A Steam verification code at sign-in comes from Steam Guard: by e-mail, or from the Steam Mobile app, which makes a new one every 30 seconds. Text messages are only used to confirm the phone number on your account, to set up the authenticator and to recover the account. Steam does not accept VoIP numbers.
Steam Guard codes: email, app or text
| Where it comes from | When you need it | |
|---|---|---|
| Steam Guard by e-mail | Your verified contact e-mail | Signing in from a device Steam does not recognise |
| Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator | The Steam Mobile app, a new code every 30 seconds | Every sign-in, or you approve it in the app or by QR code |
| SMS confirmation code | A text to your phone, often from a six-digit sender number | Adding a number, setting up the authenticator, recovery, backup codes |
Steam's advice for all three: enter the most recent code, because older ones stop working.
Steam at a glance
- Virtual numbers
- Depends on the number range
- Code sent by
- SMS
- Asks for the number again later
- No
- One number per account
- No
Adding a phone number to your Steam account
- Open Account Details In the Steam client or on the website, click your profile name at the top right and choose Account Details.
- Add a phone number Under Contact Info, select Add a phone number. If one is already there, the button reads Manage your phone number.
- Type it in international format Start with + and the country code, and check that Steam guessed your country correctly.
- Enter the SMS code Steam texts a confirmation code. Once it is accepted, the number can reset your password and move the authenticator to a new phone.
Only one number can sit on a Steam account at a time. The same number may be used on several accounts, but Steam may then treat those accounts as one person under its rules.
Steam Guard code not received
- E-mail code missing: check the inbox that belongs to the Steam account, look in spam, and add Steam's support and no-reply addresses to your trusted senders. Logging out and in again sends a fresh one.
- Text missing: make sure your plan accepts messages from a six-digit sender and that your SMS inbox is not full.
- Several texts already sent: Steam stops sending for a while; wait a few minutes up to an hour.
- Number rejected outright: Steam refuses VoIP numbers and numbers that cannot receive texts.
- Telegram user? In some countries Steam may deliver the text through Telegram if the number has an active Telegram account.
Changing the number later
Go to Account Details → Contact Info → Manage your phone number, then Remove number, and add the new one the same way as before. Do this while you still have the old phone: without it and without your recovery code, removing the authenticator needs Steam Support.
Because Steam relies on this number to give you your account back, use one you will keep. A temporary number serves one code and then closes, so it cannot rescue a Steam account next year. For a one-off confirmation, choose a country with a good success rate in the app first.
Common questions
Why is my Steam verification code not arriving?
Check which kind you expect. Sign-in codes come by e-mail or from the Steam Mobile app; only number confirmations come by text. For e-mail, look in spam; for texts, wait out Steam's sending pause.
Does Steam accept VoIP numbers?
No. Steam's help pages say it cannot accept new VoIP numbers and asks for a mobile or prepaid number instead.
Can I use Steam Guard without a phone?
The e-mail version of Steam Guard works without one. The Mobile Authenticator needs a supported phone, although you can set it up without adding a number.
How often does the Steam Guard app code change?
Every 30 seconds. Each code works once.