Steam’s old Family View has been replaced by Steam Families parental controls. To set them up, use an Adult account to create or join a Steam Family, add the child’s separate Steam account with the Child role, then open Account Details > Family Management > Manage and enable parental controls for that child. Older guides may call this feature Family View or Family Options; those names can lead to a legacy PIN-based workflow.
What Steam Family Options means now
“Family Options” is often used in older guides and search results for Steam’s family restrictions. Steam’s current system is Steam Families parental controls. The former Family View used a PIN to gate parts of an account; Steam says it has been replaced by parental controls managed for a Child member by an Adult member.
Steam Families has two roles: Adult members can manage the family and apply restrictions, while Child members are the accounts those restrictions apply to. Family Management is available through the Steam client, web browser, and mobile device, though labels and layout can vary by platform, client version, or language. Steam Families supports up to six members, subject to its family rules and eligibility checks.
What the controls can restrict
From a Child account’s parental-control settings, an Adult can configure access to games and Steam features, set playtime limits, and review playtime reports. Children can also request extra playtime or access to a restricted feature; an Adult can approve or deny a request. Steam describes these capabilities in its Steam Families guide and Steam Families announcement.
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- Games: Permit or deny access to individual games for the Child account.
- Steam features: Restrict areas such as the Store, Community, and Friends Chat or related social features.
- Time: Set hourly or daily playtime limits and review reported playtime.
- Requests: Respond to requests for more playtime or feature access.
These settings govern Steam account features and games. They do not supervise all use of the computer, browser, operating system, other game stores, or non-Steam applications.
Before you enable parental controls
Use a separate account for the child rather than handing over an Adult account. Steam’s setup expects the child to have their own account, be friends with the Adult, and join the same Steam Family. The separate account keeps saves and achievements tied to the child’s profile, makes restrictions and activity easier to distinguish, and avoids sharing the Adult password. Steam Families does not merge accounts: game ownership remains with the purchasing account, and saves and achievements remain personal to each account, as described in the Steam Families announcement.
- An Adult Steam account with access to Steam on the client, web, or mobile app.
- A separate child Steam account that can sign in.
- The Adult and child accounts connected as Steam friends.
- A Steam Family containing both accounts, with the child assigned the Child role.
Enable parental controls in the Steam client
- Launch Steam and sign in to the Adult account.
- Open Account Details from the Store page or your account menu.
- Select Family Management.
- If you are not already in a Steam Family, choose Create a Family.
- Select Invite a Member, invite the child’s account, and assign it the Child role. Accept the invitation while signed in to the child account if prompted.
- Return to Family Management and choose Manage.
- Expand the child’s account entry and turn on Enable Parental Controls.
- Choose permitted games, configure restricted Steam features, and set playtime limits as needed. Save or confirm the changes.
- Sign in to the child account and test a blocked game or feature, a permitted game, and the intended time limit.
The critical current path is Account Details > Family Management > Manage, then expand the Child account and enable parental controls. Steam confirms that family management can also be handled in a browser or on a mobile device; on the Steam Store website, sign in, open Account Details, then select Family Management.
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Choose games, features, and time limits
Choose which games the child can access
Use the child’s game-access controls to allow the titles you consider appropriate. A title showing in a library or list does not by itself establish that the child can launch it, that it is shareable from another family member, or that its parental-control setting is wrong. Check the child’s permission for that game and whether the title is eligible for Steam Families sharing.
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Restrict Store, Community, and chat features
Use the Steam feature controls to restrict access to the Store, Community, Friends Chat, or related social functions as needed. Store restrictions and child purchase-request workflows are separate from blocking a game; do not assume that every purchase route or third-party transaction is governed by the same setting.
Set playtime and review activity
Configure the available hourly or daily limits for the child account, then review its playtime reports through Family Management. Steam also supports requests for extra playtime or restricted-feature access, which an Adult can approve or deny. Do not assume every offline session, game, or third-party launcher is measured identically; behavior may depend on the title and its technical setup.
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Check that the setup works
Test restrictions from the child’s account rather than relying only on what the Adult sees in Family Management. Try a game that should be allowed and one that should be blocked, then check a restricted Steam feature and the time settings. If a restriction does not appear to take effect, confirm that you are testing the correct child account, that the setting was saved for that account, and that the client reflects the latest change.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If you are following an old Family View guide
Legacy instructions commonly say to open Steam > Settings > Family > Manage, choose accessible content and features, set a recovery email, and create a PIN. That is the former Family View workflow, not the current default setup. Steam’s legacy Family View support page describes the old process and states that Family View has been replaced by Steam Families parental controls.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIf you create a Steam Family and add an account that already had Family View settings, Steam says those settings transfer to Steam Families parental controls. The former PIN-based unlock mechanism is removed after migration; use Family Management rather than searching for a current PIN reset flow. The legacy troubleshooting page is relevant only to old Family View cases.
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Troubleshoot missing menus, invitations, and blocked games
Family Management is missing
- Check that Steam is signed in, then look under Account Details rather than the old Settings > Family route.
- Confirm the account has created or joined a Steam Family and is an Adult member with management permissions.
- If using the website or mobile app, start from Account Details; the old desktop Settings screen may not match current instructions.
- Labels can vary by interface language or platform. Restart Steam and check for client updates if the expected option still does not appear.
The child cannot be invited
- Verify the child account exists, can sign in, and is friends with the Adult account.
- Check that the child has not joined another Steam Family and that the current family has fewer than six members.
- Make sure the invitation is accepted by the intended child account and that its role is set to Child, not Adult.
A game appears but the child cannot play it
Separate the parental-control question from the sharing question. The child may lack permission under parental controls, or the title may not be shareable through Steam Families. Steam notes that technical dependencies such as third-party keys, accounts, or subscriptions can prevent sharing; that limitation does not by itself mean parental controls failed. See the Steam Families announcement for sharing details.
The old PIN instructions do not work
For a current Steam Family, the old Family View PIN workflow is not the way to unlock parental controls. Manage the child’s settings from Family Management > Manage. Legacy email-based PIN recovery was documented for older Family View installations, but it is not the current Steam Families recovery path.
Keep the rest of the device protected
Steam’s controls do not govern web browsing, other launchers, operating-system use, or general device screen time. If you need restrictions beyond Steam, combine Steam Families with the relevant Windows, macOS, console, router, browser, or mobile-device parental controls. Keep the Adult account password and parent email secure, use Steam Guard, and do not make the child an Adult family member if the purpose is to prevent changes to restrictions.
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