Since the UI update the Steam client refreshes every few hours, which is fine, but during this it takes the focus (on top of every other application). Often just a short distraction, but it becomes an issue when you're playing a game which doesn't have a pause screen or doesn't automatically switch to it when losing focus, especially fast paced games. Does anyone else encounter this and knows an option or parameter to avoid this?

Also happy New Year, everyone!

https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/A5pJb/a-short-hike

9 months ago

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Have you experienced this as well?

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Steam has never updated without manually restarting it for me. But every time it starts, it constantly steals focus with each new window it opens, which is very annoying. Previously, it didn’t cause such an inconvenience, it would run quietly in the background, but now until it fully opens everything, you have to wait for it.

9 months ago
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Yeah, I really dislike how I tend to open everything fast and steam just goes popping the middle...

9 months ago
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It's not about updating. The client doesn't even really restart, just reloading (probably the same you are describing, but I usually only have main window opened).

9 months ago
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Yes I get that too, extra annoying as you sometimes also get that second dialog with the discount announcements, so now you have two windows stealing focus as steam opens up. It's like every program thinks it's the most important program!

Same thing with steam adding itself to windows autostart when you first install it, ever heard of asking first?

9 months ago
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Same thing with steam adding itself to windows autostart when you first install it, ever heard of asking first?

Oh, I hate that. And it's the same for every single game launcher I had installed (I don't remember even one that wouldn't do this). It's a PC not a console for f*cks sake! It's not only for gaming xD

9 months ago
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9 months ago
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this is something i'll never understand: why Valve offers us such a similar piece of ... of software? would really like to see how many people / resources Valve is dedicating to develop it.

same with every sale, everything goes down. each and every single time? no extra resources for those poor servers / users. all this while doing a sale??

ok, ok... first '24 rant

9 months ago
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9 months ago
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Gladly I haven't gotten the discount announcements dialog for a long time, not sure if that be configured though.

9 months ago
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9 months ago
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Sometimes I want to have steam running, but i don't want to see mesages from chat or that somebody is playing a game. I close it with x and it just runs in the tray without bothering me. Maybe try do just that and see if it will work?

9 months ago*
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Pop-up messages that someone has logged into Steam or is starting a game can be turned off in the settings - it’s just torture to use the computer if you have a large list of friends and leave such messages turned on.

9 months ago
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Sometimes I want them and sometimes I don't xD Won't change it back and forth couple of times a day :) I just wonder if it's quiet when in tray, than maybe OP could run game, than put steam in tray and maybe it could at least temporarily solve his issues.

9 months ago
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9 months ago
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I'm not talking about minimizing tough? I'm talkig about using that x button in right corner.

9 months ago*
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9 months ago
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had to edit - because I ate <<NOT>> in the sentence xD

9 months ago
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9 months ago
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Usually when I say about minimizing - I'm talking about minimizing to taskbar. Minimizing to tray is like step further because active steam icon is no longer visible on taskbar, but it's on tray only. Also I don't get any "toasts" when it's on tray and all of them if it's just on taskbar.

9 months ago
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I think you mean Offline. Invisible means you show as offline, but you're actually still online and will get all the notifications you're supposed to get. If you want to temporarily all friends notifications, you need to go in Offline mode.

9 months ago
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9 months ago
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By chat pop-up, do you mean like the chat log window opening by itself in background with the taskbar flashing orange? I can't say for sure about that right now, but I know that you at least get the "toast" notification on the bottom right when in Invisible mode.

9 months ago
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9 months ago
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I see I see.
Yeah, they're apparently called that, at least they're named that way in settings (forgot if it's Steam, Windows, or both, though).

Edit: just checked, if you go to Steam Settings > Notifications, one of the two togglable columns is named "show toast".

9 months ago
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9 months ago
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Not necessarily you can be in online mode but logout in the friends & chat screen.
So you can still play online games without the pop ups and everything.

9 months ago
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Oh yeah, that. I thought of the "Sign in to friends when Steam Client starts" toggle; I was wondering how to phrase it correctly, then gave up, then forgot.

9 months ago
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Side note:
Also annoying that Steam resets invisible mode every day to offline since the update.

9 months ago
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Thanks, I will try minimzing to tray.

9 months ago
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Tell me if it worked xD I didn't encounter such behaviour but I'm curious.

9 months ago
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I guess you can scrap that. I noticed today that it only works for my old PC where I stopped steam from downloading updates some time ago. On machine where it has normal updates it doesn't make a difference xD

9 months ago
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Hasn't happened to me yet again, but I have been less in-game as well, so I need to continue observing.

9 months ago
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I have the same exact problem since August. It seems to be not connected to the steam app but to the account because when I use my wife's account it never happens. I have tried everything without success, the next step is to reinstall steam but I am too lazy to do that.

9 months ago
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Never faced that sorry. Happy New year =)

9 months ago
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The issue I am facing recently is that I get a double pop up, whenever somebody launches a game. Like they launch the game 2x at the same moment. Have it with everybody. First thought it might be a card farming thing, that was bugging out on their side. But even friends that only play a couple of games have that. So cant be card based, since they have already the minimium hours in it.

9 months ago
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I've had many issues with the "new" (Chrome-based) Steam client, but this isn't one of them.
Could be because I keep the client minimized to tray all the time? 👀

9 months ago
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Hopefully, I will try that, too.

9 months ago
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I don't have such problem.
Are you participating in steam Beta. perhaps?

9 months ago
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No, no beta tester here.

9 months ago
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Happens to me at least once daily I guess.

9 months ago
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There is a program called Stay Focused, which can prevent applications from stealing focus.
You need to run the program, then click Open Config File.
A File Explorer window will open, now edit the file StayFocused.ini with your prefer editor.
In config section, set mode as whitelist, and in whitelist section, add steam.exe and steamwebhelper.exe.
Finally, restart the program to load new config.

There is one problem, when you return to Steam, you will have a black screen for some seconds.
I think Steam won't start rendering until it in focus.
Bad design, isn't it?

9 months ago*
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9 months ago*
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Interesting, but besides the rendering I'd have to check admin privileges. I'll first observe whether the tray solution is working, but I bookmarked the website. Thank you!

9 months ago
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I run both Steam and that program under normal privilege.

9 months ago
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I usually do as well, except for troubleshooting of older games. But if the tray solution works, I'd prefer that over having to run this program all the time and at least checking my user management beforehand.

9 months ago
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More and more I feel problems are related more to Windows. Firefox for me will half the time open and most itself to the background. Or even if it's in the foreground with act like it's in the background until I click it.

I'm ditching Win 11 for Linux this year.

9 months ago
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This problem is relevant for Linux too.
The operating system gives developer the ability to steal focus, but some incompetence developers abuse it.
See this issue for Telegram on Linux, it has an option to turn that "feature" on or off:
https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop/issues/10310

9 months ago
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Yeah, this only happens when starting it, but, it's really frustrating, since you really can't do anything while it steals focus each time. People that don't experience this problem, might have an SSD or better hardware in general, so it fully charges before you can even Alt+Tab. In my case it does it three times:

  • When updating my profile.
  • When loading the client.
  • When loading the home page.

So, it goes to my front screen, three times every time I open it for the first time.

9 months ago
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