This is a fairly common topic on many forums and Steam gaming communities. Let's see what it is and how to use the keys you receive.
What is this?
Before thinking about how to enter keys in Steam, let's see what it is all about. So, you have decided to buy yourself this or that game. How can developers and creators protect their product from illegal copying? Of course, many people come up with different systems protection, while Steam offered interesting thing- key.
This is not something that can simply be generated by a cracking program. In order to answer how to activate a key in Steam, you must first obtain it. And the way to get it is simple - buying the game. After that, it will be sent to you by email. There is one for each game. With all this, these keys are created individually, which guarantees reliable protection against copying and attempts to “transfer” the game from one account to another. Now let's see how to enter keys in Steam.
If the game asks for keys...
So, users may encounter such a problem that when starting the game they may be asked for an activation key. Very often this problem appears on Need For Speed. Players quite often ask what to do when they have already activated all the keys, but the system still does not let them into the game. How to enter keys in Steam in this situation?
Here, of course, the situation is somewhat different from what we will consider further. The thing is that many games require an additional key. It is obtained through registration in a particular project. Thus, you will need to “dig” through your letters that you received and find the one that the game support sent you. It must contain the active email and the required combination of numbers and letters. Just enter everything you need into the required fields, and the problems will go away on their own. If this does not happen, contact support - all games are purchased on Steam, which leaves you the right to use the so-called support, which should help you solve the problem. But there is another situation that is more suitable for our topic today.
First start
So, how to enter keys in Steam when the game requires them? You need to register an account and then buy any desired toy. With all this, you must have an active email and access to it. After you make a purchase, you will receive an email containing a key.
But where to enter the key in Steam? Sometimes playing on your own the first time you start it requires an introduction from you. You will just need to copy it from the received letter and paste it into the required fields during the first launch. So this process will not take you much time.
Eat little advice: You shouldn’t buy many games at the same time and launch them right away. This is necessary so that you do not get confused with the keys. It is best to do everything consistently and gradually. True, you can open many windows in your browser, each of which will open a specific letter with a key. But this is not the best idea. There is another method of “activating” the key. Let's see which one it is.
Key activation
So, if you need to activate the “number” sent to you, but you don’t know where to enter the keys in Steam, then the following words will definitely help you.
In order to successfully activate a key issued by the Steam system, you, of course, need to have an account and access to it. If you cannot log in to the account from which the key was sent to you, you can completely forget about activation.
However, if everything is fine with access, then you will need to install the Steam agent and then log in to it. Next, go to the "My Games" section. Here you have to read the user agreement and then confirm your consent. Next, you will need to enter the received key for the game in the window that appears, which you received immediately after paying for the purchase. Click "Ok" and wait a bit. The toy will appear in your games list. Now you can safely use it with the activated key. Remember that when you change your account, you will not be able to “transfer” your old version games - you will have to buy a new one. So take care of reliable protection existing account from ill-wishers and burglars.
The popular gaming platform has its own store through which you can buy and install gaming content on your computer. But the same thing can be purchased outside the service:
- Buy the boxed edition on disc.
- Purchase from third party marketplaces.
- Download from torrents and other file hosting sites.
- Get it for free, for example, when you purchase a video card.
When purchasing online, you do not download any installation files to your disk. As in the case of a gift for a video card, you are given a special key that allows you to activate the game on Steam.
Methods and procedure
Once you have the code, you should do the following:
In addition to the application, the platform has a web interface that allows you to work on Steam through a browser, as well as an official mobile client. However, activation of the game on Steam through an Internet browser is not provided.
Regarding the ability to activate a game purchased outside the Steam platform through mobile phone, then the situation is like this:
- If you have an Apple smartphone with the iOS operating system, then this option to activate the game on Steam is not available to you. But don’t be discouraged, in pursuit of buyers, developers are constantly improving, so this method will probably become available soon.
- For Android phone The option to enter the key is already available. There is a special Ice Client application for this.
Ice Client is not affiliated with the developers, but has extensive features in the gaming space:
- Steam Guard support;
- Ability to save data from multiple accounts;
- Marketplace and store;
- View invitations;
- Change of status;
- Activation by code.
The last function is the most useful. To use it to activate any game on the Steam service, you need to follow a few simple steps:
These are the ways to activate any game in the Steam service if you purchased it outside the built-in store. If you know ways to do this through a browser or iOS mobile phone, write your tips in the comments.
It’s already autumn, and very soon it will be October, in which the next one will take place. But after purchasing a game code on the portal, many people wonder where and how to enter the key in Steam.
