Open Desktop Authenticator

Steam Guard code not working? Check the clock

Reviewed by MASTERPANEL LLC 5 min read Sources and testing: Clock and account checks from Valve's Steam Guard troubleshooting; email delivery from Valve's code-help page; durations from Valve's restriction guidance Editorial method

Valve recommends checking the device's time and the selected account when authenticator codes fail. Start with those checks, then distinguish an expired code, a replaced authenticator and a sign-in problem. Removing the authenticator is not a routine troubleshooting step.

Short answer

A Steam Guard code depends on the current time. A clock far enough out of sync can make it fail. Enable automatic date and time on the device generating codes, then synchronise it. Try a fresh code after the clock updates. This applies to authenticator codes, not emailed login codes.

If the clock is already correct, check that the code belongs to the account you are signing into — then work down the causes below.

Why does a wrong clock break the code?#

A Steam Guard code is not random. It is computed from two ingredients: a secret your authenticator holds, and the current time, rounded to a thirty-second window. Steam runs the same computation on its side and checks that the answers match. Enough clock skew can put your code outside the range Steam accepts. Thirty seconds describes the generation interval; it is not a guarantee that Steam rejects a code at the exact instant the countdown reaches zero.

Valve's troubleshooting starts with checking the phone's time. Desktop implementations, including ours, also generate codes from a shared secret and a Unix timestamp.

The same instant, two clocks Steam's clock 10:00:30 window 10:00:30 – 10:01:00 4B7KP Your device, 90 seconds slow 09:59:00 window 09:59:00 – 09:59:30 9QW2M 90 seconds A different time window can produce a code Steam rejects.
The secret is the same; the time used in the calculation differs. Codes and times are illustrative. Steam's public guidance does not specify exactly how much clock error it accepts, so synchronise your clock rather than relying on a margin.

How do I fix the time on Windows?#

  1. Open the date and time settings

    Settings → Time & language → Date & time.

  2. Enable automatic time

    Turn on Set time automatically. Check that the displayed time zone matches your location; you may choose it manually if automatic time zone is unavailable.

  3. Press Sync now

    If it fails, check the connection and try again. Then generate a fresh code — an old one on screen was computed before the fix.

Microsoft's time-settings guide covers automatic and manual time zones. If sync is unavailable on a managed PC, contact its administrator.

Codes use elapsed time from a fixed UTC reference, not the displayed time zone. Changing only the zone does not change that timestamp. Manually setting the clock to a local time while the wrong zone is selected can, however, leave the underlying timestamp wrong.

How do I fix the time on a phone?#

Android: search Settings for Date & time and enable automatic or network-provided time; menu names vary by manufacturer. iPhone: Settings → General → Date & Time → Set Automatically (or Set Time Automatically, depending on the version). See Apple's time-settings help. Reopen Steam and try the next code. Managed-device settings may require an administrator to enable time synchronisation.

My clock is right and codes are still refused. What else?#

The wrong account
Check the account name shown above the code against the Steam login name. A profile's display name can differ. Valve specifically recommends this check for people with multiple accounts.
The code is old or has already been used
Wait for a fresh code and enter it promptly. Do not reuse a code that already completed another sign-in: Valve describes the codes as single-use.
Too many attempts
After a run of failures Steam may temporarily rate-limit repeated attempts for a while. Valve does not publish how long, so the only sound advice is to stop retrying and come back later rather than to guess at a number.
The authenticator was moved or re-added since
If Steam replaced the authenticator, an old phone or maFile can still display codes made from the previous secret, but those codes no longer authenticate this account. Use the current authenticator. Simply importing an unchanged backup into another desktop tool does not itself replace anything on Steam. See what a maFile contains.

These are different failures that arrive looking identical, so they are worth ruling out before you conclude the authenticator is broken.

Steam says "invalid credentials" rather than a bad code#

A general sign-in error does not isolate the authenticator as the cause. Check the login name, keyboard layout and password — and before using a password reset purely as a troubleshooting experiment, know what it costs: resetting a forgotten password restricts trading and the Market for 5 days, or 30 if the account has been inactive for more than two months. Changing a password you still know, from Steam's settings, carries no such restriction. If you suspect someone else has access, secure the account promptly regardless of the trading restriction.

The code screen never appears, or no code arrives by email#

In Steam Mobile, open Steam Guard and choose Show Steam Guard code. If Steam is asking for an email code instead, check the address on the account and its spam folder. For an emailed code, Valve's guidance is to allow up to thirty minutes and then sign in again to request another. For an SMS code, avoid repeated requests: Valve says delivery can stop after too many messages and recommends waiting a few minutes to an hour. Login-attempt rate limits and message-delivery limits are different problems.

Codes work for one account but not another#

If both codes come from the same app and clock, a general clock problem is less likely. First check the correct account is selected. If the account is right, the authenticator for that one may have been moved, replaced or enrolled again with a different secret, which leaves your copy generating codes for a secret Steam has replaced.

Codes worked yesterday and stopped today with no changes#

Possible causes include clock drift, a clock correction after sleep, a temporary Steam error or an authenticator replaced elsewhere. Follow the checks above and read any Steam security emails. Unexpected account changes are a reason to use Steam Support's account-recovery flow from a trusted device.

Can a desktop authenticator avoid this entirely?#

Open Desktop Authenticator queries Steam's time service and applies the measured difference to the local clock. It refreshes that measurement and detects clock jumps. This helps with drift, but requires a successful network request; an offline PC or unavailable proxy can prevent it. If the app says the clock has not been checked against Steam, correct Windows time, check the connection or configured proxy, and allow the app to retry. Time correction cannot fix a wrong account or a replaced authenticator secret.