Checking the operation of antiviruses

Often, antiviruses deeply affect the disk and network processes of the system, which can interfere with the operation of Steam. Some games may use special anti-piracy technologies, which antiviruses sometimes mistake for malware, causing false warnings to appear.

We recommend contacting a computer specialist to make sure that your antivirus is not interfering with Steam. You may need to temporarily disable your firewall for testing. As a solution, you can add Steam to the exception list (for example, disable scanning in Steam library folders).

Checking the settings of other programs and services

Any program that monitors or modifies system or disk/network activity may make it difficult to load or launch the game. Similar applications and services can work in background. They are usually associated with antiviruses, ad blockers, network optimizers, firewalls, proxy emulators, as well as programs for screen capture, system cleaning, performance improvement, etc.

We recommend contacting a computer technician to ensure that the above services and applications are not interfering with Steam. They may need to be turned off temporarily for testing.

Still have questions or need help?

Check out the Steam Broadcasting group discussions for more frequently asked questions.

Valve Software has announced an update to the system for protecting user personal data. gaming platform Steam. Now every user can make their own Steam account a little more confidential...

... and in particular provide other users with access to their game profile, game library, inventory, etc.

But most importantly, now the user's profile is in can you do " Hidden " or visible " Only for friends «.

In terms of data confidentiality, the innovation, of course, looks significant. On the other hand, this also means that useful services such as, say, Steam Spy, automatically become useless (for now, at least). Because they worked on the basis of open user data. But that’s not about that now. And about that...

...how to set up profile privacy via Steam account

There seems to be nothing complicated, but at first some points are a little puzzling, and besides, the privacy settings are in a separate section, outside the main ones “ Settings» account. Therefore, in order:

how to open the privacy settings section:
  • launch the Steam client on the computer (wait for it to download the duty update) and log in;
  • Click on the nickname in the upper right corner of the client window and select “ View profile «;
  • In the next window, click the button “ Edit profile " and than - " My privacy settings «.

The new section currently looks like this:

The settings available to the user are presented in the following range:

  • « My profile "—visibility of the user profile (by default " Open«);
  • « Game details "—visibility of game parameters (by default " Only for friends"), you can immediately activate the option “Always keep the total playtime private” (Always hide the total time in games);
  • « Inventory " - visibility of "Inventory" (by default " Only for friends") with the option "Always keep Steam Gifts private" (Always hide gifts on Steam);
  • « Can post comments on my profile " (default " Only for friends") - here you can specify who can leave comments on the profile, or prohibit them altogether (option " Hide«).

Changing the “My Profile” setting automatically changes all settings. Those. if in " My profile “You specify, for example, “Hidden”, then everything else will also be “Hidden”. But if you leave your profile as “Public”, then by default all other parameters will be visible only to your friends, unless you separately specify “Public” or “Hidden” for each.

Briefly about the basic privacy settings:

My Profile : Visibility of Steam profile data, friends list, badges, level, comment and list of groups you are a member of;

Game Details : visibility of the list of games in your account, “Wishlist”, achievement list, , as well as your current status on Steam (Absent or In Game and the name of the game you are currently playing).

Inventory : Visibility of your Inventory, including the list of items you have received in games, the list of Steam Trading cards you have, and the list of Steam Gifts.

In addition, in the section " My privacy settings“There are also two more options that the user is not supposed to change. “My basic details” (user data) contains your game nickname and avatar - they are always open and accessible to everyone. And the visibility of each individual screenshot or work in the workshop is already assigned separately in the corresponding sections of the client.

Valve also noted that they are now working on an even new “invisibility” mode for user profiles. In this mode, the player will be displayed to outsiders simply as “offline”, however, the main functionality of the client will be available, in particular, it will be possible to send messages through your Steam account as usual.

Steam offers ample opportunities to configure the user account, application interface, etc. Using the Steam settings, you can tailor this gaming platform to your needs. For example, you can set the design for your page: what will be displayed on it for other users. You can also customize your communication methods on Steam; choose whether to notify you of new messages on Steam sound signal, or it will be redundant. Read on to learn how to set up Steam.


If you don't have a profile on Steam yet, you can, where it is contained detailed information about registering a new account. Once you create an account, you will need to customize the appearance of your page and also create a description for it.

In order to edit the appearance of your personal page on Steam, you need to go to the account information change form. To do this, click on your nickname in top menu Steam client, and then select "Profile".

After that, you need to click the “Edit Profile” button. It is located on the right side of the window.

