Steam is a digital distribution platform to play and purchase online games. It offers several exciting features for game management but, users often report facing a certain problem. This often leads to the ‘Steam download stopping’ issue, where the downloading process doesn’t get completed. 

If you are also getting the same error and unable to complete the downloading process, then have a look at the guide discussed below. In this post, you will know some of the effective ways to solve this problem in minutes and restore the Steam downloading process. 

Fixing Techniques When Steam Download Keeps Stopping

These are some of the best tricks that can enable you to continue the process if Steam stops downloading. Henceforth, you can perform the solutions explained below: 

Fix 1: Close Unwanted Apps

Before implementing any technical solution, you should check if the external apps are causing this error. There are some applications, which can conflict with Steam. So, below are the steps you need to perform to close all the unwanted applications: 

1. First and foremost, go to the Start menu. 
2. Then, type “task manager” in the search bar. 
3. Hit the Enter key to open the Task Manager. 
4. Go to the ‘Processes’ tab and block all the unwanted processes from the list. 

Afterward, restart the application with the help of the ‘Steam.exe’ and check if the error is fixed. Else, you should move on to the next solution described below. 

Fix 2: Check Date and Time Zone

If there is any confliction between the date and time of the system and the selected time zone, it may also lead to this issue. Steam basically, collects real-time data from the computer and functions accordingly. 

Hence, if it detects any irregularity, it’s bound to show some unexpected errors. To solve this, go through these steps: 

1. Open the Control Panel by tapping the Start menu. 
2. Navigate to the ‘Date and Time’ category. 
3. Now, go to the ‘Internet Time’ tab and then tap on the ‘Change Settings’ option. 
4. Afterward, check the box that prompts ‘Synchronize with Internet time server’ and hit the ‘Update Now’ button. 
5. At last, click on the OK button from the ‘Internet Time Settings’ pop-up box. 

Once you update the time and date successfully, restart Steam and check the error status. 

Fix 3: Update Network Driver

Keeping the Steam service up-to-date helps to follow up with the latest changes in the software. Hence, if you don’t update the network driver for a long time, then it might also be the reason behind this issue. 

In case, the updated Steam isn’t compatible with the outdated network driver, you can solve this issue by updating it to its latest version. 

How to Update the Network Driver? 

1. Go to the Start menu and open the Control Panel. 
2. Now, go to the Device Manager. 
3. Click on the drop-down button of the ‘Network adapters’ option. 
4. Choose the network adapter that is installed on your computer. 
5. Next, go to the Driver tab. Then, tap on the ‘Update Driver…’ button. 

If there is any latest version of the network driver available, it will be downloaded by itself. Once it completes the updating process, restart Steam and try to download the files again. 

Fix 4: Check Limits of Bandwidth

If the disk’s writing speed conflicts with the downloading speed, it can also lead to this error. Also, if you are experiencing fluctuation with the Internet connection while downloading on Steam, limit the bandwidth speed to get rid of this issue. 

How to Limit the Bandwidth Speed? 

• First of all, right-click on the Steam client and choose the ‘Run as administrator’ option from the list. It is to open the Steam account with Admin’s privilege. 
• Tap on the Steam button by navigating to the upper left pane of the screen. 
• Afterward, click on the Settings button. Now, navigate to the Download tab and click on the drop-down button of the ‘Limit bandwidth to’ window. 
• Here, you will get a list of speeds. So, choose the particular speed depending on your Internet speed provided by your service provider. 
• Lastly, exit from the Steam window and reopen it. 

Now, you need to check if the error has been sorted out. Otherwise, perform the next solution stated below to restart Steam downloads. 

Fix 5: Disable Windows Defender

According to some users, they are facing this problem due to the Windows Defender. So, perform these steps to turn off Windows Defender while downloading via Steam. 

1. In the beginning, invoke the Run dialog box by pressing the R and Win key simultaneously. 
2. Afterward, type “msc” in the box and press the Enter key. Else, you can also tap on the OK button to proceed further. 
3. It will navigate you to the ‘Local Group Policy Editor’ window. Next, navigate to the ‘Computer Configuration’ tab. 
4. Afterward, click on the ‘Administrative templates’ option. Now, tap on the ‘Windows Components’ option and choose the ‘Windows Defender’ option. 
5. Next, you will see a list of options. Choose the ‘Turn off Windows Defender’ option from the list. 
6. After turning the Windows Defender ‘Off’, click on the Apply and then OK button to save the settings. 

Once you successfully apply the above steps, the Windows Defender will be disabled on your computer. Now, open Steam with Admin privilege and check if the problem has been resolved. 

Otherwise, you can clear the cache of the Steam client if Steam download stopping and starting continuously. 

Fix 6: Clear Downloaded cache of Steam

By clearing the downloaded cache of the Steam client, you can resolve this downloading issue. To do this, take a glance at the steps provided below: 

• First, open the Steam application and click on the Settings button. 
• Next, tap on the ‘Downloads’ button from the left pane of the screen. 
• Click on the ‘Clear Steam Download cache’ option from the next page. 
• At last, tap on the OK button to confirm the action. 

Now, you should check if the issue is fixed and Steam downloads are not stopping. 

Fix 7: Reinstall Steam

If all the above hacks failed to solve this issue, then you should reinstall Steam to eradicate this error message. To try this solution, apply the steps stated below. 

First, you need to create a back up of your gaming data, as there are chances of data loss while reinstalling the Steam client. 

1. Press the E and Win key simultaneously to open the File Explorer. 
2. Now, go to the path “C: \ Program Files Steam.”
3. Choose the ‘SteamApps’ option and tap on the ‘Copy to’ option.
4. Select another folder to save the SteamApps. 
5. Now, open the Run dialog box by following the steps discussed in method 5. Type “appwiz.cpl” in the box and hit the OK button. 
6. Next, choose Steam and tap on the ‘Uninstall’ button. 
7. Restart the system before performing the Steam reinstallation process. 
8. Now, open the official website of Steam and tap on the ‘Install Steam’ button. 

Complete the installing process by following the on-screen prompts. You can now try to download any game via Steam client to check if the error is solved. 

Wrap Up

With this, we are going to wrap up this article, where the solutions have been discussed to restore the downloading on Steam. All the methods are foolproof and quite easy to implement, even for non-tech savvy Steam users. Hopefully, it will help you to continue the downloading process. 

In case, any problem arise or you want troubleshooting methods for some other Steam issue, let us know in the comments section.