How do I completely uninstall Steam?

Steam is one of the most popular gaming platforms for gamers worldwide. With a ton of free and paid games, while giving frequent discounts and offers, Steam has attracted a huge community of gamers. But it’s not always that you want to spend your time gaming. With the heavy games, it might also make your average computer slow. There might also be other reasons people want to take a break from gaming and completely uninstall Steam from their PC. 

So, this article is a complete guide to help you permanently uninstall Steam from your PC.

You can also see the process to delete the PUBG account permanently.

Completely Uninstall Steam from your PC

Uninstalling steam is not as difficult as you think. The uninstallation process is pretty simple, like uninstalling any other app on your PC. But sometimes, the uninstallation process might not go as smoothly as expected due to installation errors or other reasons. We will take you through all the common processes to help uninstall Steam from your PC. 

There are various ways to uninstall Steam from your PC. Let’s head over to the two methods you can successfully remove Steam from your computer. 

Uninstall Steam from Windows

The first and the most popular way to uninstall Steam from your Windows uninstaller. The built-in Windows uninstaller allows users to uninstall the Steam app safely. Let’s head into the steps to uninstall Steam with Windows uninstaller.

  • Exit Steam
  • If you want to keep the game installations, remove the steamapps folder from the main steam folder.
  • Click the Windows Start button and go to settings.
Exit Steam and go to the windows start button
  • Go to Apps and find Steam in the apps list
  • Click on Steam, and the Uninstall and Modify button appears.
Go to Apps and find Steam in the apps list.
  • Now, Select Uninstall, and then it will redirect to Steam Uninstaller.
  • Follow through and click Finish to uninstall Steam.

Manually Uninstall Steam

Sometimes, uninstalling Steam from windows might not work, especially when there was some damage during the Steam installation. In that case, you can either re-install steam to repair the installation and then uninstall the app from Windows. Another option is to uninstall steam manually.

You can manually remove the files from the registry editor. With the registry editor, you can permanently delete the Steam files from your PC. Let’s go through the steps.

  • Navigate to the Steam Directory.
  • Delete all of the contents from the Steam file(You can move it out of the main directory to keep game files.)
  • Press the Windows key+R button or search for Run.
  • Now, type in ‘regedit’ and press Ok to open the registry editor.
Navigate to the Steam Directory.
  • For 32-bit operating systems, Navigate to HIKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Valve. For 64- bit, Navigate to HIKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Valve
  • Right-click on Steam and SteamService and delete them both.
Right-click on Steam and SteamService and delete them both.
  • Again, Navigate to HIKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Valve.
  • Right-click on Steam and delete it.
Right-click on Steam and delete it
  • Close your Registry Editor. 

FAQs

Does uninstalling Steam delete everything?

Uninstalling Steam from your PC will remove everything, including Steam, your games, downloadable content, and the saved files. 
When you uninstall Steam, everything will be uninstalled simultaneously. It will remove every game content from your PC. Uninstalling will delete every file from the Steam directory, but as mentioned above, you can move the steamapps folder out of the directory to prevent the games from being deleted.

Can I backup a game from Steam?

Yes, you can backup your Steam Library. To backup your steam games, go to Steam Library and click on the Steam menu. You will see ‘Backup and Restore Games’ click on it, and you will have a list of games installed on your computer, choose the games you want to back up. Then, you have to pick the destination. It could be any internal or external hard drive with enough storage space. 
With a backup of a game, you can reinstall it much quicker and faster when you reinstall your Steam. You will be able to save yourself from the hassle of re-downloading the entire game again.

Do inactive Steam accounts get deleted?

No, steam accounts do not get deleted unless you physically delete your account. Your account won’t get deleted, but the account will be in an ‘inactive’ state if you don’t use it for an extended period. But if you log in once every while, your account will remain active. Valve doesn’t delete your account without your permission, even if they have not been used for a long time.

What happens when you uninstall a paid game on Steam?

You might have just uninstalled a paid game that you invested your money in. But don’t worry, your money is not going to waste. Even if you uninstall Steam and delete all your games, you will still be able to reinstall the paid game without spending a single cent. 
When you buy a game, the game will stay in your Steam Library forever. Even when you uninstall and delete the game, it will still show in your Steam Library, and you can always download and reinstall it from the library.

What happens when you remove a game from Steam?

When you want to remove a home from the steam account, you must uninstall the Steam game and remove it from the library. Deleting the game from the account will hassle you with finding the game files in your hard drive and removing them.
Removing the game from your steam account is irreversible. If you choose to remove your game, it will be permanently deleted. The game will be gone from your steam library, and you will have to repurchase it if you wish to play it again.

Conclusion

In this article, we talked about two ways to help you completely uninstall Steam from your computer, including uninstalling the Windows uninstaller and the Registry Editor. But always think again before uninstalling Steam. Although you can always come back and enjoy your games, the reinstallation process of Steam and the games might take some patience. Or, as we said, you could back up the game or save the games folder to make it quite faster when you want to go back to playing your favorite games. 

Hopefully, this article was helpful for you to uninstall your Steam app successfully. If you have any other queries, drop them in the comments below!

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