Steam won’t go online / stuck in offline mode [Fixed]

How do I fix Steam stuck in offline mode?

1. Clear your download cache
2. Change your Internet settings
3. Modify your shortcut
4. Reset Winsock
5. Rename client registry
6. Reinstall Steam

1. Clear your download cache

1. Open your Steam client and navigate to Settings.
2. Select Downloads in the Settings panel.
   
3. Click on Clear Download Cache. Next click OK to confirm your choice, Steam will ask for your login details afterward.
4. After logging in again, Steam will start as expected.

2. Change your Internet settings

1. Open Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click on Internet Options (at the bottom left corner of the window).
3. Select the Advanced tab and scroll down the Security listings.
4. Uncheck Enable Enhanced Protected Mode.
   
   
5. Restart your machine and launch Steam.

In case you’ve changed location recently, make sure that your access to Steam isn’t actually geo-restricted.

On this note, use a VPN, not just to protect your online privacy while you surf the Internet or play online games, but also to access gaming content from anywhere in the world.

PIA (Private Internet Access) is an excellent VPN, with hundreds of servers all around the globe, top-notch privacy (no logs) and excellent mobility (access on up to 6 devices with one subscription).

Getting started with PIA is extremely simple – you just need to download the tool, join the community and turn on your VPN.

Private Internet Access

Use PIA to unblock access to your favorite Steam gaming content wherever you are and stay anonnymous on the Internet at all times.

3. Modify your shortcut

1. Locate your Steam client.
2. Create a shortcut of Steam in the same directory.
3. Click Properties and head over to the General tab.
4. In the Target dialogue box, add -tcp in the end and click Apply.
5. Use this shortcut to launch Steam.

4.Reset Winsock

1. Start Command Prompt.
   
2. Type the following and press Enter: netsh winsock reset catalog
3. Now copy/paste the command below and press Enter: netsh int ip reset reset.log
4. Restart your PC and try starting Steam again.

5. Rename client registry

1. Navigate to your Steam directory.
2. Locate ClientRegistry.blob.
3. Rename the file to ClientRegistryOld.blob.
4. Restart Steam and allow the file to be recreated.

Remember that for this step, you need to completely exit Steam and end all tasks. 

6. Reinstall Steam

When all the other solutions fail, we can try reinstalling Steam. Firstly uninstall Steam and remove all related files.

Restart your PC and launch Steam with administrative privileges. Steam will start updating itself and try to replace the missing files. Hopefully, it will work as expected.

There you go, these are just a few solutions that you can try if Steam won’t open on your PC. Feel free to try them all and let us know if they worked for you.

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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in May 2019 and was revamped and updated in December 2020 for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.