Steam now lets you switch accounts without closing the client

Valve shipped a Steam client update on September 1, 2026, and re-shipped it the next day with a fix for the Steam streaming client failing to launch on Windows 10.

The headline feature

The update adds the ability to switch Steam accounts while a game is running. Previously you had to close the client or the game first; now a dialog warns that continuing will close any active games, and you can complete the account switch from there without any earlier steps.

Why it matters

It's a small change with real use for anyone sharing a PC or account with someone else at home — it skips the sign-out, client-restart, sign-back-in loop just to check or try another account.