Steam: Change the Homepage For the In-game Overlay Browser

Steam is currently the largest digital game distribution platform on PCs and Mac. Approximately 63 million users play games on the service daily.

People who play games on Steam sometimes need to use a web browser to read through any documentation or acquire any component.

Users can interact with their standard browser, but in the meantime, the game’s performance may slow down or collapse. This type of behavior is very irritating.

If you are new to Steam and wondering how to change the browser’s homepage, worry not!  This article will guide you to some easiest and most effective ways to change the homepage within minutes.

Let’s start!

How To Change the Homepage For the In-game Overlay Browser?

The in-game overlay browser is a massive improvement in the game by which users can connect with friends and do other tasks. It is a feature that previews details about status, leaderboard rankings, and text messages.

It allows users to exchange tabs without hampering the current task, which increases productivity. There exists a variety of ways by which we can change the homepage for the in-game overlay browser.

Here are the two methods to change the in-game overlay browser:

Method 1: Change the Homepage Manually

Changing the homepage of the Steam overlay is a simple task. Users can change it from the browser’s Security & Privacy option.

Here are the steps to change the homepage manually:

• Open the App Settings from the main menu.
• Head towards the Advanced tab, then select a web browser.
• Select the homepage to display.

Restart Steam, and you’re done.

Check out our new post: SteamVR Error 108.

Method 2: Change Homepage from Steam

Some browsers exist that don’t provide any option to change the homepage manually. If the user tries to change it using any third-party extension, it drops the performance and affects FPS.

So, it is required to change the homepage inside Steam sometimes.

Here are the steps to change the homepage inside Steam:

• Select Steam from the top-left corner of the main window.
• Click on Settings.
• Go to the web browser tab from Settings.
• Enter the custom URL of the homepage to show.
• Hit OK to save changes.

Restart Steam to apply the changes.

But I have seen people complain about their Steam overlay not working on different community forums. In that case, follow this article a little bit longer.

How to Fix Steam Overlay Not Working

Fixing the Steam overlay not working isn’t like rocket science. There are different approaches you can take to make this work. I’ll propose some definite method that’ll eliminate the issue within no time.

Here are the methods to fix the overlay not working on Steam:

1. Give Administrator Access

The primary reason Steam Overlay is not working maybe that the application doesn’t have administrator access. In that case, you must run Steam as an administrator.

Here’s how to give administrator access:

• Open the Steam directory. The default location is C:\Program files(x86)\Steam or the other directory where you have installed it.
• Locate the file named Steam.exe.
• Right-click and select Properties.
• Click the Compatibility tab.
• Check the box stating Run this program as an administrator.
• Ensure it is checked.
• Click OK to save changes.
• Find the file GameOverlayUI.exe.
• Right-click and select Properties.
• Select the Compatibility tab. Here, at the bottom of the window, you will see a check box stating Run this program as an administrator. Make sure it is checked.
• Hit OK to save changes.
• Restart Steam and check if the Steam overlay is working.

Important things to know:

Confirm that the game doesn’t have administrator permission because it can sometimes cause glitches.

Also related: SteamVR Error 306.

2. Permit Steam Overlay

There has an option to permit a Steam overlay. By default, it stays disabled. Make sure it is enabled; otherwise, you will face issues.

Here are the steps to enable Steam overlay:

• Click to open the Steam client.
• Click Steam and select Settings to open the Settings interface.
• Open the In-Game tab and Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game. Make sure it is checked.
• Click on the Library tab. Installed games will be listed there.
• Right-click on the game where the overlay isn’t working and select
• Go to Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game. Also, make sure it is checked.
• Re-launch Steam and check if it is working correctly.

If you want to reduce the stress on your pc or storage device and want to stop Steam from opening on startup, please follow the simple steps below.

 3. Disable Third-party Applications

Third-party applications can cause problems accessing Steam overlay as these applications require control of system overlay while running.

Another application tries to access it but cannot because two other parties are already using it. The best way to solve this problem is to disable it.

These are the steps to disable third-party applications:

• Press Windows + R to pop up the Run application.
• Type Task Manager to bring up the task manager.
• Delete all the third-party applications and close the processes.

