Steam client doen't store credentials and settings

[ekkia]

Your system information

• Steam client version (build number or date): Steam API v017 package version: 1496897923
• Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Debian 9 Stretch
• Opted into Steam client beta?: No
• Have you checked for system updates?: Yes

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

My Steam client (Linux) doesn't store my login details properly. Often, after program launching, it ask for me about user and password again ("remember password" box is checked)

Apart from this, i realize that it doesn't store language settings....i need to change from english to spanish after some reboots...Not always, but quite often.

I think that 2 troubles start after last Steam upgrade...I try fixing with a fully clean install, deleting all config files, checking files permissions....but nothing happens and problem continues, from which I deduce that's Steam client bug.

Thank you.

Steps for reproducing this issue:

1. Login into the client
2. Close
3. After a new boot, it ask for credentials again and i loose my settings.

[soredake]

Happens for me too on gentoo. Almost always the language settings are lost, a little less often Steam does not remember that I was logged in.

[kopr12]

Same problem here, I found that reboot doesn't matter, I mean you can just close the client and start it again two or three times and it will ask for username and password. My other settings are still there except sometimes custom skin is replaced with default skin and then I have to select it again and restart the client. Nothing helped, deleting every trace of steam and then installing it again... same happens.

[neirenoir]

I think this issue may be related to the one I just opened because of symptoms and apparition date, but mine seems to be time-based. I can reboot the client and the computer several times without Steam forgetting about my account.

5035

[glubsy]

Same problem on Antergos (Arch Linux based). It keeps asking for credentials every day since a very recent update.

Version: built Jun 8 2017, at 04:34:18

Could be unrelated but, In the file ~/.local/share/steam/logs/configstore_log.txt I see a lot of the following (every minute!). Why?

[2017-06-25 17:05:48] Flushed store 'userlocal' to '/home/user/.local/share/Steam/userdata/8691024/config/localconfig.vdf' [2017-06-25 17:05:49] Flushed store 'userlocal' to '/home/user/.local/share/Steam/userdata/8691024/config/localconfig.vdf' [2017-06-25 17:05:52] Flushed store 'userlocal' to '/home/user/.local/share/Steam/userdata/8691024/config/localconfig.vdf' [2017-06-25 17:06:00] Flushed store 'userlocal' to '/home/user/.local/share/Steam/userdata/8691024/config/localconfig.vdf' [2017-06-25 17:06:04] Flushed store 'install' to '/home/user/.local/share/Steam/config/config.vdf' [2017-06-25 17:06:34] Flushed store 'install' to '/home/user/.local/share/Steam/config/config.vdf' [2017-06-25 17:07:04] Flushed store 'install' to '/home/user/.local/share/Steam/config/config.vdf' [2017-06-25 17:07:34] Flushed store 'install' to '/home/user/.local/share/Steam/config/config.vdf' [2017-06-25 17:08:04] Flushed store 'install' to '/home/user/.local/share/Steam/config/config.vdf' [2017-06-25 17:08:35] Flushed store 'install' to '/home/user/.local/share/Steam/config/config.vdf'

[netfab]

Same problem here on gentoo. I'm currently trying to reinstall steam from scratch, keeping the steamapps directory.

[ibrokemypie]

Same on void, though only since switching to the beta client for me.

[glubsy]

I think it's stopped doing it for me since yesterday (I noticed Steam updated itself quickly too).

Edit: actually still happening, every time I reboot, I have to enter credentials again.

[kopr12]

For me it still happens, every day.

[amikot]

I noticed same problem some time ago and it still exists. Also I noticed another problem (Steam Client cant create desktop icons) that may be related to credentials and settings issue (maybe its general problem with permissions in linux?).

[Selmi]

same problem, but not every time I start the steam. on Ubuntu 17.04

[PerHogan]

I have been fighting over this for about a week (since my last reinstall of steam) and today i had the illumination... i am not sure is a stable solution but it seem to work (or i was just lucky... 2 restarts now without the problem). I am using ubuntu 16.04. This was the first time i was asked credentials after i activated the ubuntu auto-login.

If you set the "auto-login" in Ubuntu for your user (in my case to allow Wake on Lan to load steam and connect via broadcasting from the couch) the Keyring (where Linux stores passwords) is not activated as it needs to be unlocked by a password that is not asked at login. (e.g. chrome asks me to insert the kezring password at the first browser use every session or it does not load my personal info).

So i thought that maybe steam needs keyring activated as well to store the credentials and i opened it before logging in steam. it seemed to work.

