6 Ways to Fix the Steam “No Internet Connection” Error on Windows PCs

Millions of players download and install games with the Steam gaming client. However, some players can’t download or update games with that client software because of a widely reported “No internet connection” error message. A user’s Reddit post described that gaming issue like this, “Basically, any download on Steam works just fine for a moment, then it stops and says ‘no internet connection’ or ‘content servers unavailable’ and after spamming the retry button for a while it starts up again, and the issue repeats.” This is how you can fix the Steam “No internet connection” error on a Windows PC.

Run Steam With Administrative Rights

First, try running Steam with administrative rights to see if that makes a difference. Doing this will give your Steam client full system permissions. You can run your Steam software with elevated admin rights like this.

1. Right-click your Steam desktop shortcut on the Windows desktop to select Properties.
2. Select Compatibility to view options within that tab.
3. Click the box with the Run this program as an administrator label to select that option.
   
   

   The Run this program as an administrator option

4. Press the Steam Properties window’s Apply and OK buttons.

Clear the Download Cache for Steam

Clearing Steam’s download cache is a potential resolution many players confirm can fix the “No internet connection” gaming issue. Valve also recommends players apply that troubleshooting method to fix download issues, which this error is. To apply this fix, check out this Steam support page that provides instructions for clearing the download cache.

The Clear Download Cache option

Disable and Re-enable Your PC’s Internet Network Adapter

1. Activate the Run accessory utilizing its Windows logo + R keyboard shortcut.
2. Enter ncpa.cpl inside Run and select OK to access Network Connections in the Control Panel window.
3. Next, right-click on the adapter for your internet to select its Disable option.
   
   

   The Disable option

4. Wait about a minute.
5. Right-click the same network adapter again to select Enable.

Renew Your IP Address and Flush the DNS Cache

Users confirm flushing the DNS cache and renewing IP addresses can fix the Steam “No internet connection” error. Doing this can resolve network issues causing the Steam error. You can renew your IP address and flush the DNS cache with the Windows 11/10 Command Prompt tool as follows. 

1. First, access the file finder box with the Windows logo + S key combination.
2. Type in a cmd search phrase to find the Command Prompt tool.
3. Right-click Command Prompt inside the file finder tool and select Run as administrator.
4. Enter ipconfig /release and hit Return.
5. Execute an ipconfig /renew command in the Prompt’s window.
6. Finally, flush the DNS by entering and executing the ipconfig /flushdns command.

Switch Your PC’s DNS Server to Google

Setting a Google DNS can resolve some network-related gaming issues, like the Steam “No internet connection” error. Google DNS can be more reliable for gaming because of its fast response time and reliability. These are the steps for switching to Google DNS.
Go through steps one and two of the second potential solution above to access Network Connections.

1. Click the internet adapter with your mouse’s right button to select a Properties option.
2. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 and press the Properties button on the Networking tab.
3. Click Use the following DNS to activate the address boxes beneath that setting.
4. Type 8.8.8.8 inside the box with the Preferred DNS server label
5. Next, enter an 8.8.4.4 address value for the Alternative DNS server box.
   
   

   The DNS settings

6. Select OK to apply the DNS settings.

Change Your Steam Download Region

Changing the download region is another potential fix for the Steam “No internet connection” error that’s worked for some users. Steam includes a Download region setting you can change to variable locations. This is how you can change that setting to apply this resolution.

1. Go into your Steam software.
2. Click Steam on the menu bar to select Settings.
3. Select the Downloads tab within the Steam Settings window.
4. Now select a different location on the Download region drop-down menu.

The Download region option

The potential solutions for the Steam “No internet connection” error outlined above will probably resolve the gaming for the majority of users. They are resolutions confirmed to work by many Steam users. However, you can contact Valve’s help service for Steam from this support page if you need any more possible fixes.