How To Not See A Steam Libary That Is Shared

How to Hide a Shared Steam Library: A Comprehensive Guide

Meta Description: Frustrated with seeing a shared Steam library you don't want to access? This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to effectively hide or manage shared Steam libraries for a cleaner, more organized experience. Learn how to manage family sharing settings and regain control of your Steam interface.

Are you tired of seeing a shared Steam library cluttering your Steam client? Family Sharing is a great feature, but sometimes you just want to focus on your games. This guide will walk you through different methods to effectively manage and hide those shared libraries, ensuring a cleaner and more organized Steam experience.

Understanding Steam Family Sharing

Before diving into the hiding process, it's crucial to understand how Steam Family Sharing works. Essentially, it allows you to share your game library with authorized family members. While this allows for shared gaming experiences, it can also result in a cluttered library interface if you're not managing it correctly. The shared games appear alongside your own, potentially making it difficult to find the games you actually own.

Methods to Manage and Hide Shared Steam Libraries

There isn't a single "hide" button for shared games within Steam itself. However, there are several strategies you can employ to achieve a similar effect:

1. Managing Family Sharing Authorizations:

• The most effective solution: The simplest way to prevent seeing a shared library is to revoke the authorization for the shared account. This means the other user will no longer be able to access your games, and you won't see theirs. Go to your Steam client settings, navigate to Family, and manage the authorized accounts. Remember this impacts all shared games.

2. Using Steam Library Folders:

• Organization, not hiding: While you can't directly hide shared games, you can improve organization. Steam allows you to create multiple library folders. You could install your games in a separate folder, making it visually easier to distinguish between your games and the shared ones. You can manage this through the Steam client settings. This doesn't hide the games, but it improves organization.

3. Third-Party Tools (Use with Caution):

• Proceed with extreme care: There are third-party tools claiming to hide or manage Steam libraries. However, we strongly advise against using these, as they might violate Steam's Terms of Service and potentially compromise your account security. Steam's official features are always the safest option.

4. Creating a Separate Steam Account:

• A clean slate: If shared game access is consistently causing problems, consider creating a separate Steam account solely for your personal games. This will provide a completely separate and uncluttered gaming experience.

Maintaining a Clean Steam Interface: Best Practices

Beyond hiding shared libraries, consider these best practices for a cleaner Steam interface:

• Regularly uninstall games: If you've finished playing a game, consider uninstalling it to free up hard drive space and declutter your library.
• Categorize your games: Use Steam's tagging feature to categorize your games into genres or groups for easier browsing.
• Create custom views: Steam's library interface offers customization options, allowing you to create custom views based on your preferences.

By utilizing these methods and incorporating best practices, you can effectively manage your Steam library and ensure a clean, organized gaming experience, even when family sharing is involved. Remember to always prioritize the official Steam client settings for the safest and most reliable approach to managing your shared game libraries.