If you are an avid gamer then chances are using Steam online gaming services regularly on your Mac. Although Steam was primarily developed for Windows PC systems, it now supports Mac as well. However, ‘Steam Quit Unexpectedly’ is a common annoying encounter on Mac devices while playing games.
Fortunately we are going to provide you with solutions and what to do when Steam Quits Unexpectedly on your Mac.
What to do when Steam quits unexpectedly?
The ‘Steam Quits Unexpectedly’ error message means that the Steam client is crashing on your Mac. Various reasons such as software bugs, corrupt files, permission errors and many more are behind this.
Do the following things when Steam Quits Unexpectedly on your Mac :
- Restart Mac – Foremost thing to do when Steam Quits Unexpectedly error message appears is to reboot your Mac, this will reload all the login files and clear cache also.
- Correct Mac date and time – Incorrect Mac time and date would prevent Steam launching on your Mac and Steam Quit unexpectedly on Mac.
- Deactivate antivirus software – Reported that third-party antivirus softwares tends to interfere with Steam, So consider temporarily deactivating antivirus and try to launch Steam on your Mac.
- Remove external connected devices – It is also possible that an external device connected to your Mac might cause Steam not to work properly,So unplug all the external devices.
5 Ways fix Steam Quit Unexpectedly on Mac
Fix 1 : Close and Relaunch Steam from Activity Monitor
When Steam crashes on your Mac and shows this error message then you can reset the Steam app using Activity Monitor as shown:
1. Open Finder and Launch Activity Monitor from Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.
2. On the top search box, enter Steam to search. All the active Steam processes will appear.
3. Now Select all the Steam processes and Click on ‘Stop’ button at top. This will End Steam on your Mac.
4. Then Go to the Applications folder and Relaunch the Steam App again.
When the Steam app launches again, Check if the issue is persistent or resolved.
Fix 2 : Clear Steam cache
Sometimes ‘Steam Quit Unexpectedly’ on Mac issues can be solved by cleaning app cache also, it helps apps perform better and faster. You can perform this in two steps, as shown below :
Step 1 : From Steam App remove downloads cache
a. Launch the Steam app on your Mac and log in to your account.
b. Now Click on the main Steam menu and Select Preferences option.
c. Then from the left sidebar, Select Downloads option.
d. Finally Click on the ‘CLEAR DOWNLOAD CACHE’ button at the bottom.
Once the process is over, relaunch the Steam app and log in back.
Step 2 : Manually clear Steam cache and files
1. Launch Finder on your Mac, then Select ’ Go ’ and Click on ‘Go to Folder’ option.
2. Now on the dialog box to add text, enter the following one by one and drag each Steam related files to the Trash :
- ‘~/Library/Caches’
- ‘~/Library/Logs’
- ‘~/Library/Preferences’
- ‘~/Library/Application Support/Steam’
3. Finally don’t forget to empty the Trash to completely delete them.
Now restart your Mac for added measure and try to Launch Steam app to check if issue persists.
Fix 3 : Check Steam permissions
Often it so happens that app permissions tend to get corrupt and result in crash on your Mac. Thus, check for Steam app permissions and correct it to resolve the ‘Steam Quit unexpectedly’ error on Mac.
1. Click on the Apple icon on the top right menu bar, and Select ‘System Preferences’.
2. Then Click on ‘Privacy & Security’ option and Select ‘Privacy’ tab on the new window.
3. Select ‘Accessibility’ option from the left sidebar, then Click on ‘lock icon’ at the bottom to make changes to the list.
4. Now Check is Steam is present in the list and it is check marked to enable.
5. If the Steam is not present in the list then, Click on ‘+’ icon button to Add Steam to the list and Checkmark it.
Now that Steam app permissions are checked and fixed, launch the app to see this issue on Mac is resolved.
Fix 4 : Reinstall Steam on your Mac
If none of the Solutions from above worked for you, then as a final resort consider uninstalling and reinstalling Steam on your Mac.
1. Go to Applications folder from Finder, then Select and drag the Steam app icon to the Trash on dock.
2. Now follow the same steps from ‘Fix 2’ above given to remove all the Steam related files from your Mac.
3. Reinstall the latest Steam app on your Mac from its official website here.
4. After the installation is over, Launch the Steam app and login with your previous account details.
Now that a fresh new copy of Steam is reinstalled on your Mac, check if this issue on mac is resolved.
Fix 5 : Update macOS
System corrupt files and corrupted drivers also could be the reason for Steam Quit Unexpectedly on Mac error sometimes.Consider updating your Mac to the latest macOS updates to resolve the issue.
To update your Mac, Click on the Apple icon at top right corner and Select ‘About This Mac’ option. Then Click on the ‘Software Update’ option.
How to fix Steam update error messages
Couple of annoying common Steam update error messages are ‘Steam needs to be online to update’ and ‘updating Steam Information’ stuck error message. To fix these update errors you can either reinstall Steam on Mac or some users have discovered using VPN while updating Steam also solves the issue.
Final words
In conclusion, addressing the “Steam Quit Unexpectedly” error on Mac involves implementing practical solutions to ensure a stable gaming experience. By exploring the troubleshooting steps outlined in the guide, users can effectively resolve issues causing unexpected Steam shutdowns.
Whether it’s verifying game files, updating Steam, or addressing conflicting applications, these solutions offer a comprehensive approach to tackling the error. Embracing these fixes empowers users to enjoy uninterrupted gaming on their Mac, overcoming unexpected shutdowns and enhancing the overall Steam performance on the platform.