Steam Quit Unexpectedly Mac? 6 Methods to Fix it [macOS Ventura/Monterey/Big Sur]

Without question, the Steam platform connects millions of users daily at breakneck speeds to resource-intensive games. As a result, Steam's popularity occasionally may be to blame for its servers' inability to deal with the volume of incoming requests.

Some of you may find it frustrating to use Steam on your Macs since you encounter the error message "Steam quit unexpectedly on Mac" when launching the game. This error warning emerges each time you try to access the Steam app on your Mac and wonder how to fix it. Keep reading this mending guide; you will know how to cure Steam quit unexpectedly Mac on startup.

3 Reasons: Why Steam Quit Unexpectedly Mac

Many Mac users have claimed that the Steam client does not run correctly on their Mac. There may be several causes for this, and here we list three main reasons Steam quit unexpectedly on Mac.

Reason 1. Wrongly Matched Dates and Times

Incorrect or mismatched dates and times may be the cause for an unexpected shutdown of Steam.

Your time and date settings may be incorrect if you've recently visited a different time zone or region, which could prevent Steam from usually launching.

Reason 2. Steam Didn't Get Accessibility Permissions

Sometimes over time, application permissions can turn out to be corrupt, which could make it difficult for Steam to begin.

For most users, this is the most frequent cause of the Steam app not opening or quitting unexpectedly. Accessibility permissions are necessary for the Steam program to function correctly. Just grant all the permissions requested if you have opened Steam for the first time. You can verify the licenses if you've been using Steam for a while.

Reason 3. Incompatibility Between Steam and the macOS

The most recent Steam version is potentially incompatible with the macOS version you're using. A problem or software incompatibility between the Steam application and the macOS might restrict your Mac from accessing the Steam application if you didn't finish the macOS update.

6 Methods: How to Fix Steam Quit Unexpectedly on Mac

Suppose you keep getting the "Steam Quit Unexpectedly" problem on Mac. Besides the above 3 reasons, there are several potential causes, including corrupted Steam files and faults in the operating system. In this part, here are 6 methods you can try to solve the issue, whatever the cause.

First, we provide a video about the issue, and here are 5 highlights to give you a quick guide:

1. 00:53 - Introduction
2. 01:19 - Force Quit the Application
3. 01:25 - Restart your Mac
4. 02:11 - Check Software Update
5. 02:19 - Suggestion

Method 1. Restart your Mac to Fix Steam Quits Unexpectedly

Restarting the Mac may be the easiest method to solve the problem. To continue the Mac, you should:

Step 1. You can access the Apple menu on Mac by clicking on the Apple logo in the top left of the navigation bar.

Step 2. Click on Restart now.

Step 3. Try to launch Steam after the Mac has successfully loaded up to check if the problem has been resolved.

You may be also interested in this post: How to Fix Steam Won't Open on Mac [Ventura/Sonoma/Monterey]

Method 2. Remove Steam Preferences to Fix it Quits by Accident

It would be best if you thought about removing the Steam preferences because corrupted preferences can also result in such crashes of the app. To remove Steam Preferences on factory reset macOS:

Step 1. Go to your Mac's desktop to click Finder or press Shift + Command + G to open the Finder box.

Step 2. By default, you will open the preferences directory. From here, copy and paste the following path into the address bar:

Support for Libraries/Applications/Steam. And then press Enter.

Step 3. Select and remove every .plist file that is contained within each directory.

Once finished, restart the Steam app to check if the problem has been resolved.

Method 3. Check the Date and Time to Fix Steam Quit Unexpectedly

The Steam quit unexpectedly could be caused by incorrect dates and times. To reset it, you can:

Step 1. Navigate by this path: Apple Menu - System Preferences - Date & Time.

Step 2. If you find something wrong in the Date & Time setting, click the lock icon to change the settings.

Step 3. Relaunch Steam to check if the problem is resolved.

Method 4. Give Accessibility Permissions to Steam on Mac

For the Steam app to function correctly on your Mac, accessibility permissions are necessary. You should get a prompt asking for it if you just installed it. But here's what you need to do if you missed or disregarded it.

Step 1. Open the Apple menu.

Step 2. Select System Preferences - Privacy & Security - Privacy.

