How to Fix Steam Stuck on Patching and Update

PC gamers may find issues with the Steam Stuck on Patching and Update which isn’t new at all. This unexpected issue can take place whenever Steam users trying to update the client or even the game. As a result, affected Steam users may become unable to play games which is frustrating a lot. Not being able to download the update is quite common among Steam users.

Well, there are a couple of possible workarounds available that PC gamers can try right now. It seems that the particular issue is related to the admin privilege or even issues with the game files in most scenarios. Whereas the chances are high that somehow your antivirus or Firewall program is preventing ongoing connections with the Steam server unexpectedly.

How to Fix Steam Stuck on Patching and Update

Make sure that you’ve restarted your computer once to check the issue. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into the troubleshooting guide below.

How to Fix Steam Stuck on Patching and Update

1. Restart the Steam Client

Well, it’s always recommended to restart your Steam client once and retry downloading the update. Sometimes a system glitch or temporary cache issue on the computer can cause such problems. It’s one of the most common fixes that may come in handy to plenty of affected Steam users. However, if you’ve already done a reboot then follow the next methods.

2. Run Steam as Administrator

Another most important thing is to simply run the Steam client as an administrator which will allow you the privilege to use the program properly without any kind of interference. To do so:

Locate the Steam exe file or the shortcut and right-click on it.
Now, go to Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.

Click on the Run this program as an administrator checkbox to enable it.
Next, click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
Once done, make sure to run the Steam client to check the issue.

3. Clear Steam Download Cache

It’s expected that clearing the Steam download cache should fix the download-related issues or glitches. To do that:

Open Steam > Click on the Steam tab from the top-left corner of the screen.
Now, click on Settings > Go to the Downloads section.
Click on Clear Download Cache > If prompted, click on OK to confirm the action.
Finally, click on OK to save changes > Make sure to restart Steam and check if it Stuck on Patching and Update or not.

4. Disable Windows Defender and Firewall

Disabling the antivirus program and firewall on the PC may help you to fix multiple issues with the Steam client such as game loading, installing patch updates, etc. As a primary work, security software tends to block ongoing connections or internal files which may cause issues with the download stuck. To do this:

Click on the Start menu > Type Control Panel and click on it.
Now, type firewall in the search box > Click on Windows Firewall.
From the left pane, click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
Make sure to select Turn off Windows Firewall for the Private and Public Network Settings.
Finally, reboot the PC to apply changes, and try checking the issue.

Additionally, you should turn off the Real-time Protection feature from the Windows Settings > Privacy and Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Manage settings.

5. End All Unnecessary Background Tasks

Make sure that you’ve cleared all the unnecessary third-party background running tasks on the computer. It reduces system overload and CPU/Memory works fine. Additionally, closing the third-party tasks can also reduce conflicts with the Steam processes or server connectivity.

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open up the Task Manager.
Now, click on the Processes tab > Click to select tasks that are unnecessarily running in the background and consuming enough system resources.
Click on End Task to close it one by one. [Do not close system-related tasks which are important]
Once all is done, restart your computer to apply changes immediately.

6. Edit Host File

Press the Windows + Q keys to open Windows Search.
Type Notepad in the search bar and hit Enter.
Now, right-click on Notepad > Select Run as administrator.
If prompted by UAC, click on Yes to proceed.
Click on File and select Open.
Go to the exact path: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc.
Then select the hosts.txt file > Click on Open.
Next, enter the following three lines at the bottom of the hosts’ file:

68.142.122.70 cdn.steampowered.com
208.111.128.6 cdn.store.steampowered.com
208.111.128.7 media.steampowered.com

Then press Ctrl + S keys to automatically save the changes.
Close the Notepad window.
Now, press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Type cmd and hit Enter to open Command Prompt. [If prompted by UAC, click on Yes to proceed]
Type the following command and hit Enter to execute flush DNS cache:

ipconfig /flushdns

Once done, close all windows, and restart your computer to change effects immediately.

7. Delete the Package Folder

First of all, make sure that Steam isn’t running in the background.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open Task Manager > Go to Processes > Select Steam task and click on End Task to close it.
Now, press the Windows + E keys to open File Explorer (This PC).
Open the installed Steam directory in File Explorer where you’ve installed it.
Then make sure to take a backup of the Package folder by copying it to another drive.
Next, right-click on the Package subfolder in the Steam folder > Select Delete.
Launch the Steam client after deleting the Package folder.
Finally, Steam will automatically download a few files and open them.

8. Perform a Clean Boot

Some affected Steam users have also mentioned that they’ve performed a clean boot on the computer and it helped them a lot. To do this:

Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Now, type msconfig and hit Enter to open the System Configuration window.
Go to the Services tab > Enable the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.

Check all the services from the list and click on Disable all.
Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
Now, click on the Startup tab > Click on Open Task Manager.

Under the Startup tab from the Task Manager interface, click on the particular tasks which are enabled for startup boot > Click on Disable.
Make sure to select and disable one by one.
Once done, restart your computer to change effects immediately.

9. Disable and Enable Steam Service

It’s better to disable and enable Steam service if in case, the Steam service is already running. If not running then simply enable it which is important for the program to run properly.

Press Windows + R keys to open up the Run dialog box.
Type services.msc and hit Enter to open Services.
Now, scroll down the list and search for Steam Client Service.
Double-click on the Steam Client Service from the list to open Properties.

How To Fix a Steam Service Error

Next, click on Automatic and select it from the Startup type option.
Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
- If in case, the startup type is already selected to Automatic but the service is stopped, just click on the Start button to resume it.
Once done, close the window, and reboot your PC to apply changes.

10. Repair Steam Client Service

The chances are also high that the Steam client service is somehow becoming problematic and it requires repairing. To do this:

Press Windows + R keys to open up the Run dialog box.
Type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys to run it with admin access.
Now, go to the installed Steam folder (location) and copy the path.
Paste it into the command prompt that’ll look something like [Here the location may vary on your computer depending on where you’ve installed it]

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\bin\SteamService.exe /repair

Press Enter to execute it.
Once done, close the command prompt window, and re-open the Steam client on your PC.

This method should gonna fix the Steam Stuck on Patching and Update issue.

11. Contact Steam Support

If none of the methods worked for you, then try contacting Steam Support for further assistance. Just provide enough details to get possible workarounds or quick fixes.

That’s it, guys. We assume you’ve found this guide helpful. For additional queries, you can comment below.