I recently encountered a frustrating issue when I realized that a non-Steam game had somehow made its way into my Steam library. It was an old game that I had never installed through Steam, but there it was, listed among my Steam games. This situation puzzled me, and I felt the urgency to resolve it quickly, as I wanted to clean up my library and ensure that only the games I had added through Steam remained visible.
Initially, I wasn’t sure how this non-Steam game had appeared in my library. It was possible that I had accidentally added it while trying to manage my Steam library or perhaps it had been included through a previous configuration or setup. Whatever the reason, it was clear that I needed to take action to remove it.
The first step I took was to delve into the Steam settings and options. I began by opening the Steam client and navigating to the library section. I then looked at the list of games and found the non-Steam game among my titles. To remove it, I had to figure out the exact procedure that Steam required for such an action.
I realized that the non-Steam game was listed because it was manually added as a non-Steam shortcut. Steam allows users to add games that are not purchased through its platform, which means these games can be included in the library for easier access and management. The solution required me to remove this shortcut from my library without affecting the actual game installation outside of Steam.
To start, I right-clicked on the non-Steam game in my Steam library. A context menu appeared with various options. I looked for an option that seemed related to removing or deleting the game. The option I needed was “Manage,” and then I selected “Remove from Library.” This choice allowed me to delete the shortcut from Steam without uninstalling the game from my system.
After selecting this option, I was prompted with a confirmation message. This message asked if I was sure that I wanted to remove the game from my library. I confirmed that I did, and the non-Steam game was successfully removed from the list. This simple process ensured that my Steam library was now free from unwanted entries and only displayed the games that were either purchased or managed through Steam.
In retrospect, the problem arose from the flexibility Steam provides to manage a variety of games. While this feature is useful for consolidating access to all my games in one place, it can sometimes lead to confusion or clutter if non-Steam games are added by mistake. Understanding how to manage these entries effectively is crucial for maintaining a clean and organized library.
In conclusion, removing a non-Steam game from the Steam library is a straightforward process once you understand the steps. By right-clicking the game, navigating to “Manage,” and selecting “Remove from Library,” I was able to resolve the issue quickly. This solution not only cleaned up my Steam library but also provided a better overview of the games that are truly part of my Steam collection.