Will let you know if was not a stable fix

[ekkia]

Disabling autologin (in Plasma Desktop) doesn't fix the trouble for me.

[kopr12]

No wonder steam linux market-share is at 0.74% , this is ridiculous. Had to do re-login this morning, few hours later I relaunched the client and it asked for login details again. Pretty obvious that something introduced in the last update is causing this, revert it already ffs ! pfft..

[Drumstickx]

I seem to have the same problem with Steam on Ubuntu 16.04:

Frequently requires re-logins and affects the language settings. As an addition to the main bug report: For me the language used in the client after logging in again (the first time after the last Steam session with the correct language setting (in my case: German)) is still this previously selected one but in the settings it is set to "English (Englisch)" which then is applied when I shut down Steam and start it again.

I hope this bug is fixed soon, already (unsuccessfully) reinstalled Steam and only kept the config and the steamapps folders. Really not a pleasure to use it this way!

Edit: Apart from the time-span it requires for the login to "time-out" the issue #5035 seems to target the same problem

[dietrmat]

In the meantime I hit this issue on every boot on my Arch installation. It wouldn't be that bad but the two factor authorization is double annoying.

[s0r00t]

Same problem on Arch x64 here. Every N reboot, Steam doesn't remember that I'm logged in, deletes my settings and my skin.

[ghost]

@kisak-valve Possibly found a FIX here (more a workaround than a fix I should say).

I had the same issue since several months, Steam client resets to english (instead of french for me) and forgets credentials. I tried every solutions so far, provided on this GitHub or on Steam community forums. Tried everything. Only one thing worked, and since 5 days I never met this issue again:

In your Steam settings, enable In-Home Streaming and Family Sharing, even if you don't use it. You can login and change your language before or after tweaking these settings, looks like it doesn't matter, but if one way doesn't work try the other one. I always uncheck these options because I never use them, but since I enabled them again everything works as intended. Seems to work for other people with the same issue. I'm on Steam Beta by the way, didn't try with the stable client. Please tell me if it worked for you too in reply here or on my profile' comments http://steamcommunity.com/id/darthwound/

[glubsy]

Interesting. I had indeed disabled in-home streaming and family sharing too. Will see if this workaround works.

[ghost]

Having this problem too. Ubuntu Gnome 17.04 (Basic: Ubuntu 17.04. 64Bit).

[glubsy]

It seems that the workaround @DarthWound mentioned worked, after rebooting, it didn't ask for creds again, however (could be totally unrelated) my CPU was pegged at 100% until I quit the Steam client and restarted it. Side note, the Steam client on Linux is very ressource hungry and keeps using between 6% and 12% of my CPU cycles. That's more than the xorg client itself. Ugh.

[darealshinji]

In your Steam settings, enable In-Home Streaming and Family Sharing, even if you don't use it.

That doesn't seem to fix it for me.

[kisak-valve]

Could the new behavior be a change in the steam beta client, instead of a settings change?

[nigelinux]

I thought I was the only one as I didn't see anyone discuss it anywhere, like r/linux_gaming. I've had this for about a month and it's ridiculous that such annoying problem has not been fixed. I know it's not a support forum but I want to let the developers know that there are many who face this bug. I'm on Ubuntu Mate 17.04 btw.

[amikot]

I think it may be same cause as in other bug where Steam cant create desktop icons. Someone traced Steam for this, and discovered that Steam is trying to create icons in / and of course has no permission for that. Maybe the same is with credentials? Im guessing, but for me both problems appeared in one moment.

[Roliga]

Only having In-Home Streaming and Family Sharing enabled by itself did not work for me, however going into the Steam Guard settings and telling it to log out all other sessions did, so that might be something to try for you all who are still having trouble. I did so from my phone to make sure all sessions on my computers were terminated, but I'm not sure if that makes any difference.

[ghost]

@kisak-valve: I didn't have any update (beta branch) when I was tweaking my settings.

@amikot: I don't think so, credentials/language/other are stored in registry.vdf in your ~/.steam folder. And this file reverts to default when this bug happens.

@Roliga: Maybe, I have no other device registered, didn't have time to sign in with my new phone bought recently.

---

UPDATE: Since yesterday Steam goes back to english instead of french sometimes, but fortunately it keeps my credentials and autologin, so the most annoying issue doesn't happen anymore for now.

[ekkia]

Family Sharing trick did not work for me...

@DarthWound ....what was your last setting modification? I still getting both problems: credentials and language lossing

[ghost]

@ekkia nothing except Family Sharing and In-Home Streaming.

