"steamwebhelper.exe, a critical Steam component, is not responding. The Steam UI will not be usable." on PC boot

[Gay Lord]

Every other day or so, whenever I boot up my PC, Steam will try to open but then become unresponsive. Spam right-clicking on the icon on the system tray will open a little window that says what I put in the title and give me options like restarting Steam. Restarting Steam works and then Steam works just fine for a while until it eventually happens again.

It's not TOO big of a deal. It started happening late last year. It's just annoying booting up my PC and trying to play a game then realizing Steam crashed and I have to restart it. Like I said, it only happens every other day or so. Is there any fix for this?

I recently did a clean re-install of Windows 11 about a week or two ago so it wiped everything from Steam files. Was fine for a few days but it started happening again.

Also, I'm on the Steam stable branch

[Elucidator]

This currently is known to happen on the Windows 11's preview insider update 24H2. (the update with co-pilot+, etc.)
You should be able to use Steam when you revert to the general release branch of Windows 11 updates.

[Gay Lord]

Originally posted by Elucidator:

This currently is known to happen on the Windows 11's preview insider update 24H2. (the update with co-pilot+, etc.)
You should be able to use Steam when you revert to the general release branch of Windows 11 updates.

I'm on Windows 11 Home 23H2 (personally would never touch an even buggier version of Windows like the preview builds lol)

[Iceira]

I recently did a clean re-install of Windows 11 about a week or two ago so it wiped everything from Steam files. Was fine for a few days but it started happening again.

Have you short list of added apps or know what could have change this, what about security update even. <---- you just reset win11 , that mean security also reseted )

As you said it ( we dont know is a app inteference with steam , but you should post at steam support ) dont forget you actual got it to work its here, steam could be hard, also why we other dont get it, why do win11 work for so many others.

All helper's here can see it , but what cause this. ( have you read the other steam post threads )

Do have steam.exe and steamwebhelper added to antivirus exception list.

Have you tried the install steam, over current steam, to see if this can help.

Also do not have 2 dual card , dearctiveat weakest card, in device manage or BIOS if its a IGPU.

ps.
also turn off gpu accelration inside steam, and i dont know if steam settings is showed then you saying UI dont work, ( then steam flush cmd might help you google it )

and report back no matter what i think there is many steam user atm that get angry over this.
but they dont report back, if they think they cause this, that not what we are saying here as helper.

[Iceira]

Can you roll back to past working windows restore point. ( could save you alot of time. ) maybe.


gl with it.

[Elucidator]

I should install windows 11 on my system I guess, see what is up with it.
More and more people are reporting problems, and they don't go away. Some people call it a "always beta OS", but-- at some point things should be working properly. Microsoft is one of the richest companies on the world an dthey still make money. You'd expect them to easily arrange things with for profit companies such as valve, google, etc, to get things to work properly on their public OS.

Xbox Game Pass probably still works despite the W11 problems, because of course.

Anyway...
All I can recommend for now is obtain and install the latest drivers of your hardware. (from your motherboard manufacturer's site preferably, with the exception of the GPU driver.)
And do a bios firmware update.

I assume Windows / microsoft is capable of fixing itself. (through the update service)
... I am not sure how a clean install can break Steam.

UI probably has to do with the GPU. So updating the GPU driver may fix it. If not, try to disable any special settings to prevent the GPU from overwriting Steam's commands concerning graphics rendering.

Steam is build on Chromium, in other words the Chrome browser.
If Steam breaks, I assume Chrome also breaks. You can test if google chrome works or not. If not, maybe Google has some info on the bug you're encountering.

All of Steam is basically the Chrome browser. Steam Webhelper is a 'browser tab' basically.
(it can be the overlay, loading scree, main page, steam friends and chat, etc. though, not displayed as a tab, but still a seperate chrome window rendered somewhere.)

A couple of other Chrome based apps:
-- discord (build on electron, which is chromium)
-- visual studio code (also build on electron)
-- unity (uses CEF, chromium)
-- unrealengine (also uses CEF)
you can find a list of it I guess.

[p1lus18#CASEHUG]

yeah

[Phénomènes Mystiques]

I just had this happen on Win10, client also seemed a bit sluggish.

