How to Fix Steam Download Stop on Windows 10
If you love playing PC games, you must be familiar with Steam. Steam is a popular platform for game distribution. You can download various free and premium games from Steam. However, sometimes you may encounter problems with stopping and starting the Steam download. This error can occur due to various possible causes. We bring you the perfect guide on how to fix Steam boot error on Windows 10. So, keep reading!
How to Fix Steam Download Stop on Windows 10
In this article, we have listed all possible troubleshooting methods to fix Steam download stop and start errors.
Method 1: Run the network troubleshooter
Problems with your network adapter can cause Steam to stop loading error on Windows 10. Follow the given steps to run the network troubleshooter.
1. Press the Windows key, type "Troubleshoot" and click "Open".
2. Scroll down to "Network adapter" and click "Run the troubleshooter".
3. Wait for the troubleshooter to find problems and apply the fix following the on-screen instructions.
Method 2: Repair Steam Library Folders
Here are the steps to repair the Steam library folders to solve the problem with Steam download stopping.
1. Press the Windows key, type Steam and click Open.
2. Click the Steam option in the top left corner as shown below.
3. Click "Settings" in the menu options.
4. In the Settings window, click Downloads > STEAM LIBRARY FOLDERS under Content Libraries as shown below.
5. In the Storage Manager window, click the three dots icon next to the Steam folder.
6. Click the Restore Folder option.
7. A User Account Control pop-up window will appear on the screen with the inscription “Do you want to allow this application to make changes to your device?”. Click on the Yes option.
8. After a few seconds, the Steam Library folder will be restored, then click "Close".
Method 3: Temporarily disable your antivirus (if applicable)
If you have antivirus software installed on your computer, then due to the antivirus shield, you may encounter an error stopping and starting the Steam download. Antivirus usually detects malware on the PC and when downloading unknown game files, it may consider these files as a threat to your PC. Thus, you can temporarily disable your antivirus in order to fix the problem. Follow our guide to temporarily disable your antivirus in Windows 10.
Method 4: Clear Download Cache
Damaged games after downloading can create errors in the download cache folder, resulting in further interruptions in updating and downloading games on Steam. Thus, clearing the download cache can solve the problem with Steam stopping downloads. To do this, follow these steps.
1. Open the Steam app and go to Settings.
2. In the Downloads section, select the CLEAR DOWNLOAD CACHE option.
3. Click OK on the next pop-up window as shown below to complete the process.
Method 5: Reinstall Steam
An outdated Steam client can also cause the Steam download to stop error. Usually Steam is automatically updated every time you launch the app, but you can manually reinstall Steam to get the latest version. Follow the steps listed below to reinstall Steam:
1. Press the Windows key, type "Control Panel" and click "Open".
2. Now click "Uninstall a program" in the "Programs" menu as shown in the picture.
3. The Programs and Features utility will open and now search for Steam.
4. Now click on Steam and select the Uninstall option as shown in the image below.
5. Click the Uninstall button on the Steam uninstall window to uninstall the Steam app on your PC.
6. Delete the Steam folder along the path Local Disk (C:) > Program Files (x86) by pressing the Delete key.
The steps below will guide you in reinstalling the Steam app on your PC from scratch in order to fix the Steam stuck download issue.
7. Open the official website of the Steam app in your default web browser and click the "Install Steam" button in the top right corner of the home page.
8. Click the INSTALL STEAM button on the next page to download the Steam application to your computer.
9. Click on the downloaded SteamSetup.exe file at the bottom left of the page to launch the Steam application on your PC.
10. Click the "Next" button on the "Steam Setup" window to begin installing the Steam app on your PC.
11. Select the desired language in the next window and click the Next button in the wizard.
12. Select the destination folder for the Steam application by clicking the "Browse..." button and clicking the "Install" button to complete the installation of the application.
13. Click the "Finish" button on the "Complete Steam Setup" window to complete the steam setup.
14. Create a new account or sign in to an existing account using your Steam app login credentials.
You have now successfully reinstalled Steam on your Windows 10 PC.
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So, those were the methods to fix Steam download stop on Windows 10. We hope you could learn how to fix Steam download stop and start error with the steps mentioned in this article. Feel free to contact us with your questions and suggestions through the comments section below.