[Git-Jiro]

My Steam client for OS-X misbehaves the same way for quite some time as well. Seems to be a more general issue with the Steam client ...

[hardpenguin]

Could the new behavior be a change in the steam beta client, instead of a settings change?

@kisak-valve I don't think so, using main channel, never touched beta, also affected by the client not remembering credentials. For a good few weeks/months already.

If that information is helpful: I use my account between multiple computers as well and Steam Guard + mobile authenticator are on.

[glubsy]

Chiming back to say that the @DarthWound workaround doesn't actually work, just had the issue again the last two days.

[ghost]

Well, sad to read that :( must be something else. But since I did that I never encountered this issue again at all. A few times (2 or 3) Steam reverted to english but I remember that I had the same issue on Windows last year when I still had a dual-boot. But it never asked for my password again, and it was 12 days ago now.

Did you try what Roliga said here? https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/5030#issuecomment-325670188

[glubsy]

@DarthWound Yes, I've tried logging out all devices, but to no avail.

[PenguiN560]

@kisak-valve I have this problem too on Gentoo ~amd64. Randomly logout after sometimes closing and lunching steam. And also it change my language on English in settings, but after first lunch, when I should login again, Library and Setting menu still use my old language, but in settings already selected english and Steam overlay pop-up window use English language too. After next lunch if I don't change language, all will be on English.

[AdamSzopa]

I have the same problem!

[nightsky30]

This has happened to me a few times ~3 times over the past few months. I've been running Xubuntu 17.04 and 17.10

[legluondunet]

this bugs does not appear anymore since I updated my Ubuntu to 17.10 version

Edit: the bug is back :/

[AngryPenguinPL]

I still have this issue on Mageia5x64 and Ubuntu 17.04x64 and I get it every day.

[ask-compu]

i have this issue too except for me it's if i open steam more than once a day it does it

[DrQwertySilence]

I suffer from this issue too. (Arch linux)

[ProbablyGallium]

Suffering from this issue as well, Xubuntu 16.04

[dilworks]

Nice to hear I'm not alone.

Happens to me too, on both Debian 8 (oldstable) and 9 (stable) on AMD64

I haven't noticed a specific pattern - the client just loses my credentials/settings every few startups.

This is very annoying considering my Mobile Authenticator setup (I don't own a cellphone, for starters)

[glubsy]

I have noticed that after suspending to RAM and resuming, the Steam client loses connection to the steamcommunity.com, and when click on new messages, profile, community feed, market, etc. the client says "verifying" and always results in and errror "There was an error communicating with the Steam servers. Please try again later."

Have to quit and restart the Steam client to regain access to these. Note that the credentials are not necessarily asked for by the client then. It could be related?

[kisak-valve]

Hello @glubsy, those symptoms are more likely to be the issue at #474 and it does not feel related to this issue.

[PenguiN560]

@kisak-valve Do you have any idea what is going wrong? Or may be you need some more info from us(logs, sysinfo)? I had got this problem for a long time before, but I didn't know about this place for issue. The biggest problem is using Mobile Authenticator at every authentication procedure when steam lose our credentials.

[ask-compu]

the only unusual thing i can find in my logs is [2017-09-15 17:40:47] [0,0] LogOff()

context with setsteamid number anonymized cuz idk what it is and i don't want to risk it

[2017-09-15 17:40:41] Log session started
[2017-09-15 17:40:41] [0,0] SetSteamID( [U:1:0] )
[2017-09-15 17:40:47] [0,0] LogOff()
[2017-09-15 17:40:59] [0,0] SetSteamID( [U:1:########] )
[2017-09-15 17:40:59] [0,0] SetSteamID( [U:1:########] )
[2017-09-15 17:40:59] [0,0] Server says 50% of connections should be websockets, we rolled 36 - using WebSockets as default.

this was found in connection_log.txt

[kisak-valve]

@PenguiN560, I personally do not have a lead to offer a steam dev for this issue. At least one of my systems is never affected by this, several test boxes are affected to various degrees, but there's no obvious pattern as to what is causing this issue. We'll need to wait and hear from a Steam dev if more information is needed.

[kisak-valve]

Probably nothing, but has anyone seen this issue on a system that does not run networkmanager as a service?

[netfab]

@kisak-valve \: I never had networkmanager here, my network setup is fixed manually, and I'm having this issue on two systems with two different Steam accounts.

[legluondunet]

It's a very annoying bug, what are doing Valve devs?