Steam has become such an integral part of many a PC gamer’s life, that whenever it goes down, it feels like we’ve lost a critical part of ourselves. Before you start spiraling into existential despair, though, let’s try to find a way to fix the problem. So, how do you fix the Steam Web API error?
How Do You Fix Steam Web API Error? Answered
Nine times out of ten, if you’re experiencing a Steam Web API error, it’s not actually a problem on your end. Steam gets a lot of user traffic daily, to say nothing of more intensive events like sales, so the servers tend to buckle every once in a while. You can check the status of Steam’s servers through third-party sites like SteamDB; if they’re down, just wait a little while and they’ll be back.
If you’re reasonably sure the problem is on your end, there are a few tricks we can try to get Steam’s valves turning again.
- Restart Steam
- Run Steam as an Administrator
- Update your Computer
- Contact Steam Support
Restart Steam
As with any malfunctioning program, sometimes all Steam needs is a swift kick in the pants to get it moving again. Just exit out of Steam by right-clicking it on your taskbar, then launch it again. This can fix most small problems.
Run Steam as an Administrator
A little extra authority will show Steam you mean business. Right-click on a Steam shortcut or program to bring up the properties menu. In the properties, check “Run as Administrator.” This will give Steam full privileges to do whatever it needs to.
Related: How to Fix Steam Wishlist Not Loading
Update your Computer
If your operating system is out of date, Steam may not play nice with it. Assuming you’re running Windows, just open your Start menu, click the little gear to bring up your settings, and click Update and Security. You can check for any new Windows updates, and if there are any available, download and install them. You might need to restart your computer afterward.
Contact Steam Support
If all else fails, go directly to the source. You can contact Steam Support either through the Steam client or their website to get help with your problem. The Support staff can read your Steam Client’s log to determine the source of your error, as well as how to fix it.
As I said before, the vast majority of Web API errors are serverside, so waiting a little while will usually fix the problem. Just keep that in mind before you go messing with any back-end files.