Personally I would not run Steam on PC Startup because one time it corrupted my Registry Keys for Steam.

[Gay Lord]

Originally posted by Iceira:

All helper's here can see it , but what cause this. ( have you read the other steam post threads )

Do have steam.exe and steamwebhelper added to antivirus exception list.

Have you tried the install steam, over current steam, to see if this can help.

- I looked it up and there are a few posts of people with similar issues but they don't specifically mention it happening on PC bootup. Only that it happens when they close/minimize Steam. For me personally it ONLY happens on boot. I can close and minimize Steam all day and it'll work fine.

- I don't but I have thought that maybe that was the case. Could I just add the whole Steam folder to the Windows Defender exceptions?

- I could, but since I only just re-installed Steam very recently, I feel like if it was something in Steam's folders, it would be something specific and not just the whole folder.

Originally posted by Elucidator:

I should install windows 11 on my system I guess, see what is up with it.
More and more people are reporting problems, and they don't go away. Some people call it a "always beta OS", but-- at some point things should be working properly. Microsoft is one of the richest companies on the world an dthey still make money. You'd expect them to easily arrange things with for profit companies such as valve, google, etc, to get things to work properly on their public OS.

Xbox Game Pass probably still works despite the W11 problems, because of course.

Anyway...
All I can recommend for now is obtain and install the latest drivers of your hardware. (from your motherboard manufacturer's site preferably, with the exception of the GPU driver.)
And do a bios firmware update.

I assume Windows / microsoft is capable of fixing itself. (through the update service)
... I am not sure how a clean install can break Steam.

UI probably has to do with the GPU. So updating the GPU driver may fix it. If not, try to disable any special settings to prevent the GPU from overwriting Steam's commands concerning graphics rendering.

Steam is build on Chromium, in other words the Chrome browser.
If Steam breaks, I assume Chrome also breaks. You can test if google chrome works or not. If not, maybe Google has some info on the bug you're encountering.

All of Steam is basically the Chrome browser. Steam Webhelper is a 'browser tab' basically.
(it can be the overlay, loading scree, main page, steam friends and chat, etc. though, not displayed as a tab, but still a seperate chrome window rendered somewhere.)

A couple of other Chrome based apps:
-- discord (build on electron, which is chromium)
-- visual studio code (also build on electron)
-- unity (uses CEF, chromium)
-- unrealengine (also uses CEF)
you can find a list of it I guess.

Windows 11 came with my PC and it worked decently for a long time. I did the re-install because something that I spent literally an entire week trying to troubleshoot was causing freezing and stuttering in my games. I finally did the "nuclear" option and completely reinstalled Windows, which fixed it. I still don't know what it was, but it was definitely a Windows problem.

also, funnily enough, they actually have Game Pass ads during the Windows setup screens now. lol.

anyways, I'm always hesitant on touching the BIOS because people always say you should never have to update it. Plus, I doubt the BIOS has anything to do with this specific issue.

GPU drivers are always up to date as soon as I get the notification to update them.

Maybe I could try turning off GPU acceleration in Steam settings?

And lastly, I use Firefox, so no issues there. Discord doesn't seem to have these issues either. Discord starts up even faster than Steam on boot.

----------

The people in some of the previous posts mention a .json file that could be causing it or just deleted the .exe for steamwebhelper and having Steam reinstall it fixes it. Not sure. Like I said, only happens on boot for me.

[Gay Lord]

Originally posted by The Incredible Magical Cupcake:

I just had this happen on Win10, client also seemed a bit sluggish.

Personally I would not run Steam on PC Startup because one time it corrupted my Registry Keys for Steam.

Interesting! That's another thing I was going to try was disable startup for Steam. I have it on my taskbar anyways and it'll only take a click to bootup. Will disable that.

[Iceira]

Are you have a multi boot issue with linux, or on of them pc that can boot in game mode.

we other start windows up as normal, then start steam ourself or steam atartup automatic in minimized mode at right taskbar corner.

ps.
its a long time ago i did see a pc option with boot in game mode, not sure if this is still be there.

dont forget we try to ID what it is, and you can see we try as helper but again sluggish is not in my book as same as yours, and still hes problem if he has not read past post with dual card issue and no gpu accelration, and make steam use lesser resources. common issue with steam then pc start doing that, and we dont talk about steam typical maintaence day and 1-2 days after we all see them hotfixes. also why this topic get other user with other issue in top of this.

and why wenhelper star5tup issue and sluggish is not same thingy, imo.

