Steam is not a registered protocol

Categories: Topics | Steam | Errors

Article ID: 2087-MZES-9065 FAQ ID: 459 Updated: October 23rd, 2008

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Steam Support will not request your Steam account password for any reason, nor will you ever be asked to enter your Steam account password into a website form.

Alternative Web Browsers

If you are using a browser such as Firefox or Opera, you may experience this issue. Try using Internet Explorer and see if the issue persists. Internet Explorer must be fully up to date.

Windows Vista

If you are running Windows Vista, please follow this guide: Windows Vista Issues.

Run Steam Installation Again

To install over your existing Steam installation, download a new copy of the Steam installer from the link below:

Get Steam Now

Run the installation program and specify your new Steam installation folder (if this folder has been moved).

Repairing the Registry

If reinstalling Steam does not resolve the issue, there may be something preventing the registry from being updated. In this case, you will need to create a new registry key that will be added to your system registry. Please follow these steps:

Exit Steam
Open your text editor of choice and create a new text file. Notepad is a good example.
Copy and paste the following text into your new text document:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\steam]
@="URL:steam protocol"
"URL Protocol"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\steam\DefaultIcon]
@="steam.exe"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\steam\Shell]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\steam\Shell\Open]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\steam\Shell\Open\Command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Steam\\steam.exe\" \"%1\""
Save the text file as steam.reg
Double click Steam.reg to run the file

NOTE:

If you have installed Steam into a directory other than the default location:

C:\Program Files\Steam

You will need to change the last line of the registry to match the folder where Steam is installed.

For example, if you have Steam installed in C:\Games\Steam, the last line of the registry will need to be changed to this:

@="\"C:\\Games\\Steam\\steam.exe\" \"%1\""

Retrieved from "http://supportwiki.steampowered.com/wiki/Steam_is_not_a_registered_protocol"

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