Step 3. Click the lock to make changes from the sidebar's Accessibility menu.

Step 4. Then, check the box next to Steam, and confirm your selection.

Method 5. Update your Mac to Prevent Steam from Quitting Unexpectedly

You can update the macOS using the Software Update feature to solve the Steam quit problem unexpectedly. You may back up the Mac to protect your data before editing it. Here, follow the steps to perform macOS updates.

Step 1. Open System Preferences in the Apple menu.

Step 2. Select Software Update.

Step 3. Then click Update Now.

Method 6. Relaunch Steam via Activity Monitor to Fix it Quits Unexpectedly on Mac

Restarting the Steam app from scratch can help fix many bugs it may face. To do this, you can relaunch it from Activity Monitor.

Step 1. Open Finder from the Mac dock.

Step 2. Navigate to Applications - Utilities.

Step 3. Open the Activity Monitor.

Step 4. When you type "steam" into the search bar, a list of all active Steam processes appears; select every cycle, then press the Stop button (cross icon).

By doing this, all Steam-related processes on the computer will be stopped.

Finally, launch Steam and check to see if it can be opened without problems.

Extra Tip: Recover the Data When Your Apps Quit Unexpectedly

Learning data recovery of unsaved files after a forced quit is crucial, in addition to knowing how to fix apps quit on a Mac. If Steam's previous progress was not saved before the software froze or became unresponsive, force quitting could result in data loss.

Therefore, there is little chance that such apps will be able to recover unsaved data. The Time Machine backup would be the best course of action. You could also look online for a reliable third-party data recovery program to avoid data losses. And if you lose your data by accident, you'll need dependable Mac data recovery software.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can recover plenty of Mac Documents in many formats. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can also retrieve material from the Trash Bin or unexpected deletion.

Here are steps for you to learn how to recover data when your apps quit unexpectedly.

Step 1. Select the drive to be scanned

In the main EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard window, there will be a list of the drives connected to your Mac. Select the drive you need to recover lost/deleted files from, and click the "Search for lost files" button.

Note: Before data recovery, you'd better click "Disk Backup" from the left sidebar to create a backup of your Mac to avoid further data loss. After backing up, the software can recover data from the Mac backup, and your computer can wirte new data again.

Step 2. Select your lost data/files

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results on the left pane. You can sort the results to find the wanted files if you are looking for certain files.

Step 3. Recover lost/deleted data

Once you have found the desired files, preview the files and then click "Recover" to begin the recovery of your deleted/lost Mac files.

Final Thoughts

Try to open the app again and enable Dates and Times reset if Steam unexpectedly quits on macOS. Additionally, you can go to the Applications folder and delete the Steam folder or reinstall Steam after restarting your Mac. Don't forget to protect your data when you come across the force quit! EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can help.

Steam Quit Unexpectedly Mac FAQs

If you want to learn more about Steam quit unexpectedly, look at the questions and answers here to know more!

1. How do you fix an app that quits unexpectedly on a Mac?

If a program quits unexpectedly or is unresponsive and the problem isn't with compatibility or disk permissions, you can easily fix it by restaring the Mac or reinstalling the app. You can also reboot your Macbook in Mac Safe Mode.

2. How do I fix Steam on my Mac?

To repair Steam, you can:

1. Step 1. Go to the Steam menu - Preferences - Downloads.
2. Step 2. Pick Steam Library folders,
3. Step 3. Right-click your folder, and choose Repair Library Folder.

After selecting these, wait for Steam to finish fixing itself.

3. Why does my game quit unexpectedly, Mac?

If your computer has a virus, the game may crash, show an error, or close during setup or play. It's possible that Steam's popularity contributes to the servers' occasional inability to handle the volume of incoming requests.

4. How do I restart Steam on Mac?

To restart Steam, double-click on the icon located on your desktop. If the Steam shortcut icon is missing from your desktop, look for it in the Applications folder on macOS 13/12/11 or the "Start" menu in Windows.

5. How to restore missing downloaded files on Steam?

Here are the effective 3 methods of how to restore missing downloaded files on Steam.

• Add Installation Folders to Steam and make the game playable.
• Rename the ClientRegistry.blob file to restore missing steam games.
• Recover lost steam game files with the helpful third-party tool - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.