If when you try to charge the Steam Store or Community from the Steam app on Windows 10 and you experience the Error 503 Service not available error message, then this message might interest you. In this article, we will identify some known potential causes that could trigger the error, and then provide possible solutions that you can try to resolve this problem.
Sorry, the Steam community is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
This error message means that the server is unable to handle the HTTP request due to a temporary overload or server maintenance is in progress. In addition, it means that the problem is temporary. You might meet the Error 503 Service not available error message on your Windows 10 computer due to one or more (but not limited to) of the following known causes;
- Bad internet connection.
- Server side problem.
- Proxy servers.
Error 503 Service not available – Steam
If you are faced with this Error 503 Service not available problem, you can try our recommended solutions below in no particular order and see if it helps to fix the problem.
- Check internet connection
- Check proxy servers
- Check the status of the Steam server
- Refresh Steam files.
Let’s take a look at the description of the process involved in relation to each of the solutions listed.
Before proceeding with the solutions, make sure that you are logged in as administrator on your computer and make sure that the Microsoft redistributables (Visual C ++ and .NET Framework) are up to date.
1]Check internet connection
You might meet Error 503 Service not available problem if you have a limited or unstable Internet connection on your computer because the application will not be able to access the Steam servers. In this case, you can try to connect to the same network with another computer and see if you have access to it.
If you have access to your other device but not to your console / computer, you can try restarting your router. The power cycle refreshes all configurations and again allows proper transmission of the network.
Here’s how:
- Turn off your router and your computer.
- Remove the power cable from each device.
- Now press and hold the power button on each device for about 4 seconds to drain all of the energy.
- Wait 2-3 minutes before reconnecting everything.
- Now restart your computer and launch the Steam app.
Check if the problem is resolved. Otherwise, go to the next solution.
2]Check proxy servers
Most organizations or networks of public places use proxy servers to provide faster Internet access by caching what is accessed. This mechanism can sometimes revoke access of the Steam application to Steam servers. In this solution, resetting any proxy server could resolve the issue Error 503 Service not available problem.
If after resetting the proxy server and restarting the Steam app and the problem persists, you can try the following solution.
3]Check the status of the Steam server
The servers occasionally have a small downtime depending on the load and the maintenance schedule. So it is also likely that the Steam servers are actually inaccessible and that is why you are having Error 503 Service not available problem. In this case, go to Steam status website and see if the service you’re trying to access is down. If the status of the Steam community and the Steam store is not displayed Ordinary, it means that services are currently unavailable and there is nothing you can do except wait for the outage.
4]Refresh Steam files
If at this point you are still facing the Error 503 Service not available problem, it probably means there is a problem with the Steam app. Corrupt or damaged Steam files may be the culprit here. In this case, you need to update the Steam files. This process will not delete your downloaded games and your Steam user data will also be preserved – only corrupt or damaged or obsolete files will be replaced by the app itself.
To update Steam files, follow these steps:
Note: Any interruption during the copying process will corrupt the files and you will need to download the entire content again. Only proceed with the procedure if you are sure that your computer will not be interrupted.
Access your default Steam directory, as shown below:
C: / Program Files (x86) / Steam
Find the following files and folders:
- User data
- Steam.exe
- Steamapps
the user data folder contains all the data of your gameplay. You do not need to delete it. Inside Steamapps folder, you will need to find the problematic game and delete only that folder. The other folders contain the installation and game files for the other games you have installed.
However, if you are having problems with all the games, you can delete all other files / folders (except those mentioned above) and restart your computer.
Upon startup, relaunch Steam with administrator privileges and the application should start to update. Once the update is complete, it will run as expected.
I hope one of these solutions will work for you!