10 Ways to Fix Steam Download Stopping Problem

Do you face issues in downloading games on Steam? It happens that Steam download stops at times, and it frustrates you, especially when downloading a new title. The download gets stuck in the loop and stops at minimum to zero progress without knowing what is happening.

You might think that you are the only one facing this issue, but it may enlighten you that you are not alone in this situation. Most gamers face this problem of Steam stopping download at some stage of their life. This is the hot topic on the Steam forum discussions.

If you are facing the same issue, then don’t worry. It may not be obvious what is causing this situation, but there are several solutions that you can try to troubleshoot and fix the Steam download stopping problem. You can try these easy methods to get rid of the problem and enjoy your game. Or go here if your Steam is downloading slowly.

Why is my Steam download stopping?

There are certain factors and reasons behind the starting and stopping of Steam download. This may happen due to several reasons, including other software, network drivers, specific conflicting programs, and issues with the time zone settings.

You can’t use every method to resolve a situation, and one method may work for some users, and others may not work. You can go through each of these methods and try out what works for you and what does not work in your situation.

10 Ways to Fix Steam Download Stopping

1. Close Conflicting Programs

First and foremost, you should ensure that no unnecessary programs are running when Steam is open. It reduces the chances of Steam conflict with other programs. You can do so using the Task Manager, as seen below.

  • To access the press Win + X command in windows 10, and right-click the Start menu.
  • From the drop-down menu, choose “Task Manager.”
close conflicting program with steam

You can terminate the additional program by right-clicking on the program and selecting “End Task.”

It’s worth noting that some third-party programs can also appear in the “Background processes” section. As a result, any programs specified under Background processes should be closed as well.

You can also turn off or disable your antivirus by right-clicking the antivirus utility’s device tray icon, and choosing disable or turn off from the context menu.

Users can also disable the antivirus program from starting up by going to Task Manager’s Start-up tab, choosing the antivirus software, and pressing Disable.

2. Clear Steam’s Download Cache

Sometimes cache builds up with time, and it may interfere with the Steam download process. So, this may be the potential reason for the Steam download stopping problem. To get this resolved, clearing the Steam download cache may seem the perfect solution. For doing this

steam downloading slow fix
  • Now go to the Steam top menu, click on “Steam,” and go to the “Settings” from the drop-down menu.
  • Inside the settings, click on the “Downloads” to proceed further.
steam downloading slow clear cache
  • Now go to the “Clear Steam Download Cache” button.
  • Confirm the action by pressing the OK button.
  • Now restart the Steam and check if the issue persists. If not, then proceed to the next solution.

Related guides:

3. Sync the Time Zone

This Steam download problem could be due to the device time and time zone constraints. Users can correct this by synchronizing their device time with the Steam server. To do so, refer to the instructions below.

  • Press “Windows Key + Q” to open Cortana in Windows 10.
  • Now type “Date and Time” in the search bar.
adjust time and date in steam
  • To access the Date & Time Settings window, click the search results.
  • Steam downloads abruptly cease at a specific date and time.
  • According to the Steam servers, you can add various clocks for different time zones to set the date and time.
  • On the Internet Time tab, click the Change settings button.
  • Make alterations to the settings.
  • Select the Synchronize with Internet time-server option, then choose a server from the drop-down menu before clicking Update now.
  • To close the window, select OK.

Related:

How to Use Steam Remote Play?

4. Reconnect the Steam to the Internet

Before digging more into the situation and making conclusions on other wild ideas, you should reconnect the Steam client to the internet. Because sometimes, a bad connection can cause a Steam downloading stopping problem.

  • To solve this issue, open Steam client.
  • Go to the top menu and click on the “Steam” menu.
go offline in steam

Inside the Steam menu options, select “Go Offline” to disconnect Steam from the internet.

go offline in steam app

A pop-up screen will prompt you to choose ‘Restart in Offline Mode.’

Allow the computer to activate the new settings for a few moments before returning to the upper left side and selecting ‘Steam.’ Select ‘Go Online’ this time, then ‘Restart and GO Online’ on the pop-up screen that appears.

go online on steam

Restart your Steam client and resume the download and see if this solution resolves the problem. Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work; you can try a few more solutions.

5. Update network drivers

Sometimes outdated network drivers can cause an issue for download stopping in Steam. It is the major issue that many users face. Steam may not be compatible with old network drivers in some cases. As a result, users should determine whether or not they still need to upgrade their network drivers.

