[SOLVED] Steam Update is Stuck

Steam is one of the most popular and most used game launchers of today. If you are a Steam user, you may have already encountered a problem with Steam where the Steam client update gets stuck no matter how many hours you leave it updating. Even if the computer is restarted multiple times, the Steam update still gets stuck mid-way.

There’s really no definite reason why this happens. However, there are multiple troubleshooting steps that you can perform to fix this issue. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective troubleshooting steps that can fix the stuck Steam update.

First Method – Run Steam as an Administrator

There are reports that the stuck Steam update gets fixed by simply running the launcher as an administrator. Follow these steps to run Steam as an administrator.

1. Locate the Steam launcher icon in your desktop and right click on it. Select “Run as Administrator” and click “Yes” on the confirmation pop-up.

2. Your Steam launcher will open and will run as an administrator. However, remember that Steam will only run as administrator if you perform this step. To permanently run it as an administrator, proceed with the next steps.
3. Right click once again on the Steam launcher icon and click on “Open File Location”

4. Right click on the Steam launcher icon in the folder and click on “Properties”

5. Click on “Compatibility” and put a check on “Run this program as an administrator”, click “apply” and click “OK”

1. Launch Steam and confirm if this has fixed the issue.

Second Method – Turn Off Windows Defender

There are some cases when Windows Defender would mistakenly block folders of files and put them in quarantine. This leads to the application not launching or working properly. By disabling Windows Defender, we would know if it is the cause of the issue.

1. Open Windows Defender by clicking on the Windows button and type “Windows Security” and press “enter”.

2. Click on “Virus & Threat Protection” on the Windows Security homepage.

3. Under Virus & Threat Protection Settings, click “Manage Settings” and disable the following options:

• Real-time Protection
• Cloud-delivered Protection
• Automatic Sample Submission
• Tamper Protection

4. Once all of the options have been disabled, run the Steam Launcher and confirm if this has fixed the issue.

Note: If the issue has been fixed, you now need to put the Steam folder to the exclusions of Windows Defender

Third Method – Excluding Steam from Windows Defender

If you have determined that the Windows Defender is causing the issue, you will need to exclude the Steam folder from getting quarantined.

1. Open Windows Defender by clicking on the Windows button and type “Windows Security” and press “enter”.

2. Under the “Virus & Threat Protection Settings” click on the “Manage Settings”.

3. Click on “Add or Remove Exclusions” under Exclusions.

4. Click on “add an exclusion” and select “Folder”. Choose the “Steam” folder and click “select folder”

5. Launch Steam and check if this has fixed the issue.

Fourth Method – Clear the Steam Download Cache

If the Steam update gets stuck while downloading or updating a game, you should clear the Steam Download Cache. By clearing the Steam Download Cache, you are removing all the download cache of your games, including the corrupt files that are potentially causing the issue.

1. Open up the Steam client on your computer.
2. Click the “Steam” option located on the upper right corner of the Steam homepage and click on “Settings”.

3. In the Settings window click on “Downloads” and click “Clear Download Cache”. You will then see a confirmation message in which you have to click “OK” to confirm.

4. After clearing your Download Cache, we suggest restarting your computer and then open Steam once again to confirm if the issue is already fixed.

Fifth Method – Delete the Steam Package Folder

In some instances, the required update package gets corrupted while Steam is updating, causing Steam to get stuck while updating the client or the games. You start fresh. You can delete the Steam Package folder. This is where all the Steam updates are housed before implementing the updates.

1. Right click on the Steam launcher icon and click on “Open File Location”

2. In the Steam folder, look for the “Package” folder and hit “delete” on your keyboard or the “Delete” option on top of the Window.

3. Launch Steam and let it download updates and confirm if this has fixed the issue.

Final Words

Most popular games nowadays require Steam to be launched, and if it fails to work properly, launching your favorite game may not be possible. Our guide is tailored to cater to even those who are not savvy when fixing the stuck Steam updates.

If this guide has helped you, make sure to share it with your friends or family to know what to do in case they experience this problem.