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goblin.queen Jun 24, 2021 @ 2:23am

Please clarify this for me, someone...

Taken from the Steam Family Library Sharing help page:

"Can I share my games with users that don't live with me?
While Family Sharing can work for users that are not accessing Steam from the same location, due to technical limitations, the feature may encounter issues that Steam is unable to provide support for."

Trying to set up library sharing between my husband and I, in the same house, but between two different computers/two different accounts. It seems that the FAQ answer above vaguely applies to our situation, but the answer given is ambiguous. While I'm aware that separate accounts can be shared by two people who have to share the same computer, is Steam Support saying that two separate accounts on two separate computers cannot be shared, or that it is possible but may cause issues that they won't be able to provide help for? Can I do it, or not? Just need a simple 'yes, or no' here. If yes, how do I do it?

Thanks for reading.

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Showing 1-15 of 25 comments

ElvisDeadly Jun 24, 2021 @ 3:20am

Yes, you can share accounts between two seperate computers. Bear in mind if you are playing a game on your PC from your husbands account he will not be able to play any of his Steam games on his PC without you getting disconnected.

What you are wanting to do is exactly what Family Sharing is primarily designed for, sharing access between two family members in the same household.

Originally posted by goblin.queen:
:
"Can I share my games with users that don't live with me?

^ why are you even worried about this if you do live in the same house?

Originally posted by goblin.queen:
If yes, how do I do it?

All explained in the knowledge base article,

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3784-QLBM-5731&l=#enable

goblin.queen Jun 24, 2021 @ 4:40am

Thanks for that, ElvisDeadly. :}

Like I said, I am getting a little turned around by things like this:

"Family and guests can play one another's games while earning their own Steam achievements and saving their own game progress to the Steam Cloud. It works by granting family members access to games on a shared computer."

From that last bit, I would believe that they're talking about two players, with two separate accounts sharing the SAME computer, which is why I wanted to ask if two players on their own computers could share accounts...which then led me to the further FAQ's where they address the question of 'Can I share games with users that don't live with me', because that seemed to point to two separate of everything. lol! Am I being daft or doesn't all of the above seem confusing?

goblin.queen Jun 24, 2021 @ 4:42am

God, I need coffee, clearly.

Nx Machina Jun 24, 2021 @ 4:50am

A solution for your husband to use family sharing from your account to him so he can access a game on your account whilst you play another game on your account and vice versa.

Originally posted by Spawn of Totoro:
If I am playing a single player game, then I have no issue going into off-line mode so my son can play. The account that is borrowing requires a constant internet connection, while the owner of the library does not.

Last edited by Nx Machina; Jun 24, 2021 @ 4:51am

ElvisDeadly Jun 24, 2021 @ 4:56am

Right, i see the confusion. That shared computer line does make it sound like they are talking about 2 accounts on 1 PC.

But as I said, it's fine. You log in to Steam on husbands PC, he does the same on your PC, you set it all up and now you can access each others libraries from your own Steam accounts on your own PC's.

goblin.queen Jun 24, 2021 @ 5:09am

Okay, he has managed to see what game I am currently in on his library, and has successfully picked up my account on the family sharing screen, but I cannot see his account. It says 'no local accounts found'. I've done everything step-by-step and I still can't access/find his library.

Thanks for the help, everyone.

Nx Machina Jun 24, 2021 @ 5:20am

Originally posted by goblin.queen:
Okay, he has managed to see what game I am currently in on his library, and has successfully picked up my account on the family sharing screen, but I cannot see his account. It says 'no local accounts found'. I've done everything step-by-step and I still can't access/find his library.

Thanks for the help, everyone.

You need to log in to your account and grant family sharing to him to access your library and he needs to log in to his account and grant family sharing to you to, access his library as currently you have granted him access only and not vice versa.

Last edited by Nx Machina; Jun 24, 2021 @ 5:27am

ElvisDeadly Jun 24, 2021 @ 5:21am

Originally posted by goblin.queen:
Okay, he has managed to see what game I am currently in on his library, and has successfully picked up my account on the family sharing screen, but I cannot see his account. It says 'no local accounts found'. I've done everything step-by-step and I still can't access/find his library.

Thanks for the help, everyone.

Have you set it up on both computers/accounts?

Setting it up only gives that account access to your library, it doesn't grant access to their library.

So, you have to share with him and he has to share with you.

Muppet among Puppets Jun 24, 2021 @ 5:26am

Its for X number of computers and Y numbers of accounts.
Should be mentioned in the faq or the settings

goblin.queen Jun 24, 2021 @ 5:30am

We've both enabled sharing on our respective computers. He picks my account up, but mine is just not picking his up. Both Steam Guard enabled. For some reason, when Steam searches for 'other local accounts', it just doesn't pick his one up, so I don't know where to go now. Feels like I've hit an invisible wall.

#10

Nx Machina Jun 24, 2021 @ 5:30am

Originally posted by Muppet among Puppets:
Its for X number of computers and Y numbers of accounts.
Should be mentioned in the faq or the settings

10 devices, 5 accounts.

#11

Nx Machina Jun 24, 2021 @ 5:33am

Originally posted by goblin.queen:
We've both enabled sharing on our respective computers. He picks my account up, but mine is just not picking his up. Both Steam Guard enabled. For some reason, when Steam searches for 'other local accounts', it just doesn't pick his one up, so I don't know where to go now. Feels like I've hit an invisible wall.

Both exit out of Steam and then you log back in and see if you can pick up his account. It could be linked to you both been on the same network.

Are you friends on Steam?

Last edited by Nx Machina; Jun 24, 2021 @ 5:44am

#12

Muppet among Puppets Jun 24, 2021 @ 5:35am

You enable your account for sharing on the pc.
The other tryies to play a game you have, and can then request access to the library.

#13

goblin.queen Jun 24, 2021 @ 5:41am

Yes, we are friends on Steam. That said, it is not finding anyone else I am friends with either. We have both logged out and in again, in the hopes that the system is still catching up or a re-log resets the caches or whatever. Neither of us have enabled 'Family View' which seems to then hide the settings menu completely.

Question, which might be crucial: how DOES the system figure out who you want to share your library with? What criteria is it using to find these 'other local accounts'?

#14