Steam: stop with the multiple ads and windows when starting a game

[Galadhlinn]

With the most recent Steam update we are now having the full Steam UI and a slew of ad windows opening up with each game we start. STOP! I have done all the suggestions for fixing this that I found in Google, and it is still occurring, so Steam either moved, removed, renamed or reassigned this setting.
It is annoying as F*#K!

[Khollyn]

It seems a lot of this discussion is being diverted with the "it's an ad / it's not an ad" debate.

The fact of the matter is that the OP has a problem which I also have in that the Steam client is loading when starting a game using a desktop shortcut which did not happen before this new update. If others don't have this problem then I am happy for them but it doesn't take away the fact that it is a problem. It's the same with a game update that introduces a bug that not everyone encounters and just because not everyone see's it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

My guess is that it will be one of the issues Steam will fix in a later update or at least I hope they will because I don't want to open the Steam client or have it open every time I start a game. Just my preference.

[Tito Shivan]

Khollyn の投稿を引用：

The fact of the matter is that the OP has a problem which I also have in that the Steam client is loading when starting a game using a desktop shortcut which did not happen before this new update.

It did happen. Steam HAS to be launched in order for the game to run.

The difference for OP is now it doesn't launch minimized for him and in addition it's also showing the news and announcements popup on launch, which can be disabled through settings.

[bidulless]

Galadhlinn の投稿を引用：

With the most recent Steam update we are now having the full Steam UI and a slew of ad windows opening up with each game we start. STOP! I have done all the suggestions for fixing this that I found in Google, and it is still occurring, so Steam either moved, removed, renamed or reassigned this setting.
It is annoying as F*#K!

Hello

If you are talking about the popup you got on steam startup, it's easy to remove it ;
go to parameter,interface and uncheck the last box on the right bottom ;
get me aware of the game change or add to the game i own ....

[Kule02]

Tito Shivan の投稿を引用：

Khollyn の投稿を引用：

The fact of the matter is that the OP has a problem which I also have in that the Steam client is loading when starting a game using a desktop shortcut which did not happen before this new update.

It did happen. Steam HAS to be launched in order for the game to run.

The difference for OP is now it doesn't launch minimized for him and in addition it's also showing the news and announcements popup on launch, which can be disabled through settings.

It's technically untrue that steam has to be launched for games to run. You can bypass steam being launched by placing a file called 'steam_appid.txt' in the game's folder. The content of this file needs to be the game id, which you can get from the desktop shortcut under 'Web Document' in properties. You then boot the game directly from its exe or make your own shortcut to the game's exe. The downside is that you won't be able to use steam saves or other steam systems, but if there's people who don't care about that, then this is temporary option.

Also, changing steam to load to the library doesn't help this issue and makes it seem even more like a bug, as I can't see much of a use case for booting a game from the desktop and then being shown a list of other games.

[Kule02]

I made an AHK 2.0 script to fix the issue until Valve hopefully does, but it's not perfect as it works on a per game basis. The script goes in the game folder and you then make a shortcut to the script, which goes on your desktop. When the script runs, the game will boot and minimize the Steam window. The Steam window is minimized twice as it tries to reopen itself for some reason. I couldn't find a clean way to prevent that.

Other options are to roll back to the previous Steam UI, but I'd personally like to avoid that.

Replace 'game.exe' with your game's exe title.
You also need to disable the news pop-up as that gets detected as Steam reopening, which breaks the script.

#Requires AutoHotkey v2

SetTitleMatchMode 3
run "game.exe"

count := 0
loop {
    if (winActive("Steam")) {
        MinMax := WinGetMinMax("Steam") 
        if (MinMax = 0 or MinMax = 1) {
            WinMinimize "Steam"
            count += 1
        }
    }
    if count = 2 {
        break
    }
}

processClose "autohotkey.exe"
ExitApp

Edit:
The previous script didn't always work so here's a better one. It should close everything. Replace 'game.exe' with the title of your game's exe. The problem with trying to fix this is that the steam client tries to force itself to stay open, probably each time it opens a new window, like the news and friends stuff. I've tested this script a bit and it seems to work though.

#Requires AutoHotkey v2

SetTitleMatchMode 3

game := "game.exe"
run game

loop {
    if (WinExist("Sign in to Steam")) {
        WinMinimize
    }
    if (WinExist("Steam")) {
        WinMinimize
    }
    if (WinExist("Special Offers")) {
        WinMinimize
    }
    if (WinExist("Friends List")) {
        WinMinimize
    }
    if (WinActive("ahk_exe" . " " . game)) {
        break
    }
}

processClose "autohotkey.exe"
ExitApp

[MonkehMaster]

Galadhlinn の投稿を引用：

Zero の投稿を引用：

It sounds like a case where TC doesn't have Steam running at all and it logs in and gives the store ads when they use a shortcut (because it's launching Steam, not just the game). The solution to this would be just to launch Steam and run your games from your Library, like a normal person.

