protonscr

Steam Download not Starting

steamopen Steam clientDistro Family: Ubuntu
ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux#10173 · opened 2023-10-30 by JoRoWa · updated 2025-10-22 · 6 comments · github
JJoRoWa 2023-10-30 github

Your system information

  • Steam client version (1698451048):
  • Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS
  • Opted into Steam client beta?: [Yes]
  • Have you checked for system updates?: [Yes]
  • Steam Logs: []
  • GPU: NVIDIA T400 4GB

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

Pending downloads in the library are not downloaded. Starting download is displayed, but the progress bar remains at 0%.

Here's what I try:

  • Clear my download cache (tested several times)
  • Change my download region (from Switzerland to Austria, Germany and back to Switzerland)
  • No virus scanner running on the Linux PC
  • The online connection works fine

On the same PC with Windows 10 the Steam client works and games can be downloaded and played. However, I do not want to use Windows anymore.

The Linux system is Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS. The Internet connection and all other programs run stably and without problems.

Steps for reproducing this issue:

  1. Start Steam
  2. Add something to Library
  3. Try to Download e.g. Proton, Steam Linux runtime, or a Game
  4. Download stalls at 0%, after a few minutes the message: "Connection Time Out" appears.
JJoRoWa 2023-11-02 github

Strange: With the download regions: Switzerland, Germany, Austria it does not work, but with China-Shenzhen the download works!

IIIPoliII 2024-09-13 github

That's really weird same for me works with China !

EDIT : I am in Swizterland

Nnbcaliperai 2025-05-31 github

Had the same problem changed the region, restarted and switched it back, It started downloading .

JJoRoWa 2025-06-02 github

With some Steam updates, the region setting is automatically reset (in my case to Switzerland). The connection then no longer works and I have to set any region in China again, then it works again.

IIIPoliII 2025-06-02 github

With some Steam updates, the region setting is automatically reset (in my case to Switzerland). The connection then no longer works and I have to set any region in China again, then it works again.

We love China

Cchris90483 2025-10-22 github

I found a fix that worked for me. I think my client was trying and failing to establish an ipv6 connection. You can tell your system to prefer resolving addresses to ipv4 with gai.conf ( https://www.man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/gai.conf.5.html )

sudo gedit /etc/gai.conf

Then look for this line near the bottom:

#    For sites which prefer IPv4 connections change the last line to
#
# precedence ::ffff:0:0/96  100

Remove the pound (#) at # precedence ::ffff:0:0/96 100 so it's no longer commented out. Then reboot.

I'm on Linux Mint 22.2 x86_64 with kernel version 6.14.0-33-generic. Should probably work on Ubuntu too since Mint is based on it / Debian.

Nothing extracted yet.