How to Fix Steam Error Code 105

Having trouble trying to fix Steam error code 105?

With Steam arguably being the most iconic video game distributor across all platforms, it can be quite a shock to encounter problems while browsing through their store. If you got this problem while you were shopping through discounts, then it’s urgent that you get this fixed before the sale ends.

The Steam error code 105 is usually due to your DNS server having trouble connecting to Steam’s servers. There are a lot of ways that you can go about fixing this and we’ll be tackling a lot of methods throughout the entire article.

Additionally, we’ll be providing solutions for both Steam’s application and if you’re having problems through your browser, like Chrome. Here’s how you can fix Steam error code 105.

Let’s get started!

• 1. Check Steam’s Servers.
• 2. Flush Your DNS Cache Files.
• 3. Change Your DNS Server.
• 4. Use Your Web Browser.
• 5. Disable Any Ad-Blockers On Your Browser.
• 6. Clear Your Browsers Cache Files.
• 7. Clear Your Steam Browser’s Cache Files.
• 8. Add Steam To Your Firewall Whitelist.
• 9. Reinstall Steam.

1. Check Steam’s Servers.

The most important step that you can do before fiddling with your settings is to check for the status and availability of Steam’s servers. If the servers that you’re trying to connect to are down or malfunctioning, there’s absolutely nothing you can do to fix this issue on your end.

Doing this will save you a lot of time, especially if Steam’s servers are indeed down. There are a couple to check on Steam’s servers. You can try going through unofficial Twitter accounts for Steam server updates or connect to Steamstat and check there.

Either way, both methods are pretty reliable. In addition to that, you can also check through our favorite method, Downdetector. Waiting for a tweet might take a while, even if it is from a bot account.

By making their website community-driven, Downdetector essentially lets users report a problem if they’re experiencing issues with certain servers. These reports are compiled and displayed on their website, so you’ll be able to easily see if other people are experiencing the same issues you are.

2. Flush Your DNS Cache Files.

DNS servers are incredibly useful, yet they are taken for granted. Have you ever seen an IP address before? IP addresses are basically destinations that we go to when we visit websites like Facebook, Twitter, Steam, and basically all of the internet.

Instead of having to memorize the numbers in that address, DNS servers automatically translate that for us so we don’t have to. Unfortunately, since your DNS server is probably running all the time, it’s inevitable that certain errors or garbage files pile up and compromise its effectiveness.

In this method, we’ll be flushing out all the garbage and possibly corrupted cache files from your DNS server to try and fix the Steam error code 105 issue. This will not erase any of your personal files.

Note: ‘Flushing’ out the garbage is simply programming jargon for ‘deleting’.

Here’s how you can flush your DNS cache files:

1. Start by opening up the Run dialog box on your computer by pressing the Windows key + R.

2. Now, you can either copy-paste or manually type out the command provided below. Hit Enter or click on OK once you’ve entered in the command.

ipconfig /flushdns

After that, your DNS cache files should be cleared from all the unnecessary junk. Try opening up the Steam client or browser and browse through the store to see if that helped fix Steam error code 105.

3. Change Your DNS Server.

If that didn’t work, you might want to try changing your DNS server. While it is rare, sometimes DNS servers can be under maintenance or have problems arbitrarily. There are a lot of other methods down below that you can try before you do this.

However, since the problem has been mainly connected to DNS servers and network connections in general, we decided to put this method much higher on the list. Changing your DNS server doesn’t take a whole lot of time. Plus, with the right server, you’ll also be able to boost your internet speed!

Now we don’t mean that you’ll be getting more bandwidth, but depending on the DNS server you choose, you could connect and load certain websites faster. Check out our in-depth and comprehensive guide to see how you can change your DNS server for the better.

Feel free to look for other DNS servers if you want to, you don’t have to change yours to what we suggested. However, the 1.1.1.1 DNS server does have a good portfolio and performance history, so you might want to give that a shot.

4. Use Your Web Browser.

The next six methods will directly involve either your web browser or Steam. For the first three, we’ll be going over what you can do to try and fix the Steam error on your default web browser.

For starters, try using your browser instead of the Steam client. Most gamers might prefer browsing through the store through the Steam app, but using your browser is just as good, if not better.

