6 Ways to Fix the Steam “Content Servers Unreachable” Error on Windows PC

or occurs for some Steam users when they try to download and install games with Valve’s gaming client. For example, a user said this on Reddit, “Hello, I got a game on sale, went to download it, and got this error: ‘content server unreachable.‘” Consequently, Steam users can’t download games or update them. This is how you can fix the Steam “content servers unreachable” error on Windows PCs.

Change DNS Settings

Changing DNS settings has worked for some users who’ve fixed the Steam “content servers unreachable” error. Applying this fix will set a Google DNS. Try changing the DNS settings like this:

1. Press the Windows logo key + R simultaneously, enter ncpa.cpl, and select OK.
2. Next, right-click the active network connection adapter to select Properties.
3. Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 to view the settings for that window.
4. Select Use the following DNS server addresses to enable that setting.
5. Input 8.8.8.8 in the Preferred DNS and 8.8.4.4 in the Alternative DNS box.
   
   

   The DNS settings

6. Click on OK to set the DNS settings as configured.

Change the Steam Download Region

Users confirm that changing the Steam download region can fix the Steam “content servers unreachable” error. There might be issues with the current server selected. You can change the Steam download region like this:

1. First, open your Steam software.
2. Click Steam and select Settings from the menu.
3. Next, click on the Downloads tab.
4. Select the closest region to you in the Download region drop-down menu. If the closest region is already selected, select the second-closest region to you.

The Download region drop-down menu

Clear Steam’s Download Cache

Steam has a troubleshooting option for clearing its download cache. Selecting that option can resolve numerous game download issues. Steam’s clear download cache page tells you how users can select that option.

The Clear Cache option

Turn Off the Game File Over Local Network Settings

Turning off the Game File Transfer over Local Network setting has fixed the Steam “content servers unreachable” error for many users. That setting can interfere with server connections when enabled. These are the steps for turning off the Game File Transfer over Local Network setting:

1. Go through steps one and two of the second resolution above to access the Downloads tab.
2. Turn off the Game File Transfer over Local Network setting.
   
   

   The Game File Transfer over Local Network option

3. Then, try downloading the required games with that option disabled.

Clear the Steam Folder

It has been confirmed by players that clearing the Steam folder can also fix the Steam “content servers unreachable” error. Applying this fix effectively amounts to a reinstallation, as running the steam.exe will redownload the required files. You can clear the Steam folder like this:

1. Open File Explorer and your Steam installation folder.
2. Press Ctrl + A to select everything in that folder.
3. Hold the Ctrl key and click on the steam.exe file, steamapps, and userdata to deselect those items.
4. Click Delete to erase all other selected items.
   
   

   The Steam folder

5. Then, double-click the steam.exe file to download the erased files.

Alternatively, you can click Install Steam on this page to download the setup file. Then, run the SteamSetup.exe from the folder that includes it. Go through the setup wizard and select to run Steam.

Flush the DNS Cache

Flushing the DNS cache might clear outdated or corrupted network data, which can sometimes fix the Steam “content servers unreachable” error. Steam users confirm that applying this potential resolution has worked for them. Go through these steps to flush the DNS cache:

1. First, open the file search box, accessible with a Windows logo + S hotkey.
2. Enter cmd in the search box, and right-click Command Prompt to select a Run as administrator option for it.
3. Type in a ipconfig /flushdns command and hit Enter to execute.

The flushdns command

The possible resolutions covered here have fixed the Steam “content servers unreachable” error for many users. So, one of them will probably fix the same Steam error on your PC. If the server error continues, select Steam Client > Steam Client Crashes > Contact Steam Support from this page to send a support ticket to the software’s help service.