The process of editing and filling out a profile is quite simple. The editing form is as follows:

You need to fill out the fields one by one, which contain information about you. Here detailed description each of the fields:

Profile Name - Contains the name that will be displayed on your page, as well as in various lists, for example, in the friends list or in the chat when communicating with a friend.

Real Name - Your real name will also appear on your page under your nickname. Your real-life friends will probably want to find you on the system. Additionally, you may want to include your real name in your profile.

Country - you need to select the country in which you live.

Region, region - select the region or region of your residence.

City - here you need to select the city in which you live.

A personal link is a link that allows users to go to your page. It is advisable to use short and understandable options. Previously, instead of this link, a digital designation was used in the form of your profile identification number. If you leave this field empty, then the link to go to your page will contain this identification number, but it is better to set a personal link manually and come up with a nice nickname for yourself.

An avatar is a picture that will represent your profile on Steam. It will appear at the top of your profile page, as well as in other services on Steam, such as in your friends list and next to your messages on the marketplace, etc. In order to set an avatar, you need to click the “Choose file” button. Any image will do as a picture. jpg format, png or bmp. Please note that pictures that are too large will be cut off at the edges. If you wish, you can choose a picture from ready-made avatars on Steam.

Facebook - this field allows you to connect your account to your Facebook profile if you have Account on this social network.

About Me - The information you enter in this field will appear on your profile page as your story about yourself. In this description, you can use formatting, such as making the text bold. To view the formatting, click the Help button. You can also use emoticons here that appear when you press the corresponding button.

Profile Background - This setting allows you to add a personal touch to your page. You can ask background image for your profile. You cannot use your own image; You can only apply those that are in your Steam inventory.

Display Icon - In this field, you can select the icon you want to display on your profile page. You can learn how to receive badges read in this article.

Main group - in this field you can specify the group that you would like to display on your profile page.

Showcases - using this field you can display some specific content on the page. For example, you can display regular text fields or fields that represent a showcase of the screenshots you have selected (optionally, some kind of review of the game that you made). You can also specify a list of favorite games, etc. here. This information will appear at the top of your profile.

After you complete all the settings and fill in the required fields, click the “Save Changes” button.

The form also contains privacy settings. To change privacy settings, you need to select the appropriate tab at the top of the form.

You can choose the following options:

Profile status - this setting determines which users will be able to view your page in open version. The Hidden option allows you to hide information on your page from everyone on Steam except you. In any case, you will be able to view the contents of your profile. You can also open your profile to friends or make its content available to everyone.

Comments - This setting controls which users will be able to leave comments on your page, as well as comments on your content, such as uploaded screenshots or videos. The same options are available here as in the previous case: that is, you can prohibit leaving comments at all, allow only friends to leave comments, or make posting comments completely open.

Inventory - the last setting is responsible for the openness of your inventory. Your inventory contains the items you have on Steam. The same options are available here as in the previous two cases: you can hide your inventory from everyone, open it to friends, or even to all Steam users. If you are going to actively exchange items with other Steam users, it is advisable to make an open inventory. Open inventory is also a requirement if you want to link to an exchange. You can read about how to create a link for sharing in this article.

There is also an option here that is responsible for hiding or opening your gifts. Once you have selected all the settings, click the “Save Changes” button.

Now that you have set up your Steam profile, let's move on to the settings of the Steam client itself. These settings will increase the usability of this playground.

Steam Client Settings

All Steam settings are contained in the Steam "Settings" item. It is located in the upper left corner of the client menu.

In this window, you should be most interested in the “Friends” tab, since it is responsible for the communication settings in Steam.

Using this tab, you can set parameters such as automatic display in the friends list after logging into Steam, displaying the time of sending messages in chat, and how the window will open when starting a conversation with a new user. In addition, it contains settings for various notifications: you can enable sound notifications in Steam; You can also enable or disable the display of windows when receiving each message.

In addition, you can configure the method of notification about events such as a friend connecting to the network, or a friend entering the game. After setting the parameters, click the “Ok” button to confirm them. You may need other settings tabs in some specific cases. For example, the “Downloads” tab is responsible for the settings for downloading games on Steam. Learn more about how to do this this setting and how to increase the speed of downloading games on Steam, you can read In this article.

Using the Voice tab, you can configure your microphone, which you use for voice communication on Steam. The "Interface" tab allows you to change the language in Steam, as well as slightly change some elements appearance Steam client.

After selecting all the settings, the Steam client will become much more convenient and enjoyable to use.

Now you know how to make Steam settings. Tell your friends who also use Steam about this. Perhaps they can also change something and make Steam more convenient for personal use.