Test this out so you can isolate the problem. If you can connect to the Steam store on your browser, then chances are the problem lies solely on your Steam program. On the other hand, if you were already using your default browser to begin with, try launching the Steam app and browse there or access the Steam store through another browser.

5. Disable Any Ad-Blockers On Your Browser.

If Steam opened up on your desktop application or on another browser, then chances are your default browser is what’s causing the problem. While advertisements can be quite annoying, Steam does have a lot of these scattered around their store.

Perhaps your ad-block is being a little too restrictive with Steam which is causing the error to appear on your screen. Try disabling any ad-blockers on your browser to see if that fixes the problem. While this might feel like a hassle, you can always specifically disable the ad-block for the Steam website.

That way, you won’t have to turn your ad-block on and off every time you visit the Steam Store. Unfortunately, since all browsers are configured and interfaced differently, we won’t be able to provide a general list of steps to help you disable your ad-blocker.

Furthermore, your ad-blocker might even have special steps that you need to go through to completely disable it. We’ll have to let go of your hand from here and guide you to Google where you can search for the steps to disable your ad-blocker.

6. Clear Your Browsers Cache Files.

Being able to remain logged in on websites that you have previously logged into and visited in the past is a convenient asset that a lot of browsers utilize. This works because cache files store some parts of your data and keep you logged into those websites.

Additionally, these cache files also keep things like settings, whenever you change a website into dark mode or have a search index saved. Unfortunately, these files can sometimes cause problems, especially with network-related issues like this.

Try clearing your browser’s cache files to try and alleviate the Steam error code 105 issue. This won’t remove or delete any of your personal data, but it will log you out of all the websites that you’ve logged into in the past.

However, just like the previous method, we cannot provide a general step-by-step process for this since most browsers are different. A quick Google search will be more than enough to help you with this.

7. Clear Your Steam Browser’s Cache Files.

Moving on, the next three methods are all Steam-related and we’ll be going through each of these to try and fix your Steam error code 105 problem. While most people may not realize this, Steam’s store is actually powered by Steam’s browser.

Yes. Steam comes with a browser. Now just like all the others, Steam’s browser saves cache files too. Clearing your cache should delete any compromised files that are messing with your network connection.

Here’s how you can clear your Steam browser’s cache files:

1. First, open up the Steam app on your computer and navigate to the Steam button. You’ll find this at the top-left corner of your screen.
2. From there, click on Settings and go to the Web Browser tab.

3. Among the two options on your screen, select Delete Web Browser Cache and select OK.

Voila! You’ve successfully deleted your Steam browser’s cache files. For good measure, you can also clear your Steam browser’s cookies and HTML cache. Doing both of these quick methods is pretty easy and can do a lot to help fix your issue.

8. Add Steam To Your Firewall Whitelist.

Your firewall program might be the butt of most jokes or memes, but this service is actually pretty underrated and misunderstood. It’s a common joke to blame your firewall when a computer is infected by viruses despite the firewall being enabled.

However, your firewall doesn’t actually monitor software viruses since that’s the job of your default or third-party antivirus. Your firewall monitors sketchy network behavior and blocks those connections from entering or connecting to your computer.

In this case, Steam may have been mistakenly blocked by your firewall. While you could navigate through this by running Steam as an administrator, whitelisting Steam to your firewall is a better long-term solution.

Here’s how you can add Steam to your firewall’s whitelist for both Windows and Mac computers.

9. Reinstall Steam.

Finally, you can also reinstall Steam if you’ve exhausted all the methods above without any luck. Keep in mind that we recommend only considering this step if the Steam error code 105 happens exclusively on your Steam program.

This means that your default browser does connect to the Steam website but your Steam app does not. Otherwise, if both your browser and Steam app get the same Steam error code 105 then the problem is much bigger than just Steam.

You can try rebooting your WiFi network to see if that fixes this issue. If you’re positive that the error code 105 problem happens exclusively on your Steam app, then you follow our extensive guide here to reinstall Steam on your computer.

Now that you’ve reached the end of this article, hopefully we helped you fix Steam error code 105. If you have any questions or clarifications, feel free to leave a comment down below.

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