Macs aren’t for games, that’s the point. This statement wanders from forum to forum, and for many years remains fair. The tiny audience of computers from California and their general neutral attitude towards games has led to the fact that everything related to complex 3D games and game services on their computers does not work well. Even the simplest and most affordable gaming service is Steam, and it often rewards Mac users with errors, and topics with the title “Steam does not work on Mac” with enviable regularity go to the top topics on the official support forum. No matter how sad this may sound, the problem still has a solution, and if you are not afraid of the console, then it's time to get Steam to work.
Why does Steam not work?
As with any non-working application, the first thing to try is to remove it and install again, but this path is not suitable for everyone.
There are three main problems that owners of apple computers are constantly confronted with:
- Corrupted cache files and log files.
- Error in the work of the standard process - ipcserver.
- Incorrect settings for universal access and computer security settings.
All three problems are fixed quickly and easily, but if none of the solutions works, you will have to contact technical support for further instructions.
Error with log file
The most common problem due to which Steam does not work on Mac is a broken registry.vdf file.
To fix the problem associated with this file, you must delete it so that the program downloads it from scratch.
Since the file is downloaded to the system folder, it is initially hidden, so you should start by turning on the display of hidden files in the system using the command in the terminal. The terminal can be found in the list of applications in the "Other" folder. You need to enter the command into the terminal - defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles 1 && killall Finder.
After that, you need to open the Finder program, select the "Settings" submenu, open the "Side menu" tab and check the box next to Macintosh HD - this is your hard drive on which the system data is stored. Go to the Macintosh HD folder - “Users” - “Your Account Name” - “Libraries”. Next, you need to find and open (after holding down the Ctrl key) the Application Support - Steam folder and delete the registry.vdf file from there. After rebooting, Steam re-downloads this file.
There is another file with temporary data that causes problems with launching Steam - steam.sh. The problem is solved by deleting the named file. It is located in the directory "Programs" - Steam - Contents - MacOS. After removal, the service will be updated and download the file from scratch.
If the procedure is difficult, you can ask for help with the utilities responsible for cleaning the Mac from cache files, for example, CleanMyMac, which can automatically clear Steam data.
Ipcserver process
Another reason Steam is not working is the hovering Steam related ipcserver process.
To fix the problem, you must complete this process. There are two ways to do this:
- The first is the use of the program forced menu. To do this, click on the apple logo in the upper left corner, select this menu and terminate the Steam process (sometimes it is the hung process of the service itself that interrupts its operation).
- The second is the use of a system monitoring utility. The utility is located in the list of applications in the "Other" folder. In the process list, you need to find ipcserver and end it by clicking on the cross in the upper left corner.
Privacy and Accessibility Settings
Steam, like many other complex programs, requires access to control your computer. There is nothing wrong with that, and Valve can be trusted. Access is used to launch Steam Overlay. Usually access is requested already at the stage of the first launch of any game. If this does not happen, you need to open the system settings, select the "Protection and Security" submenu, find the "Privacy" tab, open the "Universal Access" sub-item in it and put a checkmark in front of Steam.