In addition to invalid LAN settings, other items that can cause Steam to display the above error are Steam’s own minor glitches, server downtime, a blocked VPN, a firewall blocking Steam’s access to the internet, and more.
1. Check Steam’s Server Status
When you get the above error, the first thing to check is Steam’s server status. The platform’s servers may be experiencing downtime, causing the app’s various features to become unavailable. You can head to a site like Downdetector to check if Steam is facing outages. If the site says that Steam has a server issue, you’ll have to wait until the company fixes those issues.
2. Force Close and Reopen Steam to Fix the Error Communicating Issue
Steam’s minor glitches can cause the app to not connect to the servers. In this case, force-quit and relaunch the app on your Windows or Mac computer to resolve your problem.
On Windows
On macOS
3. Run Steam As Admin
One reason Steam fails to communicate with its servers is that the app doesn’t have the required permissions to function. In this case, you can run the app as admin, giving the app all the permissions it needs to run properly. Note that you only have to do this on a Windows PC.
4. Fix Steam by Disabling Your VPN
A VPN app routes your internet traffic through a third-party server, changing your IP address and location. Sometimes, these VPNs don’t work well with your internet-enabled apps like Steam. In this case, turn off your VPN service and see if that fixes the issue. You can disable your service by opening your VPN app and toggling off the option on the main interface. Then, launch the Steam client and see if your issue is resolved.
5. Disable Your PC’s Automatic LAN Settings
Windows offers an option that automatically detects and applies LAN (Local Area Network) settings to your PC. It’s possible this feature is malfunctioning, preventing Steam from connecting to its servers. You can toggle off that Windows option to resolve your issue.
6. Flush Your Computer’s DNS Cache
Your computer caches DNS data to help your internet-enabled apps quickly translate domain names to IP addresses. This cache may have gone corrupt, causing Steam unable to resolve domain names to IPs. In this case, flush your Windows or Mac machine’s DNS cache, and your issue will be resolved. Note that you won’t lose your Steam or any other data while clearing your DNS cache.
On Windows
On macOS
7. Allow Steam Through Your Firewall
Your machine’s firewall may have blocked Steam’s access to the internet, causing the app unable to communicate with its servers. You can verify this by temporarily turning off your firewall. If Steam then succeeds in connecting to its servers, you can add the app to your firewall’s whitelist so your firewall always allows Steam to connect to the internet.
On Windows
If Steam connects to its servers after disabling the firewall, add the Steam app to your firewall’s allowlist, as explained below:
On macOS
8. Uninstall and Reinstall Steam
If Steam still displays an error that says the app has issues communicating with its servers, your last resort is to remove and reinstall the app on your computer. Doing so removes all of the app’s files, some of which may be problematic, causing the above issue. Reinstalling the app brings new files, allowing you to launch and use the app without any issues.
On Windows
On macOS
Troubleshooting Steam’s Communicating With Server Error
There are various reasons Steam fails to communicate with its servers. Once you identify and fix the underlying item, Steam should have all the access it needs to function on your computer. We hope the guide above resolves your Steam error, so you can get back to playing your favorite games. Happy gaming!
