If you’re facing this error message “Could Not Connect to the Steam Network” while trying to start Steam, then you could either start steam in offline mode or exit it completely, but there is no fix for the issue. In short, Steam won’t go online, and you could only start it in offline mode. There is no single cause as this error has affected thousands of users, and all the users have different issues depending on their system configuration and environment. So without wasting any time let’s see how to Fix Could Not Connect to the Steam Network Error with the help of below-listed troubleshooting guide.
Fix Could Not Connect to the Steam Network Error
Make sure to create a restore point just in case something goes wrong.
Before trying anything, restart your system and again try to run Steam and see if this fix the issue, if not then continue.
Method 1: Change Steam Internet protocol settings
1. Right-click on Steam shortcut on your desktop and select Properties.
Note: If there is no Steam Shortcut then browse to the directory where you have installed steam then right-click on Steam.exe and click on Create Shortcut.
2. Switch to Shortcut tab, and in the Target, field adds -tcp at the end of the line.
“C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\Steam.exe” -tcp
3. Click Apply, followed by OK.
4. Double-click the Shortcut and see if you’re able to launch Steam in Online mode.
Method 2: Clear Steam Download Cache
1. Open your Steam client and then click on Steam from the menu and select Settings.
2. Now, from the left-hand menu select Downloads.
3. At the bottom click on Clear Download Cache.
4. Click OK to confirm your actions and put in your login credentials.
5. Reboot your PC to save changes.
Method 3: Troubleshoot Network Settings
1. Open Command Prompt. The user can perform this step by searching for ‘cmd’ and then press Enter.
2. Type the following command into cmd and hit Enter after each one:
ipconfig /release ipconfig /all ipconfig /flushdns ipconfig /renew netsh int ip set dns netsh winsock reset netsh winsock reset catalog netsh int ip reset reset.log
3. Reboot your PC to save changes and see if you’re able to Fix Could Not Connect to the Steam Network Error.
Method 4: Disable Enhanced Protected Mode
1. Press Windows Key + R then type inetcpl.cpl and hit Enter to open Internet Properties.
2. Switch to the Advanced tab and scroll down to the Security section.
3. Make sure to uncheck Enable Enhanced Protected Mode.
4. Click Apply, followed by OK.
5. Restart your PC to save changes.
Method 5: Start Steam in Clean Boot
Sometimes 3rd party software can conflict with Windows and can cause the issue. To Fix Could Not Connect to the Steam Network Error, you need to perform a clean boot on your PC then again launch Steam.
Method 6: Delete Windows Temp Files
1. Press Windows Key + R then type %temp% and hit Enter.
2. Now select all the files listed in the above folder and permanently delete them.
Note: To permanently delete files press Shift + Delete.
3. Some of the files won’t delete as they are currently in use, so skip them.
4. Reboot your PC to save changes.
Method 7: Rename ClientRegistry.blob
1. Navigate to the Steam Directory, which is generally:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\
2. Find and rename the file ClientRegistry.blob.
3. Restart Steam, and the above file would automatically be created.
4. If the issue is resolved, then no need to continue, if not then again browse to the steam directory.
5. Run the Steamerrorreporter.exe and relaunch the Steam.
Method 8: Re-install Steam
1. Navigate to the Steam Directory:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\Steamapps
2. You will find all the download games or application in the Steamapps folder.
3. Make sure to back up this folder as you would later need it.
4. Press Windows Key + R then type appwiz.cpl and hit Enter.
5. Find Steam in the list then right-clicks and select Uninstall.
6. Click Uninstall and then download the latest version of Steam from its website.
7. Run Steam again and see if you’re able to Fix Could Not Connect to the Steam Network Error.
8. Move the Steamapps folder, you have backed up to the Steam directory.
Method 9: Perform System Restore
1. Press Windows Key + R and type”sysdm.cpl” then hit enter.
2. Select the System Protection tab and choose System Restore.
3. Click Next and choose the desired System Restore point.
4. Follow the on-screen instruction to complete system restore.
5. After reboot, you may be able to Fix Could Not Connect to the Steam Network Error code 51.
Method 10: Temporarily Disable Antivirus and Firewall
Sometimes the Antivirus program can cause an error, and to verify this is not the case here, you need to disable your antivirus for a limited time so that you can check if the error still appears when the antivirus is off.
1. Right-click on the Antivirus Program icon from the system tray and select Disable.
2. Next, select the time frame for which the Antivirus will remain disabled.
Note: Choose the smallest amount of time possible, for example, 15 minutes or 30 minutes.
3. Once done, again try to connect to open Google Chrome and check if the error resolves or not.
4. Search for the control panel from the Start Menu search bar and click on it to open the Control Panel.
5. Next, click on System and Security then click on Windows Firewall.
6. Now from the left window pane click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
7. Select Turn off Windows Firewall and restart your PC.
Again try to open Google Chrome and visit the web page, which was earlier showing an error. If the above method doesn’t work, please follow the same steps to turn on your Firewall again.
Method 11: Uncheck Proxy
1. Press Windows Key + R then type inetcpl.cpl and hit enter to open Internet Properties.
2. Next, Go to Connections tab and select LAN settings.
3. Uncheck Use a Proxy Server for your LAN and make sure “Automatically detect settings” is checked.
4. Click Ok then Apply and reboot your PC.
Method 12: Run CCleaner and Malwarebytes
1. Download and install CCleaner & Malwarebytes.
2. Run Malwarebytes and let it scan your system for harmful files. If malware is found, it will automatically remove them.
3. Now run CCleaner and select Custom Clean.
4. Under Custom Clean, select the Windows tab and checkmark defaults and click Analyze.
5. Once Analyze is complete, make sure you’re certain to remove the files to be deleted.
6. Finally, click on the Run Cleaner button and let CCleaner run its course.
7. To further clean your system, select the Registry tab, and ensure the following are checked:
8. Click on the Scan for Issues button and allow CCleaner to scan, then click on the Fix Selected Issues button.
9. When CCleaner asks “Do you want backup changes to the registry?” select Yes.
10. Once your backup has completed, click on the Fix All Selected Issues button.
11. Restart your PC to save changes.
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That’s it you have successfully Fix Could Not Connect to the Steam Network Error but if you still have any queries regarding this guide then feel free to ask them in the comment’s section.