Seeking Clarity: Are Steam Settings Synced Across Different Devices?

[MrRose]

Hi Steam Community and Support,

I use my Steam account on two different machines - a desktop and a laptop. I'm curious if my settings under Steam > Settings for each device sync up automatically. For instance, do changes in "Settings > Controller", "Settings > Library", or "Settings > Interface" etc. on one device reflect on the other?

Ideally, I'd like these settings to be unique for each device due to their different hardware and use cases. Is this possible? Can I customize these settings for each machine independently, or is there an automatic sync?

Any detailed info on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

MrRose

[RiO]

I recently (half a year ago) migrated from one system to another.
Everything came pre-configured the same as on the old system, the first time I signed in on the new one.

So you can safely assume the settings are centrally stored and re-used upon initial sign-in.
What it does after that, and whether it'll allow multiple systems to retain their own set of settings, I can't tell you.


What I can do is remind you of the fact that settings for individual games are for most titles non-existent and attempting to play the same game across multiple systems may be actively hazardous wrt settings. Because more often than not, game developers are sloppy and make e.g. audio and video configuration part of the same settings file - which is backed up to Steam Cloud! - as other game-related settings, such as input configuration; difficulty level; language choices; display of subtitles; etc.

Basically; yes - Steam formally supports 'pick up and go' style resume of play on different machines. But in practice, it's a wet blanket.

[MrRose]

Wow i did not think about that tbh. Well I guess a quick go through the in game settings will not hurt, as I do not often play on the laptop.

But when I do I just think its annoying to go through the steam settings and change it to the appropriate settings for the system I'm playing on, I feel like that should be seamless and in my case be separate. I just hate not knowing either whether it actually syncs or not. If it does sync then I can accept that, at least i'll know. But I don't know for sure. I wish it would be more clear...

Originally posted by RiO:

I recently (half a year ago) migrated from one system to another.
Everything came pre-configured the same as on the old system, the first time I signed in on the new one.

So you can safely assume the settings are centrally stored and re-used upon initial sign-in.
What it does after that, and whether it'll allow multiple systems to retain their own set of settings, I can't tell you.


What I can do is remind you of the fact that settings for individual games are for most titles non-existent and attempting to play the same game across multiple systems may be actively hazardous wrt settings. Because more often than not, game developers are sloppy and make e.g. audio and video configuration part of the same settings file - which is backed up to Steam Cloud! - as other game-related settings, such as input configuration; difficulty level; language choices; display of subtitles; etc.

Basically; yes - Steam formally supports 'pick up and go' style resume of play on different machines. But in practice, it's a wet blanket.

[RiO]

Originally posted by MrRose:

If it does sync then I can accept that, at least i'll know. But I don't know for sure. I wish it would be more clear...

And that makes two of us.

[Spawn of Totoro]

From my experience, some setting sync, others do not.

Those listed under "Store Preferences" sync, regardless of what system you are on.

The ones under Steam > Settings, seem to need to be configured if installing on a new system or a clean formatting and reinstall of the current system. Found this out when installing Steam on a laptop and found cloud settings were re-enabled, the pop-up when Steam starts returned and no web addresses were displayed in the client.

The Library categories may sync on the first start-up, but I am not sure if they sync after changes were made latter on.

I don't think controller setting sync (except for default setting), but I haven't checked yet. I remember having to change controller setting for specific games in the past. Haven't tried attaching a controller to the laptop yet as I have never done so with Linux before.

[wuddih]

.\Steam\userdata\id3\7\remote
sharedconfig.vdf is synced across devices

so you may look at that file.

[RiO]

Originally posted by wuddih:

.\Steam\userdata\id3\7\remote
sharedconfig.vdf is synced across devices

so you may look at that file.

Good find. Thanks.

[MrRose]

Originally posted by Spawn of Totoro:

From my experience, some setting sync, others do not.

Those listed under "Store Preferences" sync, regardless of what system you are on.

The ones under Steam > Settings, seem to need to be configured if installing on a new system or a clean formatting and reinstall of the current system. Found this out when installing Steam on a laptop and found cloud settings were re-enabled, the pop-up when Steam starts returned and no web addresses were displayed in the client.

The Library categories may sync on the first start-up, but I am not sure if they sync after changes were made latter on.

I don't think controller setting sync (except for default setting), but I haven't checked yet. I remember having to change controller setting for specific games in the past. Haven't tried attaching a controller to the laptop yet as I have never done so with Linux before.

I appreciate the answer, I figured the same now. Though I would still like a definitive valve answer, but thats just me

[Spawn of Totoro]

Originally posted by MrRose:

I appreciate the answer, I figured the same now. Though I would still like a definitive valve answer, but thats just me :cupup:

Valve doesn't post in the forums, with the exception of an occasional post in the Steam Beta forums.

The "Valve" employees you see locking threads and posting in it are a 3rd party company that only deals with moderation.

Sadly, you won't get an official answer here, only answers by fellow users.

[Sac]

Sorry for necroing, but I think I can bring something useful to the table.
My experience is the same as everyone else here, with some settings saving per device and some not.

I believe that if you set the graphics config files on both devices to "read only," it should force each device to have the graphics you set in the file.

I've not tested it for multiple devices yet, but this helps in scenarios where some games stubbornly change one graphic setting upon launch.

[Wren]

This thread was quite old before the recent post, so we're locking it to prevent confusion.