How to Delete a Steam Account Permanently

Steam has a large selection of games that attracts gamers worldwide. However, if you no longer have an interest in gaming or if you disagree with the company’s privacy policies, you may want to permanently delete your Steam account. We will provide you with a quick and efficient guide on how to do this.

Deleting a Steam account removes all associated data from Steam’s servers. Before proceeding, it’s important to understand the consequences. Let’s begin with that.

What Happens When You Remove Your Steam Account

When you delete your Steam account, all the games you purchased or redeemed will be gone. If you plan to create a new account, you will need to repurchase them.

All your saves, progress, personal information, forum posts, Steam activity, and the games you claimed through CD keys will be lost forever. The unique username associated with your Steam account will also be lost forever. Even if you create a new account, you cannot claim the username, even if it is unused. If you still want to proceed with deleting your Steam account, move on to the next section.

How to Delete Your Steam Account

The steps to permanently delete your Steam account are the same on Windows and Mac. Regardless of your device, follow along.

Step 1: Press the Windows key on your keyboard, type Steam, and click on Run as administrator to open the Steam app.

Note: You can open Steam’s website on any web browser and follow the steps if you haven’t installed the app.

Step 2: Click on your username in the top right corner and select Account details from the drop-down menu.

Step 3: Scroll down and click on the ‘Delete my Steam account’ link under Family Settings.

The Steam account link will take you to the account deletion process. Read the information thoroughly.

Step 4: Click on the ‘Proceed to account deletion’ button.

Step 5: In the ‘Submit Account Deletion Request’ form, enter your account details to prove ownership. Click Send.

This submission locks your account and creates a support ticket. You can view replies from the Steam support team on a new screen. You can send messages by clicking the “Update my help request” button at the bottom of the screen.

What happens if you change your mind after requesting to delete your account?

Can You Recover a Deleted Steam Account

When you submit the form to delete your Steam account, there is a 30-day grace period for reconsideration. To go back, simply log in to your Steam account, click the red notification, and select the option to change your mind or request a refund.

If you have crossed the 30-day grace period, you cannot recover your deleted Steam account. Instead of deleting the Steam account, we recommend uninstalling Steam from your devices or deleting the games. This protects your account and other details. Keep reading to learn how.

2 Alternatives to Deleting Steam Accounts

If you want to temporarily deactivate your Steam account instead of deleting it, here are some alternatives.

1. Uninstall Steam on Windows and Mac

If you don’t want to use Steam, instead of deleting the account that has details about your profiles, interactions, and gameplay, you can uninstall the Steam app from your devices.

How to Uninstall the Steam App on Windows

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type Control Panel, and click Enter.

Step 2: Go to ‘Programs and Features.’

Navigate to the Steam app, right-click on it, and click Uninstall.

Deleting the account is not necessary. Mac users can move to the next method.

How to Remove the Steam App on Mac

Step 1: Go to the Finder and select the Applications folder.

Step 2: Locate Steam.app, right-click, and select ‘Move to Bin.’

Step 3: Search for Library by clicking on the magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner.

Step 4: Press command + spacebar together to open Spotlight search, type Application Support, and open the folder.

Look for the Steam folder. If you find it, right-click and select ‘Move to trash.’

There you go. You have successfully uninstalled the Steam application from your Mac. What if you don’t want to uninstall the Steam application but instead want to delete a game from Steam? That’s possible too.

2. How to Delete Games From a Steam Account

Note: The steps are nearly the same on both Windows and Mac.

Step 1: Open the Steam app.

Step 2: Go to the Library and right-click on the game you want to remove. Click Manage > Uninstall.

In the prompt, click OK to confirm. Repeat the steps if you have multiple games to remove and free up your hard disk.

FAQs on Deleting Steam Account

No, you cannot create a new Steam account with the same email. When you try to log in, it will notify you that a Steam account already exists with those credentials.

Having two Steam accounts doesn’t have any significant impact. You can use both accounts separately since each account has its own custom files for storing content and configuration.

No, you cannot play multiple games simultaneously on one Steam account. The games you buy and play on Steam are licensed for the exclusive use of the account owner.

Your Steam wallet balance will remain unaffected.

When deleting your Steam account, all game data and your Steam wallet will be lost permanently. Inactive Steam accounts are not automatically deleted; the account deletion process only occurs upon the account holder’s request. If you have recently purchased a game and it falls within the two-week period or has been played for less than two hours, you can request a refund from Steam support.

Putting an End to Gaming

If you are a gamer, Steam gives you plenty of reasons to stick around. However, if you’ve had enough, you can delete your Steam account. Nevertheless, we advise against it. Instead, you can uninstall Steam on all your devices and keep the account active. If you’ve already deleted Steam, here are 5 alternatives to consider moving on to.