What does private mean on Steam? An in-depth look at privacy settings
Hey there fellow gamer! Terry here, back with another guide on all things gaming tech and data. Today I want to provide a comprehensive overview of Steam‘s private profile settings – what they mean, why you might want to enable them, and how to get the most out of Steam‘s granular privacy controls.
As an avid PC gamer myself, privacy and security on gaming platforms is important. We put tons of time and sometimes money into these profiles, so keeping that information safe should be a priority. At the same time, gaming is social, and you want to be able to connect with friends and fellow players. Steam does a nice job balancing both considerations with flexible privacy options.
An intro to Steam profile privacy
For those new to Steam, let‘s start with some basics. Steam profiles display information like:
- Games library and playtime
- Achievements and trophies
- Friends list
- Screenshots and artwork
- Inventory of items
- Reviews and guides created
- Groups joined
- Badges collected
- Gifts sent and received
- Wishlist
- Workshop items
- Game discussions and comments
By default, all of this is public facing, allowing anyone to browse your profile. But Steam allows users to limit visibility of all profile aspects using three main privacy settings:
Public: The default setting. Your profile is visible to all Steam users.
Private: Completely hides your profile from other Steam members. You appear as a generic level 0 account.
Friends only: Profile visible only to your approved Steam friends. Strangers only see a private level 0 profile.
Here‘s a comparison of what different users see with each setting:
| Visibility | Public User | Friends | Private User |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile views | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Friends list | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Screenshots | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Game details | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Comments | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Badges | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Inventory | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
So private is the most locked down, while friends only strikes a middle ground.
Why gamers make profiles private
There are some great reasons to take advantage of Steam‘s private settings:
-
Avoid scammers: Scammers trawl gaming profiles looking for rare items or valuable inventories. A private profile hides these details and makes you less of a target.
-
Reduce clutter: Many gamers don‘t realize how cluttered their profiles look to others with years of screenshots, artwork, guides etc. A private profile presents a clean slate.
-
Hide play activity: Perhaps you don‘t want others seeing every game you play or how many hours you log. Private profiles conceal your activity and play habits.
-
Increase privacy: You get to control who sees your gaming information and habits. For those wanting more privacy, this is a big plus.
-
Cultivate image: Achievements, trophies, and play hours all contribute to a certain image. For those wanting more control over their image, private profiles help.
According to Steam‘s own data, over 60% of Steam profiles are now set to private. So the desire for gaming privacy is clearly mainstream now.
What friends can and can‘t see
When you opt for a private profile on Steam, what changes for your approved Steam friends? Here‘s what friends can still see:
- Your friend status on their list
- Your online/offline status
- Ability to chat if online
- Ability to join your game if invited
- Your current in-game status and username
So your gameplay experience with friends is virtually unchanged with a private profile. Friends just can‘t browse your profile details or activity anymore.
Conversely, here‘s what gets hidden from friends with a private profile:
- Your games library
- Achievements and trophies
- Playtime tracking
- Owned items
- Screenshots and artwork
- Groups joined
- Workshop files
- Reviews and guides
- Inventory of items
- Badges collected
- Gifts sent/received
So friends lose the ability to browse and search your Steam profile, but can still interact online. You get added privacy without losing collaborative play. It‘s a nice balance overall.
How to make your Steam profile private
If you decide to make the switch to a private Steam profile, here are the steps:
- Click your username in the top right corner
- Select "View my profile"
- Click "Edit profile" along the top
- Under privacy settings, choose "Private"
- Click "Save changes" at the bottom
And that‘s it! You‘ll now show up as a private level 0 account across Steam.
You can also tweak visibility for certain sections like games, screenshots, comments etc under the privacy tab. But for full private mode, just select the top-level private setting.
Pro tip: Double check your privacy settings every so often. Steam sometimes adds new sections that default back to public until updated.
Appearing offline while remaining online
Separate from overall privacy is the ability to appear offline in Steam while remaining online. This hides your online status from friends, but still allows chatting if you initiate messages.
To enable this:
- Click the arrow next to your username
- Select "Go Offline" or "Invisible"
"Offline" will fully disconnect you, while "Invisible" just hides your status. Very handy when you want to game in incognito mode!
Final thoughts
So in summary, Steam‘s private profile options give gamers lots of control over their information and activity. While public profiles are fine, I generally recommend utilizing Steam‘s privacy settings as it helps avoid scammers, clutter, and unwanted attention.
Just be sure to still connect with any real-life friends you want to play with online. And feel free to reach out if you have any other gaming tech questions! This is Terry signing off for now.
