Steam trade holds and restrictions: causes and timers
Read the reason and expiry Steam shows for the blocked trade or Market action. An account restriction, a pending item hold and CS2 Trade Protection have different rules. Match that reason below before changing your authenticator.
Adding an authenticator does not shorten an existing hold. Keeping it active can prevent standard holds on future transactions after the qualifying period. It does not clear account restrictions or item cooldowns.
Valve says Steam Support cannot modify trade and Market restrictions. If you did not initiate the action that caused one, secure the account through Steam Support; do not wait to protect it just to preserve trading access.
Match Steam's reason to the next step#
| Reason or situation | Effect and timer | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile authenticator removed | No trading or Market for 15 days. | Restore account protection. Adding another authenticator does not cancel the restriction. |
| Steam Mobile phone-to-phone transfer | Trade and Market restriction for 2 days. | Wait for Steam's expiry. This is Valve's documented phone flow, not a guarantee for every desktop tool. |
| Item held; no authenticator or one added less than 7 days ago | Standard holds can last up to 15 days. | Keep the authenticator active for future transactions. Existing holds continue. CS2 trades are the exception below. |
| Forgotten password reset | No trading or Market for 5 days; 30 days if inactive for over two months. | Wait; changing a known password in settings is a different action. Secure a compromised account promptly. |
| Accepted held trade cancelled | Trading restricted for 7 days. | Check account security if the trade was unfamiliar. Support cannot remove this cooldown. |
| Steam Guard newly enabled | Trading and Market unavailable until it has been enabled for 15 days. | Keep protection enabled rather than restarting setup. |
| New device authorized through email Steam Guard | This device is restricted for 7 days. | An already-authorized device may still work. Valve exempts accounts with a mobile authenticator active for at least 7 days. |
| Received CS2 item marked Trade Protected | Item delivered immediately; protected for 7 days. | You can equip it, but cannot transfer, consume or modify it during protection. |
The first seven rows follow Valve's restriction list, hold FAQ and Steam Guard FAQ. The last row follows its Trade Protection FAQ.
A hold delays an item; a restriction blocks an action#
A standard trade hold starts after both parties accept and delays delivery. A Market hold delays a sell listing appearing. A restriction can prevent the account, or a newly authorized device, from starting those actions. Check which one Steam names: a working login code does not establish that an item is tradable.
CS2 uses Trade Protection instead of trade holds#
Valve currently lists CS2 as the supported game. Its traded items arrive immediately regardless of authenticator age, then have the seven-day protection described above. This does not bypass an account restriction that stops a trade being made.
If an unauthorized protected trade occurred, first secure the account and review Steam Trade History. Reversal affects all eligible protected trades from the last seven days and gives the account initiating it a 30-day trade and Market cooldown. It is an account-recovery action, not a shortcut around an item timer. Check Valve's current conditions before acting.
Moving devices: transfer and removal are different#
For another phone, use Valve's transfer route when available. Removing an authenticator first triggers the longer removal restriction. For a PC, read ODA's separate requirements and observed behavior; Valve's phone-transfer documentation is not an official desktop procedure.
The removal restriction and a new authenticator's qualifying period start from their respective actions. They do not automatically add together as 15 plus 7 days. If you re-enrol immediately, the first week can pass during the removal restriction; if you enrol later, that week starts later. Existing holds keep their own expiry.
The timer ended, but Steam still blocks me#
Read the current message again. Purchase-history requirements, payment checks, limited accounts, bans and game-specific cooldowns can apply independently. Use Valve's full restriction list to identify the next condition. Repeated authenticator removal will not clear it.