OP you are welcome to do ccleaner and other past ways

and see windows event viewer is you can see why steamwebhlper dont start or steam log why it crash. ( and its only .exe inside steam you need to add.

we have seen other security app in anti virus before block steamwbhelper. also why i repete it again, you wont see me do that 3 times unless you ask for it.

your worst problem here is you got it to work before it did it again.
pretty sure the other healper also agree on this. problem is what trigger this.

also why we ask you do you know what you did,
i dont care ifg even been on adult site, atleasst its something, because then use them addware and other app that try hunt down all them spyware and other things.

also why i suggest try the restore last save point we once did in windows, if this even help.

[no154370]

There is this possibility though it is my opinion

1) one of the startup programs that startup alongside with steam is the cause of it

i totally disable majority of my startup programs except windows sound and norton 360 and nvidia experience

----------

To disable startup programs, kindly do these

a) open task manager

b) go to startup tab

c) change the ''enable'' to ''disabled''

[no154370]

Hidden Processes

Many applications are configured to launch when a computer starts. These might not even appear in the Windows task bar, but may still be among some of your active processes using your system's resources.

Because of the complexity of these systems and the expertise required to make changes to them, we recommend working with an expert to ensure that nothing damaging is done to your computer, while also ensuring that hardware, applications, security and network are all setup to work together without conflict.

[Gay Lord]

Originally posted by Iceira:

Are you have a multi boot issue with linux, or on of them pc that can boot in game mode.

we other start windows up as normal, then start steam ourself or steam atartup automatic in minimized mode at right taskbar corner.

ps.
its a long time ago i did see a pc option with boot in game mode, not sure if this is still be there.


also why we ask you do you know what you did,
i dont care ifg even been on adult site, atleasst its something, because then use them addware and other app that try hunt down all them spyware and other things.

I don't dualboot or have dual gpu's or anything fancy like that. Just stock Windows 11 home. No special startup things either. I only have 2 games installed right now (Blush Blush and Monster Hunter World).

The only programs I have installed besides Steam and the default Wndows programs is Firefox, Discord, Geforce Experience and MS Solitaire. Firefox only has ublock and a few other low-profile extensions. So no ad or spyware coming from there.

Originally posted by no154370:

There is this possibility though it is my opinion

1) one of the startup programs that startup alongside with steam is the cause of it

i totally disable majority of my startup programs except windows sound and norton 360 and nvidia experience

----------

To disable startup programs, kindly do these

a) open task manager

b) go to startup tab

c) change the ''enable'' to ''disabled''

Since the start of this thread I've since set both Steam and Discord to not open on startup. According to task manager, the only startup services now enabled are ServiceHealth and Realtek drivers.

Maybe Discord is interacting with Steam in a weird way, them booting both at the same time causing Steam to lag a bit and crash? Dunno. I assume now since I'll have to manually open Steam that it should work now.

[no154370]

If task manager not enough

------

Disable Steam from running at startup
How do I stop Steam from running automatically when I start my computer?

With Steam open, click the Steam menu, and choose Settings.

Click on the Interface tab, and uncheck the box that says:

"Run Steam when my computer starts."

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From here https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/6089-6768-F7FB-C46F

-------

Here is a list of programs you can disable from startup

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/make-windows-start-faster-10-non-essential-startup-items-can-safely-remove/

And this one is to disable Microsoft edge

https://www.cloudwards.net/how-to-disable-microsoft-edge/

[Iceira]

Thx Gay Lord , so other steam user that also might struggle with it, might get a clue if its this or other update issue..


you can do the crazy ivan, uninstall geforce experienc and use gpu core driver only and actual try ID what cause this. i have no more crazy ideas atm. ( not the first time we have seen steam user had nvidia Geforce Experience issue , and we dont know why. )

ofc i have more ideas, but you need to understand witha new installed system i mean most dont have crash issue ) after a few days.

dont forget we only suggest here, we are not support.