On Steam you can get promotional codes, as well as purchase an activation code for your favorite game. To activate the key in Steam, you need to follow a few simple steps. The only thing is that you must have the official software of this store installed. Although Lately Steam allows activation directly through the browser.
How to activate a key in Steam on PC
- The first step is to download and then install on your computer software online store. You must download the software exclusively from the official website.
Attention! Do not use file hosting services, torrents or other file sharing services. An installer loaded in this way may contain viruses. Download the program only from the official website of the online store.
- After you have downloaded the program, you should install it on your computer. And then log in using your Steam account.
- Next we find the “Games” menu, in which we are interested in the “Activate via Steam...” item.
- The next step is to accept the subscriber's message. If anyone is interested, read what they write about. If you’re not interested, scroll down and then click “I Agree.”
- The “Product Activation” form will open, in which you need to enter the key in Steam to activate the purchased game.
- After this, the system will think a little and report that the operation was successful.
Is it possible to activate a Steam key through a browser?
Many people do not want to install additional software on their PC. Then a reasonable question arises: is it possible to activate a Steam key through a browser? Not long ago, the Steam online store introduced the option to activate a key through a browser.
To do this you need:
- be a registered user of the online store;
- follow this link;
- enter the key, accept Terms of use and click the “Continue” button.
After this, the system will notify you that the product has been successfully activated.
How to activate a Steam key on your phone
Another popular question from users is activation on the phone, via Android or iOS. Here the situation is similar to activation via a browser. On this moment time, you can use the browser of your phone or tablet for this purpose. There is no application for activation via phone.
Conclusion
Thus, at this point in time, the only way to enter the key in Steam is to use the official software of the online store. This software must be downloaded and installed on a personal computer. Recently, you can use a browser to activate.
When a friend gives you a game or you buy it through third-party sites, the easiest way is to send the game key to each other by email. Most online stores work this way. computer games. You receive an activation key by email, all you have to do is enter it in Steam. Read on to find out how exactly to do this.
If you don't have Steam on your computer, be sure to install it, otherwise you won't be able to get the game. Follow the link to the official website and click the “Download Steam” button. Once the installer downloads to your computer, open it. Install the platform application following the installer prompts. Log in to your account or create a new one using your email address. You will find yourself on the Steam main page.
In the drop-down list, find the line “Activate on Steam”. 
Done, your game is activated and added to the library. Now you can download it and enjoy the game.
In addition to the standard procedure for purchasing games on Steam, there is the ability to enter keys for these products. The key is a specific set of symbols, which is a kind of confirmation of the purchase of the game and is tied to only one game copy. Keys are usually sold on various online stores that sell games in digital format. It can also be found in the disc box if you purchased a physical copy of the game on CD. Read on to learn how to activate a game code on Steam and what to do if the key you entered is already activated.
There are several reasons why people choose to buy Steam game keys from third-party digital product marketplaces rather than from the store itself. Typically it is more profitable price for the game or buying a real disc with the key inside. When purchasing a game for the first time, many do not know what to do with the key. In fact, this is a fairly easy procedure, provided that the key really works and there are no problems with it.
If you don’t yet have a key and don’t know where to purchase one on the Internet, we recommend reading a separate article on this topic at the following link.
We would like to immediately draw your attention: sometimes you may encounter a notification about how the key will be activated. The screenshot below shows that the service says that a hidden activation of the key will occur (a Gift link will be used) within 5 minutes. Here you will not need everything that is written below - you will only need to log into your account after the purchase.
Method 1: Steam Client
Most often, users want to perform activation through a client running on the computer, so we’ll consider it first.
However, there are situations when the digital key refuses to activate, reporting an error. In such a situation, proceed to reading the last part of this material.
Method 2: Browser
When you do not have the opportunity to activate the purchased key through the client, but you need to check its relevance right now, the browser version of the service will come to the rescue. Since this function was introduced relatively recently, the developers did not make a separate section for it, so you will have to follow the direct link. Keep in mind that in order for it to open, you need to log in to the site in advance.
Enter or paste the copied key, check the box indicating that you accept the Steam Subscriber License Agreement and click "Continue". At the end you will receive a notification about the activation status.
It is not yet possible to activate the key through the mobile application, but nothing prevents you from following the link above through the browser of your smartphone or tablet, after logging in to the site, and doing the same steps.
What to do if the purchased Steam key is already activated
The situation that arises often does not mean anything good. Let's look at the steps to take in this situation.
As you can see, the key activation process itself is quite simple and in most cases does not cause any difficulties. However, even if activation fails, there is a high chance that the site or offline store where the purchase was made will resolve the situation in your favor. At the same time, you should not delay the application and abuse this opportunity, trying to deceive sellers.
