How to reset or change your Steam password

June 2, 2020 · 3 min read

Short answer

Steam never needs your old password to let you back in. It needs access to the email address or the Steam Guard phone linked to the account, which is why those matter more than the password itself.

Valve handles every Steam sign-in problem through one help site, help.steampowered.com. Its “Help, I can’t sign in” page offers four routes: a forgotten account name or password, a stolen account, a Steam Guard code that is not arriving, and a lost Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator. Pick the one that matches your problem. The whole process is free, and nobody outside Valve can reset a Steam password for you, so ignore sites or chat messages offering to recover an account for a fee.

Resetting a forgotten password

In the Steam client or on the Steam website, click the link for help signing in, or go straight to help.steampowered.com.
Choose “I forgot my Steam Account name or password.”
Enter your account name, the email address on the account, or its phone number, then complete the captcha.
Choose how to receive a verification code: by email, or through the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator in the Steam app if you use one.
Enter the code, or follow the link in the email.
If several accounts share the email address, pick the one you want.
Choose to reset your password, type a new one twice, and save it.

Changing a password you still know

In the Steam client, open the Steam menu, then Settings, then the Account section, and click “Change password.” Steam emails a code to the account address, or asks the mobile authenticator to confirm, before accepting the new password. The same option sits under Account Details on the Steam website. Valve’s password change page lists the steps.

When the code never arrives

Steam’s messages come from noreply@steampowered.com. If nothing shows up within a few minutes, check the spam and promotions folders, then add that address to your contacts and request a new code. Some corporate and school mail servers hold messages for a while, so waiting a little longer can help. If the email address itself is one you can no longer open, the self-service reset will not work and you need to open a ticket with Steam Support.

When you cannot prove ownership by email

Support can restore an account without the email if you show you own it. Useful proof includes the product key of a boxed game registered to the account, or a receipt or bank statement showing a purchase made on it. Keeping Steam receipts in a mail folder pays off here.

If the account was stolen

Choose “My Steam Account was stolen and I need help recovering it” on the help site. Before you do, deal with the likely cause:

Scan the computer for malware, especially anything that records keystrokes.
Change the password of the email account linked to Steam first, and turn on two-step verification there. Whoever controls that inbox can reset Steam again.
Then reset the Steam password and review the account’s email, phone and trade history.

Keeping the account safe afterward

Turn on the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator in the Steam app. Sign in only through the Steam client or steampowered.com and steamcommunity.com; phishing pages copying the Steam sign-in box are common, often arriving as links from friends whose accounts were already taken. Valve staff never ask for your password. Use a password that is not shared with any other site, and store it in a password manager. Keep the email account linked to Steam just as well protected, since it is the real key to the account. Steam also lets you deauthorize all other devices from the Steam Guard settings page, which is worth doing after any reset you did not start yourself.