How to Uninstall Steam: Full Removal Guide

Uninstalling Steam removes the Steam client, your installed games, and your local game data from your computer. Your Steam account, purchased games, and cloud saves remain intact and can be accessed again by reinstalling Steam and logging in. This guide covers the complete removal process on Windows, macOS, and Linux, including how to back up your games and clean up leftover files.

What You’ll Need

• Administrator access to your computer (Windows) or your user password (macOS/Linux)
• Enough free disk space if you plan to back up games before uninstalling
• An external drive or cloud storage if you want to keep game files for later

Step-by-Step

Windows

1. Back up your games (optional but recommended). Open Steam, go to Steam > Backup and Restore Games, select the games you want to keep, and follow the prompts to create backup files on an external drive. This preserves your game installations so you don’t have to re-download them later.
2. Close Steam completely. Right-click the Steam icon in the system tray (near the clock) and select Exit. If Steam is not in the tray, open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), find Steam in the Processes tab, right-click it, and choose End Task.
3. Open the Control Panel. Press the Windows key, type “Control Panel,” and press Enter. Alternatively, go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features on Windows 10/11.
4. Find Steam in the list of installed programs. In Control Panel, click Uninstall a program (under Programs). In Settings, scroll the app list. Locate “Steam” — it may be listed as “Steam” or “Steam Client Bootstrapper.”
5. Uninstall. Click Steam, then click Uninstall. Confirm any prompts. The Steam uninstaller will run and remove the program files.
6. Delete leftover folders. After the uninstaller finishes, manually delete the Steam installation folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam). Also delete C:\ProgramData\Steam if it exists. These folders may contain game files, screenshots, and configuration files that the uninstaller does not remove.
7. Clean the registry (optional). Press Windows+R, type regedit, and press Enter. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Valve and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Valve. Right-click the Valve key and delete it if you want to remove all traces. Be careful — editing the registry incorrectly can harm your system, so only do this if you are comfortable.

macOS

1. Back up games (optional). Use Steam’s built-in backup feature as described above before quitting.
2. Quit Steam. Click the Steam menu in the top-left corner and select Quit Steam. Verify it is closed by checking the Dock for a dot under the Steam icon.
3. Move Steam to the Trash. Open Finder, go to Applications, find Steam, and drag it to the Trash. Alternatively, right-click and select Move to Trash.
4. Delete support files. Open Finder, press Cmd+Shift+G, and type ~/Library/Application Support/Steam. Drag that folder to the Trash. Also check ~/Library/Preferences for files starting with “com.valvesoftware.steam” and delete them.
5. Empty the Trash. Right-click the Trash icon in the Dock and select Empty Trash. Enter your password if prompted.

Linux (Steam installed via package manager)

1. Back up games (optional). Use Steam’s backup feature before proceeding.
2. Quit Steam. In the Steam window, go to Steam > Exit.
3. Uninstall via your package manager. Open a terminal and run the appropriate command for your distribution:
   • Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt remove steam
   • Fedora: sudo dnf remove steam
   • Arch: sudo pacman -R steam
4. Delete leftover files. Remove the ~/.local/share/Steam and ~/.steam directories with rm -rf ~/.local/share/Steam ~/.steam. Be careful with the rm -rf command — double-check the paths before running it.

Common Mistakes

• Not closing Steam before uninstalling. The uninstaller may fail or leave files behind if Steam is still running.
• Deleting only the shortcut. Removing the desktop icon does not uninstall the program.
• Forgetting the game files. The uninstaller removes the client but often leaves the steamapps folder, which can be several gigabytes.
• Assuming your account is deleted. Uninstalling Steam does not cancel your account or remove your purchased games from your library.
• Skipping the backup step. Re-downloading large games can take hours; a backup saves time if you plan to return.

Tips

• Write down your Steam username and make sure you remember your password before uninstalling. You will need both to log back in.
• If you have games installed on a secondary drive, move them to the default location before uninstalling, or note the folder paths so you can find them later.
• Use Steam’s “Backup and Restore Games” feature instead of copying folders manually — it handles file paths and metadata correctly.
• After uninstalling, restart your computer before reinstalling Steam to clear any locked files.
• Consider whether you want to keep your saved game files. Cloud saves are automatic for most games, but local saves for older or offline games may be lost.

Troubleshooting

The uninstaller says Steam is still running. Open Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (macOS), find any process named “steam” or “steamwebhelper,” and force-quit it. Then try the uninstall again.

Steam does not appear in the list of installed programs. If you installed Steam by extracting a portable version, there is no uninstaller. Delete the Steam folder and the leftover files manually as described in the steps above.

You get a “file in use” error during uninstall. Close all programs that might be using Steam files, including game launchers, Discord overlays, or antivirus software. Restart your computer and try again.

After uninstalling, games still appear on your drive. Manually delete the steamapps folder inside the Steam installation directory. On Windows, this is typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps.

The uninstaller hangs or freezes. Wait a few minutes — it may be deleting large game files. If it remains stuck, force-close it, then run the uninstaller again from the Control Panel. If that fails, use a third-party uninstaller tool, but be aware that these are not officially supported.

You cannot reinstall Steam after uninstalling. Make sure you deleted all Steam folders and registry entries. A leftover registry key can sometimes cause installation issues. Search for “Valve” in the registry and remove those keys, then restart and try again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will uninstalling Steam delete my games? Yes, the game files on your computer will be removed. However, your purchased games remain tied to your account, and you can re-download them anytime by reinstalling Steam and logging in.

Do I lose my game saves? Most modern games use Steam Cloud, so saves are stored online and will sync back when you reinstall. Games without cloud support may lose local saves unless you back them up manually.

Can I uninstall Steam without deleting my games? Not directly. The uninstaller removes everything in the Steam folder. You can use the backup feature to save games to another drive first, then restore them after reinstalling.

Is it safe to delete the Steam folder manually? Yes, after running the official uninstaller. Manually deleting the folder before uninstalling can leave broken registry entries, so always use the uninstaller first.

How do I cancel my Steam account? Uninstalling the software does not cancel your account. To permanently close your account, you must contact Steam Support and request account deletion. This is a separate process.

Can I move Steam to another drive instead of uninstalling? Yes. Steam has a built-in feature under Settings > Storage that lets you move installed games to another drive without reinstalling them.

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