Originally Posted by https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=4020-ALZM-5519
What is Steam Guard and how does it impact me?
Steam Guard is an additional level of security that can be applied to your Steam account. The first level of security on your account is your login credentials: your Steam account name and password. With Steam Guard, a second level of security is applied to your account, making it harder for your Steam account to fall into the wrong hands.
When Steam Guard is enabled on your account, anyone attempting to login to your Steam account from an unrecognized computer must provide additional authorization. A special access code will be sent to your contact email address, and this code must be entered into Steam before your login is complete.
Once you've verified your email address with Steam, Steam Guard becomes available for your use. Once enabled, you will be required to access your email and provide the special access code from Steam Support when logging into Steam from any computer which we don't recognize.
What do I need to do to take advantage of this additional layer of account security?
Steam Guard is enabled by default on your Steam account. If you have disabled Steam Guard, and wish to reactivate it, please follow the instructions below.
Be sure your contact email address is verified with Steam.
You must verify your contact email address with Steam. You can check whether your email address is already verified by visiting Steam Account Settings. A verified address will be marked as "Verified." To verify your email address, follow these instructions.
Enable Steam Guard in Steam Settings.
While logged into the Steam client, you can enable Steam Guard by clicking on "Steam" in the top left hand corner of the client. Then go to "Settings" and click "Manage Steam Guard Account Security" under the Account tab.
That's it! With Steam Guard enabled, you will be asked to enter the special access code sent to your email address each time you login to Steam from an unrecognized computer.
Is there a limit to the number of machines that can be authorized at once?
No, there's no limit. Steam Guard is aimed to protect the value that is yours, not limit your access to your stuff. As always, you can access your Steam account and library from as many machines as you'd like.
How do I get a new access code?
Exit Steam, restart your computer, and log back into your account. This will generate a new verification email.
Ensure that you enter the most recent code sent to you - older codes will not work.
What do I do if I do not receive a Steam Guard email when I am prompted for the access code?
Please check to make sure that you are accessing the email address that is registered to your Steam account.
If you do not receive the e-mail at all, check and make sure it is not being filtered as spam.
Please try adding "support@steampowered.com" to your contacts or trusted senders list within your email client and request a new access code.
Even though Steam instantly sends an email, you may encounter a delay with some email providers depending on their server load and processing times. Please contact us if you have not received the verification email after 3 hours.
Why am I being asked to authenticate a new computer every time I log in on the same computer?
To resolve this issue please do the following:
On Windows
Restart Steam
If the issue persists, exit Steam, rename your ClientRegistry.blob, and restart Steam. The ClientRegistry.blob can be found in your Steam installation directory. C:\Program Files\Steam by default.
If the issue still persists, you may have issues with your local Steam files. You may refresh these files without deleting your game files. Please follow this process to refresh your Steam files:
Exit Steam
Navigate to your Steam installation directory. (C:\Program Files\Steam\ by default.)
Delete everything in that directory EXCEPT the following:
steam.exe
steamapps directory (All of Steam's game files are kept here.)
Restart Steam to test the issue
On Mac
Restart Steam
If the issue persists, exit Steam, rename your ClientRegistry.blob, and restart Steam. The ClientRegistry.blob can be found in your Steam installation directory. ~/User/[username]/Library/Application Support/Steam by default.
If the issue still persists, you may have issues with your local Steam files. You may refresh these files without deleting your game files. Please follow this process to refresh your Steam files:
Exit Steam
Navigate to your Steam installation directory: ~/User/[username]/Library/Application Support/Steam
Delete everything in that directory except your SteamApps and UserData
Restart Steam to test the issue
On Linux
Restart Steam
If the issue persists, exit Steam, rename your ClientRegistry.blob, and restart Steam. The ClientRegistry.blob can be found in your Steam installation directory. ~/.local/share/Steam by default.
If the issue still persists, you may have issues with your local Steam files. You may refresh these files without deleting your game files. Please follow this process to refresh your Steam files:
Exit Steam
Navigate to your Steam installation directory: ~/.local/share/Steam
Delete everything in that directory EXCEPT for the following:
steam.sh
steamapps directory (All of Steam's game files are kept here.)
Restart Steam to test the issue
Web browser on PC or Mac
This issue may be attributable to your browser security settings. If your ?Privacy? settings are set too high, then your browser will be unable to store (web) cookie information. Check your browser settings to ensure that cookies are allowed.
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