Very often, members of the same family have to share not only their place of residence, but also their computer. This is especially acute when there is not one, but two or maybe more gamers among them. Deciding who and when will spend leisure time in front of the screen is not difficult. At the same time, avoiding conflicts over the passage of the same game is difficult. “Why did you touch my save?”, “I should have received this achievement earlier!” - family members blame each other. The developers of the world-famous platform for the sale of computer games have come up with a way to get rid of the eternal conflict - Steam Family Sharing.
What it is?
One of the new Steam options is family access, if you refer to the translation of its name. How does she work? Steam Family Sharing offers an attractive opportunity for users of one computer - to share games from a personal shopping list with friends or family members. Moreover, each authorized account has its own save and achievements, which are in the individual use of its owner.
Steam guard
Before connecting family access to Steam, the user needs to make sure that his account is protected using an additional function. Ideally, it should be included for everyone. The simplest level of security is a password, without which it is impossible to log into the account. But, as you know, attackers can get it. When activating Steam Guard, the user can be sure that people who are not related to his account will not be able to easily take him away.
As soon as the option is enabled, the login to the account in question will not be carried out without authorization confirmation. The system will generate a random set of letters and numbers, which it will immediately send to the email address specified during registration. Or it will appear in a special Steam application available to smartphone owners. This code is required to enter in a special window: along with a password and login.
How to enable Steam Guard?
Before you make family access on Steam active, you must definitely go through this step. This function is activated automatically if the user has confirmed the email address to which the account is linked. And after that, the Steam client rebooted two times. However, if the user accidentally or intentionally disconnected it and now wants to return it, there are two ways:
- Reconfirmation of the email address provided during registration of the account. You can check whether this is done in the client settings. If everything went well, the email address will be indicated as verified.
- Activation of the option in the client settings. After logging in to your account, just select the "Manage Steam Guard Settings". Here you can safely enable the feature in question.
You can also further secure your account by downloading a special application on your phone. Each time a user authorizes data, a code is generated on his smartphone. Without him, he will not be able to enter the network.
Step one: computer authorization
Steam Family Access Setup begins with this operation. Authorization of a new device must be done by going to the client settings. In the window that opens, you need to find the line Family and click on it with the cursor of a computer mouse. After this action is completed, a window will open. It displays a list of authorized devices. From the presented list of computers you need to select the one from which the user is currently sitting, and click the "Authorize device" button. In the pop-up dialog box, you are asked to specify the name of the new subject of technology. It is advisable to introduce it so that in the future do not forget who exactly had access to the library of games. After confirming the name, the computer will be authorized in the Steam system. Family access will be enabled for it.
Now any user logging in from an authorized computer gets access to the full library of games. He will be able to spend time in any of them if it is not used by someone else. The game is available only to one user at a time. If a friend enters the game, and its owner also decides to have fun in it, he will receive a warning. It will be offered to purchase a game or given a few minutes to save and exit. The owner of the game has priority access to it.
Step Two: Access Request
How to make family access on Steam, if the guest logged in with the user’s computer, installed the game, but forgot to give access to this device? Having already logged in with his account, the owner of the computer can send a request for permission to use the guest library. Each game, without exception, installed on the computer via Steam, will be on the list with the signature of the owner’s name.
Just select the fun of interest from the list and try to go into it. A dialog pops up. The user will be asked to pay for the game or send a request for permission to use the library to its owner. The next step will be to introduce the name of the computer so that a friend can find out who sent him the request.
After the operation is completed, the person will receive a notification. And the owner of the library will receive a letter by e-mail indicated at registration. It will display the request text. The computer owner will have full access to the comrade’s library as soon as he confirms his permission to do so. A user who has opened access to his games will be able to see the replenishment of the list of authorized computers. After that, Steam will turn on family access on Steam.
Device deauthorization
As soon as the owner of an extensive library realized that for a particular device on Steam it is best to close family access, he can do it without any problems. It is enough to go to the list of authorized devices, select one or more and click the "Deactivate" button. After that, the owners of computers that are excluded from the list of devices will lose the opportunity to get unhindered access to the library of games of a certain user. But not forever. They can also be authorized back.