How to Fix Steam Error Code 105 (Unable to Connect to Server)

By FixMyError · Updated October 14, 2026 · 6 min read

What "error code 105" means

Error Code 105 appears in the Steam client — and sometimes in your web browser when you open store.steampowered.com — with the message "Unable to connect to server. The server may be offline or you may not be connected to the internet." Despite what the message suggests, your internet connection is usually fine. The error means Steam's built-in browser component couldn't establish a connection to Valve's servers, so store pages, community pages, and parts of the client simply refuse to load while your game library and downloads may otherwise behave normally.

This is fundamentally a network problem, not a game problem. Steam has to translate server names into IP addresses (DNS), open a connection through your router, and get past your firewall — and a failure at any one of those steps produces Error Code 105. The most common culprits are a corrupted DNS cache on your PC, DNS servers from your ISP that have stopped resolving Steam's addresses, or security software quietly blocking Steam's traffic. Occasionally the cause sits on Valve's side: server maintenance or a genuine outage, which is why checking server status first saves a lot of wasted effort.

Common causes

• Corrupted DNS cache: stale or damaged DNS entries on your PC stop Steam from resolving server addresses.
• Faulty DNS servers: your ISP's DNS servers fail to answer Steam's address lookups correctly.
• Firewall or antivirus blocking: security software mistakes Steam's server traffic for something malicious and blocks it.
• Adblocker or browser interference: browser extensions or corrupted data in Steam's built-in web browser break the connection.
• Steam server outage: Valve's servers are down for maintenance or suffering an outage, so there is nothing to connect to.

How to fix Steam Error Code 105 — step by step

Work through these in order. The DNS flush and DNS server change fix the large majority of cases.

1. Check whether Steam's servers are down. Before touching anything on your PC, rule out a Steam-side problem. Open your browser and visit steamstat.us — it shows the live health of the Steam Store, Community, and Web API. If the servers show as down or under maintenance, Error Code 105 is not your fault: wait for Valve to restore service and the error disappears on its own. If everything is green, continue to the next step.
2. Restart your router and your PC. Power-cycle your network gear: unplug your router and modem, wait about 30 seconds, then plug them back in and let the connection fully re-establish (watch for the lights to settle). Then restart your computer and relaunch Steam. A fresh network session clears stale connection states and expired router sessions that can sit behind Error Code 105. This single step resolves the error surprisingly often.
3. Flush the DNS cache and reset network settings. If the error persists, your local DNS cache may be corrupted. Press Windows+R, type cmd, then hold Ctrl+Shift+Enter to open an elevated Command Prompt. Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter, then type netsh winsock reset and press Enter. Close the window and restart your PC. The flush clears bad DNS entries and the winsock reset repairs the network stack Steam relies on to reach its servers.
4. Switch to a public DNS server. If your ISP's DNS servers can't resolve Steam's addresses, borrow someone else's. Press Windows+R, type ncpa.cpl, and press Enter. Right-click your active network adapter and choose Properties, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and click Properties. Tick "Use the following DNS server addresses" and enter 8.8.8.8 as the preferred server and 8.8.4.4 as the alternate (Google DNS), or 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare). Click OK, then restart Steam and test.
5. Disable adblocker extensions and clear Steam's web browser data. The Steam client renders its pages with a built-in browser, and adblocker extensions in your regular browser — or corrupted data inside Steam's own browser cache — can break those page connections. Disable any adblocker extensions in your web browser, then in Steam click the Steam menu in the top-left corner, choose Settings, open the In Game tab, and click Delete next to "Delete Web Browser Data." Confirm the prompt. This wipes cached data and cookies that may be causing the connection failure.
6. Allow Steam through your firewall and antivirus. Security software sometimes flags Steam's server traffic and blocks it, producing Error Code 105. Temporarily turn off your Windows firewall and antivirus, then relaunch Steam — if the error is gone, the blocker was the cause. Turn your protection back on immediately, then add Steam's executable to your firewall and antivirus exclusions (whitelist) so it is permanently allowed through. This keeps you protected without breaking Steam.
7. Reinstall the Steam client. As a last resort, a corrupted Steam installation can cause connection errors that no setting will fix. First back up your steamapps folder so you keep your installed games, then uninstall Steam, download the latest installer from the official Steam website, and reinstall. Restore the steamapps folder afterward and log back in.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• Steam's store and community pages load without Error Code 105
• The Steam client stays connected and shows your friends list
• The error does not return after restarting Steam and your PC
• Other devices on the same network can also reach Steam's website

If the error appears in your web browser but not in the Steam client (or vice versa), the problem is isolated to that program's data — clear that browser's cache and disable its extensions rather than changing system-wide DNS settings. And if the error started right after a Windows update or a new antivirus install, suspect the firewall exclusion first: updates love to reset those rules.