The easiest way to do this is to download third-party software from the internet and install it. Then start the program and run a scan, which will reveal that the network adapter driver needs to be updated. If this is the case, press the Update All button.

update network driver for steam
  • Or you can manually check for the updated drivers. To do this:
  • Open the Windows search and type “Device Manager,” and open it.
update network driver for steam 1
  • Inside the Device Manager, open “Network Adapters” and click the network card.
  • From the options, choose the “Update Driver” option and select.
  • Check for the drivers update and restart the computer to check if the issues are resolved or persist.

Related: How To Hide / Unhide Games In Steam, or Hide Game Activity on Steam.

6. Terminate DiagTrack Service

DiagTrack services can interfere with Steam downloading. Stopping these services can help you to fix the Steam download stopping problem. To do this on your computer, follow these easy steps.

  • Open “Task Manager” by right-clicking the taskbar and choosing it from the options.
  • Now go to the “Services” tab of the Task Manager and open it.
  • Find “DiagTrack” service from the list of available services.
  • Right-click on it and select Stop to terminate it.
  • Now open the Steam client again and check for the downloading status.

Helpful read: Where are Steam Screenshots Saved Locally?

7. Adjust Steam’s Bandwidth Setting

Steam can restrict the internet bandwidth limits use by the application. You can check the download speed restriction by going into the Steam settings and removing the bandwidth restriction. To change the limited bandwidth to unlimited, you can follow these easy steps.

steam remove bandwidth limit
  • Open the Steam application and from the main interface, click on the “Steam” menu.
  • Inside the drop-down menu, click on the “Settings” and go to the “Downloads” section.
  • Within the Download options, search for “Download Restrictions” and change it to “No limit.”
  • Now confirm the action by pressing OK.
  • Restart the Steam client and recheck the problem is solved or not.

8. Change your Download Region

Steam has provided several servers for making the downloads faster for users across the globe. For most users, the server settings are on default. But if Steam does slow downloading, you can change the download servers to the nearest possible location. To begin with, it follows these easy steps.

change steam server region
  • Start the Steam application.
  • Go to the main navigation bar and open the “Steam” menu.
  • Inside the menu, go to the “Settings” option and then to the “Downloads” section.
  • Look for “Download Region” settings inside the download region.
  • From the drop-down menu, select the nearest possible server.
  • Now click on the OK button to confirm your selection.
  • Restart the Steam client and check the changes.
  • Proceed to the next solution if your issue persists.

9. Update the Steam Client

Have you tried all the listed solutions but still nothing is working for you? You may want to look for the Steam update because updating the Steam client can fix the Steam download stopping problem. To update the Steam client, follow these steps.

  • Launch the Steam client and go to the top menu.
  • Click on the “Steam” option and then check Steam client update options.
check for steam client update
  • Now check for the updates and update the Steam client to the latest version.
  • It may take some time to download the new Update and validate it for installation.
  • After the successful Update, check if for the download speeds.
  • If the error persists, then the only solution left is to reinstall the Steam.

10. Reinstall Steam

Fixing Steam download stopping problem sometimes does not simply work. You need to uninstall the Steam client because reinstalling can fix the issues with the Steam files and refresh them. But before proceeding with the uninstall, make sure to backup the Steam files to prevent loss of your important data. Follow these easy steps to reinstall Steam:

  • Open Windows 10 settings by pressing “Windows Key + I.”
  • Now click on the “App.”
  • Search from the list of applications and select “Steam” client.
  • Right-click on it and select “Uninstall” to remove it.
  • Once it gets removed from the computer, reinstall it, and hopefully, it will fix the Steam download stopping problem.

Summary

Fixing the Steam download stopping problem may seem a bit tiresome and can take your precious time. There are different methods that you can utilize to solve this issue. Each method works, but for some situations, it may work, and for some, they don’t. You can try adjusting the Steam bandwidth, changing the download region, updating the Steam client. If nothing works, then you can reinstall the Steam client and solve this issue.

If you have any queries related to this issue, you can let us know in the comment section and we will update you about your question.

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Muhammad Kashif

M. Kashif is a published author at Gaming Expert.net. He is a tech enthusiast, a passionate gamer and loves to try new gadgets and writing about games and technology events.