If Steam is one of your gaming apps of choice, you usually won’t spend too much time interacting with the program – you’ll probably want to get straight to gaming. However, take a few minutes to delve deeper into the settings and features offered, and there is a lot to explore. From remapping gamepad controls to launching games with custom restrictions, here’s what’s possible. (Note: The tips below are based on the current Steam client for Windows desktop, but you should find comparable options on other Steam apps as well.)
Run a privacy audit to prevent strangers from learning about your gaming habits
You need to pay attention to your privacy on Steam as well as on every app and platform you use. Specifically, you have a Steam profile that may or may not give away information about you to the entire world.
Click Steam > Settings > Account And then Privacy settings To run an audit and make any necessary changes. For example, your profile may include details of games you’ve purchased and wishlisted, and people you friend on the platform. Most details can be set public, PersonalOr only to friends. There is also a setting to control who is allowed to leave comments on your profile.
Create a “Steam Family” to share games with others
Steam comes with Family Sharing, so a game you purchased can be shared with up to five other people “in the same household” (which basically means using the same IP address most of the time).
To get started, open Steam > Settings > Family And then Create or join a Steam Family. If you’re the head of the family group, you’ll need to give it a name and send the invite, and from there you can manage who’s allowed in the group. Multiple games from your library can be played at the same time, but two family members can’t play the same game at the same time.
As well as giving your loved ones access to your games without paying, it’s also an effective way to add parental controls for your kids: you can set which games are available to which family member, and even set time limits on gameplay.
Run commands to customize your game
If you right-click on a game in your Steam library and select Properties > Generalyou will meet one launch options Box that lets you add command line-style operators to your selected game’s executable. For those of you who have never seen a command line, we’re talking about specific, additional instructions that tell the game to behave a certain way or keep certain features enabled or disabled. They can help troubleshoot issues with the game as well as customize it to suit your needs.
Available options cover everything from forcing window launch and skipping intros to keeping voice chat logs and disabling GPU features. Compatibility varies by game, but you can Find a detailed list here.
You don’t need to keep all your games in one place.
Credit: Lifehacker
Add a drive to strategically move your game elsewhere
You don’t have to settle for having all your games in one place on your system. For example, maybe you have a fast SSD installed, but space on it is limited: you can move the selection of games where speed is most important to this drive, and leave the rest where they are.
First you need to create an alternative location on your system. choose Steam > Settings > StorageClick the drop-down menu at the top, then select add drive. As with the creation of another location, you can move a game to your library by right-clicking on it and selecting Properties > Installed Files. choose move install folder And you will be able to choose another location.
Limit download speed to keep your internet running smoothly
You don’t necessarily want to download games and updates from Steam at the maximum rate every time, especially if you’re trying to enjoy some high-quality 4K video streaming entertainment in the next room.
choose Steam > Settings > Downloads And you get a full range of options to control how the program handles file transfers. turn on limit download speed Toggle switch, and you can set a limit in kbps – useful for times when you don’t need your games updated as quickly, and need your internet for other things.
Switch to another server when your server is working
Talking about downloads and download speeds, by default Steam will connect you to the server closest to your location for your data transfer. Most of the time, this will give you the fastest upload and download speeds.
However this is not always guaranteed: when your default area is particularly busy, you may find a connection further away that gives you faster speeds. go towards Steam > Settings > Downloads and you will find download area Selector at the top.
What do you think so far?
Use “Big Picture Mode” to Navigate Steam with a Gamepad
Any Steam game that is gamepad-compatible will work without any fuss once you plug the controller in, but what about the Steam interface? Switching back and forth between the gamepad and keyboard when jumping in and out of games isn’t particularly convenient. The answer is to launch Steam in Big Picture mode, designed for using Steam on a TV. This not only makes the interface simpler and more suitable for larger screens, but also makes it gamepad-friendly.
From Steam > SettingsSelect “Interface”, then Enable Start Steam in Big Picture Mode To use this interface by default. You can also switch in and out of Big Picture mode Alt+EnterThe Menu button on your controller, or the Big Picture Mode icon in the upper-right corner of the client interface (just to the left of the Minimize button).
Remapping controller commands in Steam.
Credit: Lifehacker
Remap your gamepad controls
On the subject of gamepads, if you right-click on a game in your library and select Properties > Controller > Controller ConfigurationYou can override the default settings for how to use the buttons and joystick – or even get a gamepad working with a game that doesn’t natively support a game.
Not only that: If you choose Browse Configurations On the remap screen, you can use any configuration submitted by the Steam community for the game you selected. A custom configuration can give you an edge in your next gameplay session.
Use “SteamDB” for information on future Steam sales
When it comes to external Steam resources you should absolutely check out, I would like to tell you steamdb-As its name suggests, it is a database of every game currently available on Steam.
Not only can you see new, popular, and trending games in the Steam catalog, but you can also get updates on upcoming releases and the latest patches, and even do a quick calculation to find out how much you’ve spent on Steam over the past few years. Perhaps most importantly, you can get predictions for when the next Steam sale will be (based on historical data), and dig into the details of the current sale in terms of discount amount, release date, genre, etc.
Use FPS Counter to monitor your PC performance
Viewing frames-per-second performance in real time can help you ensure that your gaming hardware is running as it should, and it’s also useful for diagnosing problems – if you think frames are being dropped, this will prove it.
Steam comes with its own native FPS display option: Pick Steam Then settingsthen proceed further in the game. there is show display monitor Here’s the option that lets you choose where your overlay will go on the screen. The options below on the same screen let you choose what else will be shown besides FPS: It is also possible to display CPU, GPU and RAM usage statistics.