Show me your source of information (data) on that "normal people" always launch steam first and then their games from the library. And while you are at it, please show the data and research you are using to establish what "normal persons" are. lol

i... a normal person, launch steam.... way before i launch a game.

so there you have one person for that data.

neonsquare の投稿を引用：

Tito Shivan の投稿を引用：

It did happen. Steam HAS to be launched in order for the game to run.

The difference for OP is now it doesn't launch minimized for him and in addition it's also showing the news and announcements popup on launch, which can be disabled through settings.

It's technically untrue that steam has to be launched for games to run. You can bypass steam being launched by placing a file called 'steam_appid.txt' in the game's folder. The content of this file needs to be the game id, which you can get from the desktop shortcut under 'Web Document' in properties. You then boot the game directly from its exe or make your own shortcut to the game's exe. The downside is that you won't be able to use steam saves or other steam systems, but if there's people who don't care about that, then this is temporary option.

Also, changing steam to load to the library doesn't help this issue and makes it seem even more like a bug, as I can't see much of a use case for booting a game from the desktop and then being shown a list of other games.

seems you are actively trying to avoid even using steam, instead of wasting time, how about load steam after you boot your pc, then maybe launch a game when you go to play it.

this way you wont see steam load up on the screen.

that being said, im pretty sure steam has a "minimize to tray" option for when it first launched and seeing as this is steam we are dealing with, im willing to bet the issue takes awhile before getting fixed.

btw, i dont run any games from shortcuts, i either run them from the library page, or i run them from the "right click" context menu on the steam icon in the system tray, i personally see no reason for shortcuts, all they do is clutter your desktop.

neonsquare の投稿を引用：

(text removed)

no thanks, thats a waste of time and a cheat program that can get people banned off multiplayer games.

Nebsun の投稿を引用：

This is a news popup, NOT an advertisement!!

The window title clearly states "News" not "Advertisement" - they are not making an announcement or notice promoting the game, it's just news about the game.

Definition of Advertisement の投稿を引用：

advertisement
noun
a notice or announcement in a public medium promoting a product, service, or event or publicizing a job vacancy.

You can turn off this news notice by disabling the "Notify me about additions or changes to my games, new releases, and upcoming releases" in: Steam > Settings > Interface

wrong, it is an advertisement.

Watermelon {JESUS IS LORD} の投稿を引用：

Can I turn off Steam news?
Click View on the top-right menu, and click on Settings. Click Interface on the left. Scroll down and check the box next to Notify me about additions or changes to my games, new releases, and upcoming releases. That's it—no more popups in Steam.

steam news can be turned off proving its not an ad

what? just because an ad can be turned off, doesnt mean its not a ad....

[MonkehMaster]

davidb11 の投稿を引用：

Galadhlinn の投稿を引用：

At least four times in this thread including the very first post, I said that I always keep "Notify me" turned off, and the very first thing I did when this started to occur after the new update was to check that it somehow didn't get turned back on as a result of the update. It was not turned on, and it is still off.
Do you guys read the entire thread or just troll the discussions.
David, you are an absolute tool. You make claims like you are god or something. You are not. You are one player with one system configuration out of hundreds of thousands of players in steam. Your system may not ever launch the main store page when clicking on a game shortcut (and neither has mine until today). Now it does, and since I made this post this morning other players have made posts who are having the exact same experience.

Attacking me proves you have no ability to ever be taken seriously, and are rude for no reason.
You clearly don't want help, you clearly want to attack everyone who gives you help.

Sorry, but you'll never get help if you're like this.

sorry to tell ya, but seeing your comments through the years, you regularly dont have a clue what you are talking about, you also regularly misunderstand as well, im not even sure i have once seen anything you commented... be of any help.

[Kule02]

MonkehMaster の投稿を引用：

neonsquare の投稿を引用：

(text removed)

no thanks, thats a waste of time and a cheat program that can get people banned off multiplayer games.

It's obviously not intended for you or other people who enjoy opening Steam to play their games. The script closes AHK the second the game window becomes active, even before anything is rendered, so I'd be surprised if anyone would get banned using that script. Also, AHK is much more than a "cheat program".
From a quick bit of research, the only way you'd get VAC banned by using AHK is if it directly edits the game's executable or files. All my script does is look for active Steam windows and closes them, and uses the game window to tell when the loop should end, since the game window is the last thing Steam opens.

