How to block Steam games on PC

What blocking steam.exe actually covers

Steam isn't one program. It's a launcher that starts thousands of different games, each with its own .exe. So it's worth knowing what a single steam.exe entry covers:

• Steam library, desktop shortcuts and the Start menu: blocked. These all start the game through Steam, and Steam can't open.
• Big Picture mode and offline mode: blocked. Both run inside the same steam.exe.
• A game that's already running when the session starts: closed. Distraction Blocker closes blocked apps together with the programs they started, and a game launched from Steam is one of them.
• Most games started directly from their install folder: they won't run. Games that use Steam's copy protection try to start Steam first, which is blocked.
• DRM-free games started from their folder: these can run without Steam. If one still opens, add its own .exe too. In Steam, right-click the game, then Manage → Browse local files to find it.
• The Steam store and community in a browser: blocked only if you added store.steampowered.com and steamcommunity.com to the websites list.

Other launchers are separate apps. If Epic Games, Battle.net or a standalone game lives on the same PC, add those to the list as well. The same goes for chat apps like Discord, which are often the other half of "just one more match".

Method 2: Steam Families (Steam's parental controls)

Steam Families groups up to six Steam accounts into one family. Each member is an adult or a child, and adults manage the children's settings. Because the rules are attached to the child's Steam account, they apply on every device that account signs in on — a Windows PC, a laptop or a Steam Deck. Adults can:

• set daily playtime limits and the hours of the day when playing is allowed,
• choose which games from the family library a child can play,
• turn off the Store, Community and chat for a child account,
• see playtime reports and approve or deny a child's request for more time.

To set it up, sign in to your adult Steam account, open Account details → Family management on the Steam website (or the Family section of Steam's settings), create the family and invite your child's account.

Good to know: Steam Families only controls Steam. It does nothing about Epic Games, YouTube or Discord, and it doesn't help if you're trying to keep yourself off Steam, because an adult can always change their own settings. Valve occasionally renames these menus, so check Steam Support if a label doesn't match.

Method 3: Microsoft Family Safety

If your child signs in to Windows with their own Microsoft account in your family group, you can manage apps and games from family.microsoft.com or the Family Safety app:

• Choose your child, then Windows → Apps and games.
• Find Steam and either block it or set a daily time limit and allowed hours. An app usually shows up in this list only after it has been opened on the child's account.
• Add store.steampowered.com to blocked websites under content filters (this applies in Microsoft Edge).

Good to know: Family Safety only works when your child uses their own Microsoft account on the PC — not a shared or local account — and its website filters only apply in Edge, so it's common to block other browsers too.

Which one should you use?

• You're blocking Steam for yourself so you can study or work → Distraction Blocker. It's the only one of the three that you can't undo halfway through a session, so it holds even when the urge to play doesn't go away.
• Games should wait until homework is done → Distraction Blocker. Start a session when homework starts; Steam comes back in the breaks and afterwards.
• You want a daily cap on Steam everywhere, including a Steam Deck → Steam Families.
• You want to manage the whole PC and your child already has a Microsoft account → Family Safety.
• Both → Use Steam Families for the daily total, and Distraction Blocker to keep study time game-free.

Blocking a different game? See how to block Roblox on PC, or the parental control guide for a full study-time setup. Comparing blockers? See the free alternatives to Cold Turkey and Freedom.