Open Desktop Authenticator FAQ
Short answers about the ODA application. For step-by-step tasks, use the documentation; for original SDA download and maintenance information, see SDA and ODA.
Is it free?#
Yes. The application is free and open source under the MIT licence. There is no paid tier, ODA account or application telemetry. Steam operations still require your Steam account. This website uses analytics, as described in its privacy notice. MASTERPANEL LLC publishes ODA as an open-source project.
Can I use my existing SDA maFiles?#
Yes — including SDA-encrypted files with the matching manifest.json and SDA passphrase. Exports are unencrypted maFiles and omit Steam refresh tokens and proxy configuration. Keep them secure, and sign in and set routing again in the destination app. How importing and exporting work.
How can I check an ODA download?#
Start with the official addresses, the public source and the release verification steps. The publisher identifies itself as MASTERPANEL LLC. A company name, public code or successful signature check is not a guarantee of harmless software: signatures establish origin, while review and testing assess behaviour.
Current release limits: Builds are not yet reproducible: you cannot compile the tag yourself and get byte-for-byte identical output. No independent audit has happened. The download page tracks those limits. Source review, tests and signatures address different risks; none guarantees that software is harmless.
For how ODA stores secrets and where its protections end, read the security model.
What happens if I lose my vault passphrase?#
ODA has no passphrase reset or master key. You need the passphrase that encrypted the vault to open it.
Recovery files are also encrypted. They need the passphrase in force when each was written. An older file may open with an older passphrase you still know, but it will only restore working access if Steam has not replaced or deactivated that authenticator.
Check for another working authenticator copy, a secure maFile export, or a usable independent backup. For Steam-side recovery, use the recovery code (the revocation_code field in a maFile) you stored outside the vault, your linked phone where Steam offers it, or Steam Support's ownership checks. Follow the recovery guide; losing the vault passphrase does not necessarily mean losing the Steam account.
Does it work without an internet connection?#
Code generation is entirely offline — it is a calculation from a stored secret and the current time. Confirmations, sign-in and enrollment have to reach Steam, since they are conversations with Steam.
Is it affiliated with Valve or with SDA?#
No. It is an independent project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve Corporation or the authors of Steam Desktop Authenticator. It supports SDA's maFile format for migration. Format compatibility is not an endorsement from SDA or Valve.
Can ODA approve confirmations automatically?#
ODA holds secrets that can authorise trade and market confirmations, so it must be treated as sensitive software. Automatic confirmation can approve an unwanted trade or sale if the request appears on Steam. It is off by default and configured per account; only trades and market listings are allowed, while account-recovery requests are held back and reported.
That restriction does not make automatic trading safe on a compromised account. Leave automatic confirmation off when you need to check every recipient and item. Read the security model and its limits.
Which platforms does it run on?#
Published builds target Windows 10 version 1809 or later, Windows 11, and x64 Linux. GitHub offers x64 and ARM64 Windows installers; the portable Windows build and the recorded Store package are x64. Linux downloads are an AppImage and a Debian/Ubuntu package. Distribution compatibility depends on system libraries; a Linux package is not a promise that every distribution is supported.
No macOS or Linux ARM64 build is published. The declared Windows minimum is a compatibility floor, not a statement that an old Windows release still receives security updates. See the downloads and release limits.
Common Steam Guard problems#
Answers to the Steam problems people arrive here with. None of these require our software, and most are solved on Steam itself.
- My codes are being refused — start with the clock
- Moving to a new phone — and the two-day versus fifteen-day difference
- Moving one to a PC — what Steam's transfer actually does to the phone's copy
- Trade holds and restrictions — identify the message and what you can do
- Finding my recovery code — the R-code, and where it still is
- I have lost access completely
- Doing this without a smartphone
- Opening a maFile safely, and when it is encrypted
- How trade confirmations work
- Mobile app or desktop?