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To stop Steam’s launch-time news popup, open Steam > Settings > Interface and turn off the option about additions or changes to your games, new releases, and upcoming releases. Restart Steam if it still appears. Sale and wishlist toasts use a separate control under Settings > Notifications, so first identify which kind of popup you’re seeing.
These steps cover the Steam desktop client. Labels and layout can vary by language, client revision, or mode; on other screens, look for the setting’s purpose rather than relying only on its exact wording.
Identify the popup before changing settings
| What appears | Likely control or explanation |
|---|---|
| A large news or sale window as Steam starts | Settings > Interface: turn off the launch-news option. |
| A small notification toast, often near a screen corner | Settings > Notifications: turn off the relevant category. |
| A wishlist item goes on sale | Wishlist sale alerts under Notifications. |
| Steam opens to the Store or another promotional page | Settings > Interface > Startup Location: choose Library. |
| A blue bullhorn or “View News from Steam” indicator | It may remain even after the launch-news window is disabled; see community reports about the news indicator. |
| Ads overlay Steam, browser tabs open unexpectedly, or clicks redirect to ads | This is not the normal Steam launch popup. Treat it as a possible adware or malware symptom. |
Disable Steam’s launch-time news popup
- Open the Steam desktop client.
- Select Steam in the upper-left corner, then choose Settings.
- Select Interface.
- Scroll toward the bottom and turn off the option labeled approximately “Notify me about additions or changes to my games, new releases, and upcoming releases.”
- Exit Steam completely and reopen it if the window continues to appear.
Valve’s support guidance describes Steam’s normal advertisement-style launch message and says it can be disabled in Settings. The option’s wording can vary slightly by language or client revision; look for its description if the label differs.
This setting targets the launch-time update or news window. It is not a universal switch for every promotion Steam displays. Store recommendations, announcements on Library or Community pages, and individual notification types are separate surfaces. Valve’s event documentation describes announcements appearing across Store, Community, and Library areas.
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Turn off sale and wishlist notification toasts
- Open Steam > Settings > Notifications.
- Review the notification categories and switch off the ones you do not want, such as A major sale or An item on your wishlist is on sale.
- Use a category’s expansion arrow, where available, to adjust where that notification appears, such as in the desktop client or mobile app.
Steam’s redesigned notification controls allow users to manage categories and display locations; Valve documented the controls in its client update and a later refinement. You can disable promotional alerts without silencing every useful notice: consider keeping trade, account, friend, or game-session alerts enabled if you rely on them.
If the launch news window remains after you disable notification categories, check Interface as well. The launch-news setting and toast controls are separate.
Stop Steam opening the Store at startup
- Go to Steam > Settings > Interface.
- Find Startup Location, or the setting describing which Steam window opens when the client starts.
- Choose Library, then restart Steam.
This changes the page Steam opens first; it does not remove recommendations or other Store content once you visit the Store. The Startup Location control is described in Steam community troubleshooting.
What may still appear after you change these settings
News indicator or bullhorn
Disabling the launch-time Update News window does not necessarily remove the blue “View News from Steam” indicator. Community reports say it may remain, and Valve does not document a separate universal setting for removing every news indicator. This is a qualified limitation, not a guarantee across every client build or platform; see the community discussion.
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Store, Library, and game announcements
The Interface option is not an ad-free mode for Steam. Promotions or game announcements may still appear within the Store, a game’s Library page, or its Community hub. Those are separate from the launch popup and notification toasts.
If the popup keeps appearing
- Confirm the right setting: use Interface for launch news and Notifications for toasts.
- Fully exit Steam: close it from the system tray or menu, then relaunch it.
- Check the startup page: set Startup Location to Library if Store content is what greets you.
- Identify the remaining element: a toast or bullhorn is not the same as the launch-news window.
- If the setting is missing: confirm you are in the desktop client and look in both Interface and Notifications. Layout can differ by client mode or device; Steam Deck, Big Picture, and desktop screens need not present settings identically.
When an “ad” may be malware or adware
Steam’s normal launch message is different from advertising that appears over Steam, unexpected browser tabs, hijacked clicks, or popups that continue when Steam is closed. Valve identifies external ads, redirects, and browser hijacking as possible spyware, malware, or adware symptoms in its support guidance.
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- Do not click the suspicious ad or install anything it offers.
- Close Steam and run a scan with your operating system’s trusted security software.
- Review browser extensions and recently installed programs, especially if the behavior also appears outside Steam.
- Follow your security software vendor’s remediation guidance if it detects a threat or asks for an exception.
- Contact Steam Support if the issue appears account-related or persists after the computer is clean.
Avoid risky workarounds
Do not use unofficial “Steam ad remover” downloads, modified clients, DLL replacements, or domain-blocking rules as a first response. Community suggestions involving steam.cfg are associated with suppressing Steam client updates, not just promotional popups, and can interfere with updates and other features; see the community discussion. Disabling updates or altering installation files is not a safe substitute for the built-in Interface and Notifications settings.
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