Steam Desktop Authenticator: Original SDA & ODA

Steam Desktop Authenticator (SDA) is the original community Windows app from Jessecar96. Open Desktop Authenticator (ODA) is a separate desktop app published by MASTERPANEL LLC. Choose the original project, Valve's phone app, or ODA below.

Original SDA#

SDA is no longer maintained. Its authors recommend Steam Mobile. If you need to identify the original software or its releases, start with Jessecar96's repository.

Original SDA repository

Steam Mobile#

Valve's official option for Android and iPhone. Use it for sign-in and trade confirmations on your phone. We recommend it when you do not need a desktop workflow.

Get Steam Mobile

Open Desktop Authenticator#

An independent, open-source desktop alternative. Generate codes, review confirmations and import SDA maFiles. Windows and Linux packages are published; testing limits are below.

Download ODA 1.5.1

Already have SDA? Import your maFiles →

ODA is not affiliated with Valve or SDA's authors, and is not an official SDA release or an endorsed successor. We publish ODA and wrote this comparison.

What ODA looks like#

ODA account dashboard with two fictional accounts, code copy controls, maFile import and confirmation buttons. — ODA 1.5.0 interface, rendered with fictional accounts and demonstration codes. This illustrates the controls; it is not a live Steam-session test.

Each account has its own code and a route to its pending confirmations. The Import maFiles action reads existing SDA account files; Export lets you keep a separate copy. ODA stores accounts in a local encrypted vault. The product overview explains its features, and the download page identifies the current packages and their requirements.

Which option fits your setup?

Decision	Original SDA	Steam Mobile	ODA
Who publishes it?	Jessecar96 and community contributors; unsupported.	Valve, the operator of Steam.	MASTERPANEL LLC; independent open-source project.
Published platforms	Windows; see the original repository's requirements.	Android or iOS.	Windows and x64 Linux packages. Check the package and architecture choices; no macOS package is published.
Daily workflow	Desktop codes and trade confirmations; continued compatibility is not assured.	QR sign-in, sign-in approvals, and trade and Market confirmations on your phone.	Desktop codes and trade/Market confirmations, with multiple accounts in one vault.
Existing SDA files	Keep the maFiles folder, encryption passphrase and matching manifest.	Follow Valve's mobile setup or account-recovery instructions.	Imports plaintext or SDA-encrypted maFiles. Exports plaintext maFiles without the Steam refresh token or proxy settings.
Where to get it	The original project's GitHub repository and releases.	App links on Valve's Steam Mobile page.	Four official sources: Microsoft Store, GitHub releases, Softonic and Uptodown, linked from Download ODA.

Sources: SDA's README, Valve's mobile features and app links, Steam Guard guidance, and ODA's published release. For a deeper choice based on recovery, updates and where your secrets live, compare the alternatives.

Already using SDA? Start with your existing files#

Importing a maFile copies its existing authenticator data into ODA. It does not remove or replace the authenticator on Steam. Keep your original SDA installation and an independent backup while checking the new setup.

Make a copy of the SDA maFiles folder. For encrypted files, keep the matching manifest.json and your SDA passphrase. A Steam password cannot decrypt those files.
Install ODA and create a vault. Choose Import maFiles, select the copied files and include the manifest when encrypted. Turn off automatic confirmations while checking.
Review before importing. Check account names, duplicates and warnings. Proxy settings from a file are optional; leave them off unless you intend to use that route. Read each account's import result.
Check the two functions separately. Compare codes for the same account. Then sign in when ODA asks and check that confirmations load. Matching codes alone does not verify the confirmation secret or session.

Follow the complete SDA import guide

If you have only the phone authenticator, use the separate phone-to-PC guide. If you have lost the working authenticator and its files, choose an account-recovery route first.

What to check before choosing a desktop authenticator#

Keep control of the files: A maFile contains authenticator credentials: shared_secret generates login codes; identity_secret is used for confirmations together with a valid session. Do not upload these files to online viewers or support tickets. See the file format and backup requirements.
Separate device risk from download verification: Malware on a trading PC can threaten both its Steam session and a desktop authenticator. A separate phone reduces that shared exposure. Checking a download's origin does not remove this trade-off or prove its code is safe. Read ODA's security boundaries.
Verify the actual ODA release: Version 1.5.1 publishes SHA-256 checksums. Its checksum list carries a Sigstore signature. Its direct Windows downloads are signed and timestamped as MASTERPANEL LLC. Store packages are signed separately by Microsoft. Builds are not yet reproducible. Follow the verification steps to check file hashes, available signatures and build provenance. ODA's signing instructions do not apply to original SDA.
Read what has actually been tested: The maintainer's test record describes Windows testing of imports, code matching and confirmations. This includes earlier releases, not a new test of every flow in the current version. Linux manual launch checks, live two-account proxy isolation and the browser's signed-in Steam handoff remain recorded gaps. ODA has no independent security audit.