[headcrab]

Same here. Don't want for Steam main GUI and all advertising windows to start when just starting the game from shortcut. Previously it started in background with icon in taskbar.

[Tito Shivan]

headcrab の投稿を引用：

Same here. Don't want for Steam main GUI and all advertising windows to start when just starting the game from shortcut. Previously it started in background with icon in taskbar.

Be sure you have this unckecked for the 'advertising windows'.
https://imgur.com/a/LpnB5mZ

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Op are you talking about news page? If you are that been around for over a decade...

[Kule02]

Dr.Shadowds 🐉 の投稿を引用：

Op are you talking about news page? If you are that been around for over a decade...

Until the recent UI change, you could start a game from a desktop shortcut and steam would login and start minimized. Thats now been changed to steam and its accompanying windows all opening on the desktop, which is very obtrusive when your goal is to simply play a game. Disabling the news pop-up doesn't fix the real issue, as you still get the log-in splash screen and the steam client opening on the desktop.
This would be an easy fix if Valve gives us an explicit 'Start Steam minimized' option.

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

neonsquare の投稿を引用：

Dr.Shadowds 🐉 の投稿を引用：

Op are you talking about news page? If you are that been around for over a decade...

Until the recent UI change, you could start a game from a desktop shortcut and steam would login and start minimized. Thats now been changed to steam and its accompanying windows all opening on the desktop, which is very obtrusive when your goal is to simply play a game. Disabling the news pop-up doesn't fix the real issue, as you still get the log-in splash screen and the steam client opening on the desktop.
This would be an easy fix if Valve gives us an explicit 'Start Steam minimized' option.

TBH idk why that not a option via settings to begin with, but you can do 'Start Steam minimized' if that what you want.

Option 1 if want steam to be autostart

1. Disable Steam autostart via settings.
   
2. Make a shortcut of Steam.exe on desktop
   
3. Right click on that shortcut, and click properties, in the target field at the end put

    -silent

   should look like this. "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe" -silent
   
4. Press Windows key + R to open run command, and type in without qoutes "shell:startup" this opens a startup folder.
   
5. Drag & drop your shortcut you made into that folder, and you're done so when you start up, steam will auto start but as minimized.

Option 2 if you just want to manually start steam but as minimized

1. Make a shortcut of Steam.exe on desktop
   
2. Right click on that shortcut, and click properties, in the target field at the end put

    -silent

   should look like this. "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe" -silent

Option 3 if you just want to click on games, instead starting steam up 1st.

1. Make game shortcut on desktop.
   
2. Right click on that shortcut, and click properties, in the target/url field at the end put

    " -silent

You're welcome to checking more steam commands here if you like.
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Command_Line_Options

[Kule02]

Dr.Shadowds 🐉 の投稿を引用：

neonsquare の投稿を引用：

Until the recent UI change, you could start a game from a desktop shortcut and steam would login and start minimized. Thats now been changed to steam and its accompanying windows all opening on the desktop, which is very obtrusive when your goal is to simply play a game. Disabling the news pop-up doesn't fix the real issue, as you still get the log-in splash screen and the steam client opening on the desktop.
This would be an easy fix if Valve gives us an explicit 'Start Steam minimized' option.

TBH idk why that not a option via settings to begin with, but you can do 'Start Steam minimized' if that what you want.

Option 1 if want steam to be autostart

1. Disable Steam autostart via settings.
   
2. Make a shortcut of Steam.exe on desktop
   
3. Right click on that shortcut, and click properties, in the target field at the end put

    -silent

   should look like this. "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe" -silent
   
4. Press Windows key + R to open run command, and type in without qoutes "shell:startup" this opens a startup folder.
   
5. Drag & drop your shortcut you made into that folder, and you're done so when you start up, steam will auto start but as minimized.

Option 2 if you just want to manually start steam but as minimized

1. Make a shortcut of Steam.exe on desktop
   
2. Right click on that shortcut, and click properties, in the target field at the end put

    -silent

   should look like this. "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe" -silent

Option 3 if you just want to click on games, instead starting steam up 1st.

1. Make game shortcut on desktop.
   
2. Right click on that shortcut, and click properties, in the target/url field at the end put

    " -silent

You're welcome to checking more steam commands here if you like.
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Command_Line_Options

Thanks for the advice. Your method works with the steam.exe shortcut, although the log-in splash screen still shows up, but it's only a minor inconvenience since it eventually goes.

Using '-silent' doesn't have an effect when launching with a game shortcut though.

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

neonsquare の投稿を引用：

Using '-silent' doesn't have an effect when launching with a game shortcut though.

You forgot the " <--- Check again.

Example yugioh game on steam.

Before: steam://rungameid/1449850

After: steam://rungameid/1449850" -silent

It should look like the after.