4. Restart your PC

Restarting the PC can solve the problem. It may arise because Steam is updated in the background, and updates are installed. For this, it is not performing well.

Related content you should read: SteamVR not Recognizing Oculus Quest 2.

5. Verify Local Games and Library Files

Sometimes this problem occurs due to missing or corrupted files. Library files can also be in the incorrect format or configuration.

Always try to verify local games and library files to eliminate this problem.

Here are the steps to verify local games and library files:

• Open Steam client and select Library.
• Select the game in which Steam overlay fails to open.
• Right-click on the game and choose Properties.
• Browse the Local Files tab and select Verify Integrity of Game Files.
• Select the Settings option and open the Downloads tab.
• Click on Steam Library.
• Repair Library Files if necessary.
• Hit OK to Save changes and restart the application.

6. Check your Firewall and Antivirus

A prevalent issue is that firewall and antivirus software conflict with Steam overlay. Although, many antivirus software mark these processes as threats and block them.

So, move on and disable the firewall and antivirus.

These are the steps to disable firewall and antivirus:

• Press Windows + R button to open the Run prompt.
• Type Control Panel and hit Enter. On the top right, there will be a dialogue box to search.
• Write Firewall and click on the first option.
• Select the option Turning off the Windows Firewall on both the tabs, Public and Private Networks.
• Click OK to save changes.

7. Check Windows Updates

Steam tries to keep clients up to date with the latest upgrade and development of the operating systems. It resembles its functions and options accordingly.

Though Steam gets updated for a new change in OS and OS isn’t upgraded, it will hamper Steam from behaving correctly.

Follow these steps to check Windows updates:

• Search Settings from the search box.
• Find Update and Security.
• Click on Check for updates to see updated files. If they exist, download and install them. After that, restart the PC.
• Try to save your work before restarting.

Hope this will solve the issue.

Check out our separate post on how to Calibrate Steam VR.

8. Delete GameoverlayUI

To reinstall Steam and its components, the user must delete the GameoverlayUI application and check if the problem is fixed.

Delete gameoverlayUI to resolve the issue within seconds.

Here is the way to delete the Gameoverlay UI:

• Open the Steam The default location of it is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam or will be in the installed directory.
• Find GameOverlayUI.exe and delete it.
• Restart Steam.

9. Enable Overlay for Specific Game

In many cases, an overlay can be disabled for any game. For this purpose, open the properties and change their configurations.

Always make sure to enable overlay for specific games to solve the error.

Here are the steps to enable Overlay for the specific game:

• Launch Steam and Sign in.
• Click on Library and right-click on the game which is facing this issue.
• Select the General tab and check the Enable In-Game Overlay option.
• Check if the issue still occurs.

Read more on how to Fix Steam Pending Transaction

FAQs

Why is Steam overlay not performing well?

There have several reasons for which Steam overlays may not perform well:

1. Frequent updates of Steam require many elements to reload for the user.
2. This heavy and complicated software requires a lot of time to deliver.
3. Weaker devices may not have the potential GPU; this can drop the performance.

Does in-game overlay affect performance?

It is not identically proven if an in-game overlay affects the performance or not. It largely depends on the configuration or the particular game. During playing games, some users can feel a significant drop in frame rate when the Steam overlay is enabled.

Meanwhile, others may not undergo any change. It can be due to different game settings. So, I suggest you not change settings if experiencing the desired output.

How to launch Steam without a browser?

If people are facing problems with Steam overlay or it is impacting games’ FPS, then immediately change the shift tab of the Steam user interface by following the steps:

• Go to the top left corner of the Steam interface.
• Select Steam settings.
• Scroll down and click Select interface.
• Change the shift tab from there.

Hopefully, it will prevent overlay from affecting your FPS while playing the game.

A Final Thought

Playing games on Steam is always fun, and now you know how to play with your folks, your level of amusement is sure to lift.

To sum up, you can easily change the homepage for the browser by following the methods like manually or inside Steam. If the Steam overlay doesn’t work, you can fix this with the steps: give administrator access, disable third-party apps, firewall and antivirus, delete game overlay UI, and many more.

I am sure this article has answered all your queries and helped you change the homepage for Steam without any difficulties.

Happy Gaming!