Steam is one of the most well-known and widely used digital platforms for gamers. Steam is much more than just a digital game distribution platform. It provides a plethora of beneficial functions for players, making the gaming experience far more pleasurable than previously. The Steam Overlay is one of those incredible features.

• What is Steam Overlay and how does it work?

Users may use Steam Overlay to access Steam while playing games. This fantastic feature allows you to invite your friends, exchange messages, and check your friend’s online status while playing. You may also ask them to join you in your game. One of the nicest aspects of this functionality is that it allows you to access Steam from within any game rather than switching windows.

Even while Steam Overlay has won the hearts of millions of players, it is not without flaws. Many users have reported that their Steam Overlay has stopped working in the midst of a game, preventing them from communicating with their friends and followers.

Steam Overlay not functioning is a difficult problem to solve since it can be caused by a variety of hardware and software issues. You’ve come to the right spot if you don’t know all of the troubleshooting methods for the Steam Overlay not working Windows 10 issue. We’ve compiled a list of practical options for you in this post.

• There’s a Checklist for You:

Rather than trying all of the troubleshooting methods (which will take a long time), you may simply check a few items to determine the root cause of the problem in your device and apply the right solution. So, before you go into the troubleshooting technique, have a look at the following list:

• Check to see whether Steam Overlay is causing an issue for just one game or all of them.
• Check whether Overlay is enabled in both the general and in-game settings.
• Make sure the shortcut key for turning on Steam Overlay is still shift+tab.
• Third-party applications like msi afterburner and fraps are notorious for causing function conflicts with Steam and causing the Steam Overlay not to operate problem.
• Check to see whether steam.exe and gameoverlay.exe have been put to the firewall’s exclusion list.
• Check the game cache to see whether that’s the source of the issue.

• Methods of Troubleshooting for the Steam Overlay Not Working Problem:

Even if repairing the Steam Overlay not functioning Windows 10 problem is a bit of a challenge for gamers, the solutions aren’t too difficult to implement. Anyone, with the right instructions and a basic understanding of computers, may resolve the problem without the need of third-party software. If you are unable to locate the source of the issue on your system, we recommend that you attempt the techniques listed below in decreasing order, without skipping any until your problem is resolved.

• Solution 1: Turn off and on Steam Overlay

If the Steam Overlay not functioning problem appears shortly after installing the Steam program or installing a new update, it’s possible that you forgot to enable the Steam Overlay, resulting in this vexing issue. You must activate the Steam Overlay for both the global and individual game settings in order to use the feature without issue. If the feature is already active, you’ll need to disable it and then enable it again to solve the small issues in the settings. If you don’t know how to enable the functionality, carefully follow the instructions below.

• Turn on your device first, then start the Steam client.
• Click the Steam tab in the top-left corner of the window after the application has opened.
• Now choose Settings from the drop-down menu, and then select the In-game tab from the left pane.
• You’ll see an option labeled Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game on the right side. Make sure it’s checked, and if it isn’t, do it right now.
• You may also verify if you’re using the right Overlay shortcut keys in the same area. If you wish to modify the Overlay shortcut keys, do so; otherwise, leave it alone.
• If you’re having trouble with a certain game, go to the Library tab at the top of the window and look for it. All of the games that are installed on your computer will be listed in the Library.
• Select Properties from the right-click menu on the game where the overlay isn’t working.
• When the Properties window appears, go to the General tab and search for the Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game tick. When you find it, check the box to make sure it’s turned on.
• Re-launch the Steam client after completing all of the preceding procedures to ensure that the overlay is operating properly for all of the games.

• Solution 2: Administrate Your Stream

It’s no surprise that you’re seeing the error message if you’re using a non-administrative account to operate Steam. The majority of the time, customers encounter the Steam Overlay not working issue because they neglect to give the Stream administrator permission after installing it. When you install Steam on most computers, it immediately gains administrative capabilities. If, for some reason, this does not happen with your Steam application, then follow the steps below to provide Steam administrator permission:

• To begin, locate the Steam directory (C:Program Files (x86)Steam) in its normal position. If you installed Steam in a different location, go to that location and look for the Steam.exe file.
• Once you’ve found it, right-click on it and choose Properties.
• Select the Compatibility tab from the Steam Properties box at the top of the screen.
• Next, locate the checkbox labeled “Run this software as an administrator” in the bottom portion of the window. Check it now, if it isn’t previously checked, and save the modifications.
• Exit the properties window after saving the above modifications, and look in the Steam directory for the file named GameOverlayUI.exe.
• Now, open its properties box once more and choose the Compatibility option like you did in the previous step. From the bottom of the table, locate the “Run this software as an administrator” tick.
• Once you’ve located it, tick the box, save your changes, and close the current window.
• Restart Steam after completing all of the preceding steps and verify the status of the issue.

• Solution 3: From the Main Game Folder, start the game

According to several user evaluations, there are certain problems in the current version of Steam that deactivate the Steam Overlay when using the Steam launcher to begin the game. If you find yourself in the same scenario, you may just open and play the game from its installation folder. If you don’t know how to do it, follow the steps below:

• To begin, go to your Steam directory, which will differ depending on where you installed it. It was installed by default in the C: Program Files (x86) Steam directory. So, if you didn’t modify your Steam installation location, go to the default place.
• You must now access the Steamapps folder from the Steam directory and then click on the common folder. You’ll find different directories for each game loaded on your computer in this location.
• Select the game that isn’t working with Steam Overlay and then click on the game folder within it. You must locate and open the bin in this game folder.
• When you open the bin, you’ll see two extra folders: one for win32 and the other for win64. If your machine is set up in 32-bit mode, open win32. Open the win64 folder if you’re using a 64-bit setup.
• If you properly follow the instructions, the route of the address will look like this: Steam > steamapps > common > game > name of the game > game > bin > win32/win64
• The primary launcher for the game may be found in the win32 or win64 folder. To start the game, right-click it and choose Run as administrator from the menu.

• Conclusion

We hope that our approaches were successful in resolving the Steam Overlay not functioning issue on your device. You may resolve any underlying cause of the Steam Overlay issue by carefully following all of the procedures. However, if our approaches don’t seem to be working for you, we strongly advise you to seek advice from a professional.