Many users have reported that the Steam client is not working on their macOS. There can be various reasons behind this such as insufficient permissions, software bugs and corrupted files. No matter what’s the reason behind this all but the issue is so annoying. We have decided on some possible methods using which you can try to solve the Steam not working issue or Steam Quit Unexpectedly on the macOS. Let’s take a look at the following methods one by one.
How to Fix “Steam Quit Unexpectedly or Not Opening” Issue on Mac?
Method 1: Restart Mac
The best method to solve the issue is by Restarting the Mac. Just restart your Mac and uncheck the Reopen Windows when logging back in.
Method 2: Relaunch Through Activity Monitor
First of all, open the Spotlight search by pressing the Command+Space button. Now go to the CPU tab and pick the Steam process and then click on the Stop button available on the top of the window. This will force quit the Steam application. Now after
Method 3: Force Quit & Restart
The best possible method using which you can try to solve the Steam Quit Unexpectedly issue is by Force quitting and then restarting Steam. To force quit the Steam application, go to the Apple menu and select Force quit. Now the Force Quit Application will open up, now select Steam and then click on Force Quit. After a few seconds, restart the Steam application and check whether the issue got fixed for you or not.
Method 4: Turn off Antivirus Software
If you are using any kind of third-party antivirus software, that might be the reason behind this Steam app not working issue on macOS. Try to disable the antivirus software or remove the Steam from the scanning list of the applications and check again if the issue got fixed for you or not.
Method 5: Remove Steam Preferences
Steam preferences that are corrupted can also prevent the app from opening on the Mac. Delete these and see what happens. To do so, open Finder, press Command + Shift + G to bring up the Go to Folder box, and navigate to the folders ~/Library/Preferences and ~/Library/Application Support/Steam. Now delete the Property list (PLIST) file present under each directory. Now relaunch the Steam application after a few seconds.
Method 6: Check Date and Time
Wrong or mismatched dates and times can be the reason behind the Steam Quit Unexpectedly. To set the correct date and time in macOS, Go to System Preferences >> Date and time. Now check the box, Set date and time automatically. Mac will choose the correct date and time. As soon as the time gets changed, relaunch the Steam application.
Method 7: Give Accessibility Permissions
This is the most common reason behind the Steam app not opening for most of the users. The Steam application requires accessibility permissions to work properly. If you have opened the Steam application for the first time, then it will ask for permission, just allow all the permissions asked. If you’re using Steam for a long time, then you can check for the permissions. To check for it, Go to the Apple menu >> System Preferences >> Privacy and Security >> Privacy. Then click on Accessibility, then select Click to lock to make changes, now check the box present next to the Steam.
Method 8: Force Update Steam
Steam can be updated to fix known flaws that prevent the software from opening on your Mac. However, since you can’t open Steam to do so, you’ll have to resort to a workaround.
Begin by forcing Steam to shut down (if it appears frozen at startup). Then, in the Finder app, go to the sidebar and pick Applications. After that, control-click Steam, go to Show Package Contents and go to the Contents > MacOS folders. Now run the steam_osx folder, this will launch a terminal window and will update the steam automatically.
Method 9: Update Mac
If your Mac is running an older version of the macOS, there can be an issue or software incompatibility between the Steam application and the macOS that’s preventing it from opening the Steam application. In this scenario, go to Settings and check if a new version of macOS is available or not. If any new update is available then update the macOS as soon as possible and after the update finishes, check whether the Steam Quit Unexpectedly issue got fixed or not.
Method 10: Delete & Reinstall Steam
If none of the above-mentioned work for you, then, as the last step, delete the Steam and re-install the latest version available. To do so, open Finder’s Go to Folder box and navigate to the following directory: ~Library/Application Support/Steam. Then, except for the steamapps folder, delete all of the files and folders inside (which contains your downloaded game data). Then, from the Applications folder on your Mac, drag Steam to the Trash.
So that brings us to the end of the article. Thank you for sticking with us all the way to the end of the article. We really hope that after attempting all of the options listed above, the Steam not working issue has been resolved for you. How well did the techniques work for you? Please let us know by leaving a comment below in your own words.
