How to Fix Failed to Load steamui.dll Error in Windows Steam

While accessing Steam is usually as simple as double-clicking the application shortcut on your desktop or selecting it from the Start menu, you may run into issues in some cases. Sometimes, Steam may fail to open on Windows, instead displaying the “Failed to Load steamui.dll” error.

If this happens to you, don’t panic. Here are some effective ways to fix annoying error messages.

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Bypass the “failed to load steamui.dll” error in Steam with a quick workaround

If you need to quickly access Steam and don’t have time to figure out what’s causing the error, there’s a workaround to bypass Steam’s “Failed to load steamui.dll” error. Simply open Steam and wait for the error message to appear. This time, instead of closing the error message, double-click Steam’s shortcut to open it again. The Steam client should start checking for updates and open as usual.
Of course, this is only a temporary fix. If you’re looking to permanently resolve the “Unable to load steamui.dll” error, use the following solution.

1. Restart the Steam Client

Sometimes, Steam may have problems launching and be unable to load its graphical user interface (GUI) on Windows. Since Steam is already running in the background, repeated attempts to open the application may be fruitless and result in a “Failed to load steamui.dll” error. To fix this, you can try to completely close the Steam client using Task Manager and then reopen it.

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. In the Processes tab, right-click Steam and select the End Task option from the context menu. Try launching Steam again and see if it works.

at Close Steam using Task Manager on Windows

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In the File Explorer window that opens, locate and select the SteamUI.dll and libswscale-x.dll files.
Click the trash icon 垃圾icon at the top to delete them.

Reopen Steam afterward and see if there are any errors.

3. Delete the Beta File from the Steam Directory

Are you using a beta version of the Steam client? If so, you are likely to encounter this type of error when using Steam on Windows.

Since you can’t open Steam, you won’t be able to exit the beta program through the in-app settings menu. Fortunately, there is another way to exit Steam’s beta program and switch to the stable version of the app. Here are the same steps.

Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
Navigate to the directory where you installed Steam.
Double-click the package folder to open it.
Find the files in the Beta folder and delete them.

Restart your PC after this and try to open Steam again. It should download the necessary files to switch to the stable version of the application and the “Unable to load steamui.dll” error should not appear.

4. Clear Steam Download Cache

A corrupted or inaccessible download cache can also affect Steam’s performance on Windows and cause errors like this. You can try clearing Steam’s download cache and see if that helps. Here’s how.

Open Steam on your PC.
Click the Steam menu in the top-left corner and select Settings.
Select Downloads from the left sidebar.
Click the button to the right of Clear Download Cache.

5. Reset Steam Configuration Settings

Resetting Steam’s configuration settings is an effective way to fix various issues with the Steam client, including the issues discussed here. So if clearing Steam’s download cache doesn’t work, reset Steam’s configuration settings using the following steps:

Click the Show hidden icons menu on the taskbar.
Right-click the Steam logo and select Quit Steam.
Press win + R to open the Run dialog box.
Type steam://flushconfig in the box and press Enter.
Click okOK to confirm.

6. Uninstall and Reinstall Steam

If you are still receiving the “Cannot load steamui.dll” error at this point, you can consider completely uninstalling Steam and performing a clean install. We have a detailed guide on the different ways to uninstall software on Windows. Refer to our guide and choose your preferred method for uninstalling Steam.

After removal, download and install the Steam application again. Make sure to reinstall Steam to the same location where you installed it previously to preserve all the games you have installed.

7. Try Basic Fixes

The Steam “Cannot load steamui.dll” error can also occur due to a problem with your Windows computer. So if the above fixes don’t work, you can try some basic fixes to resolve the error message.

Run an SFC scan: Corrupted or missing system files on your PC can sometimes disrupt Windows’ ability to launch apps and programs. You can run the System File Checker (SFC) tool to scan your system for such problematic files and repair them.
Update Drivers: Another reason why Steam might not load its interface on Windows is due to outdated or buggy graphics drivers. If this is the case, updating the graphics drivers on your PC can help.
Perform a System Restore: It’s possible that recent changes to your system have caused the Steam “Failed to load steamui.dll” error. To fix this, you can use System Restore to return Windows to its earlier state and permanently fix the error.

Get rid of the “Cannot load steamui.dll” error in Steam on Windows

It’s not fun when Steam won’t open on your PC and annoys you with the “Cannot load steamui.dll” error. Hopefully, one or more of the above fixes have helped you fix the error and Steam is back up and running on your Windows PC. However, if nothing works, you may have to contact Steam Support as a last resort.