protonscr

right click context menu unexpectedly closes itself.

steamopen Steam client
ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux#9684 · opened 2023-06-20 by Turmfalke2 · updated 2026-07-15 · 40 comments · github
TTurmfalke2 2023-06-20 github

Hi,
In the right click context menus of the new steam, if you move your mouse cursor from a nested menu entry back to a normal one the menu flickers out of existence.

If I move the cursor from View Profile
screen04
to Trading
screen05
and back again the menu disappears.

This is unexpected and inconsistent with right click menus in other programs like my browser here.

Your system information

  • Steam client version (build number or date): 1686880776

  • Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Gentoo

  • Opted into Steam client beta?: No

  • Have you checked for system updates?: Yes

  • Steam Logs: [generate by running this command in a terminal tar -zcvf ~/Desktop/steam-logs.tar.gz ~/.steam/steam/logs]
    steam-logs.tar.gz

  • GPU: Nvidia

Kkisak-valve maintainer 2023-06-20 github

Hello @Turmfalke2, please copy your system information from Steam (Steam -> Help -> System Information) and put it in a gist, then include a link to the gist in this issue report. Also, please check if your desktop environment is configured to use a focus follows mouse setting.

TTurmfalke2 2023-06-20 github

Here: https://gist.github.com/Turmfalke2/09809db3b1e4c1afe861af6d7a416f49
It looks smaller than the one from the old client.

The steamwebhelper.log is getting spammed with errors like this:

X Error of failed request:  BadAlloc (insufficient resources for operation)
Major opcode of failed request:  151
Serial number of failed request:  4139
Webhelper: An X Error occurred
X Error of failed request:  BadDrawable (invalid Pixmap or Window parameter)
Major opcode of failed request:  155
Resource id in failed request:  0x2600658
Serial number of failed request:  4140
Webhelper: An X Error occurred
X Error of failed request:  GLXBadPixmap
Major opcode of failed request:  151
Serial number of failed request:  0
Webhelper: An X Error occurred
X Error of failed request:  GLXBadPixmap
Major opcode of failed request:  151
Serial number of failed request:  0
Webhelper: An X Error occurred

but they apparently aren't deadly? Doesn't look great.

TTurmfalke2 2023-06-20 github

focus_follows_mouse is false by default, but toggling it to true makes no difference. I don't think the context menu counts as an extra window for the x server.

Kkisak-valve maintainer 2023-06-20 github

Could be herbstluftwm specific behavior. It might be interesting to test how Steam behaves with a different window manager.

TTurmfalke2 2023-06-20 github

Same behaviour when using xfce4

Cchaoticsoap 2023-06-22 github

Same happening on my end, KDE Plasma, Arch linux

system info from steam

TTurmfalke2 2023-06-22 github

@kisak-valve I can also reproduce it on the steam deck when opening steam in desktop mode.

That should make it a bit easier to reproduce for you.

Eeslowney 2023-06-23 github

Same issue. I haven't opened Steam in a month or two, so I just upgraded, and the GUI looks a little different, and a right-click on my Friend's list flickers out, while in the upper left corner of my monitor a window blinks in and out of existence too quickly to see.

I'm using Xubuntu 22.04, so Ubuntu with XFCE.

Aapocalyptech 2023-06-26 github

I hadn't noticed this bug when searching, so I'd created a duplicate of my own. Some notes from my duplicate which haven't been mentioned here, from that bug:

I suspect it might have something to do with the glitchy UIs described in https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/9614 -- in the second of the videos I posted there, you can see glitchiness out on the lefthand side of the screen when the sub-menus are collapsed, which almost looks like Steam is creating a new window over there. Perhaps that new window is temporarily stealing focus, which makes the context menu lose focus, which triggers the context-close. Here's that video for reference here, too (you may need to watch in 60fps to actually see the glitching): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBA2PBmAq2Y

It's worth noting that this only appears to happen in Small Mode -- when in Large Mode I can get to those menus just fine (though the extremely unpleasant visual glitching is omnipresent no matter what the mode).

TTurmfalke2 2023-07-30 github

Appears to be fixed in the steam beta.

ZZorrototo 2023-08-01 github

This is the same exact behavior on the current BETA for me.

//EDIT: all previous info available in the link above my post

TTurmfalke2 2023-08-02 github

Yeah sorry, my bad. You are right. I did my retest with the steam beta using the library menu, the right click context there works.

It's still broken in the friends list.

?ghost 2023-08-03 github

I am seeing this occasionally and with the Context Menu Compatibility Mode Enabled it's STILL clicking things UNDER the menu's when they don't just vanish on their own.

Zzealws 2023-08-18 github

Same issue on Xorg/Cinnamon/Arch Linux.
Here's the system information from steam for my setup.

I upgraded to the steam client beta but the issue was still present in the beta so I went back to the stable client (Steam Version: 1690583737).

In the stable version of the client, enabling Steam > Settings > Interface > Enable context menu focus compatibility mode seemed to help with immediate context menus (e.g. Right click a game, and click "Properties" works now but didn't without that setting enabled) but not for nested menus (e.g. Right click a game, mouse over "Manage" click "Browse local files" does not work). This behavior seemed the same in the current beta version.

On the stable client, changing Window focus mode from Mouse to Click in cinnamon-settings-manager resolved the issue, although I think steam should play nicely with mouse-based focus as I primarily use that. I did not try this on the beta client to know if there's a change in behavior.

ZZorrototo 2023-10-05 github

The right click menu in, the friend list is absolutely not usable on my side exactly the same as reported before.

Ppirat89 2023-10-09 github

I see the same behaviour as @zealws described. Enabling of context menu focus compatibility partially resolved the problem.

  • Fedora 38,
  • X.org,
  • steam version: 1696019606
RRoot-Core 2023-12-28 github

@Zorrototo has posted a nice video in issue #9937 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTKE3SvoqJM


This is another annoying issue. If you click fast enough, you might manage to join a game.
It is a bit embarrassing if you tell your friends to use Linux and you can not even join their game. :/

context menu focus compatibility is not helping at all.

  • Manjaro 23.1.1
  • Linux 6.6.8-2-MANJARO
  • KDE 5.27.10
  • Wayland
Rred15 2024-01-27 github
Nnightsky30 2024-02-11 github

Same here:

  • Xubuntu 23.10
  • Xfce 4.18, Xfwm4
  • System Information: Gist

Steam Beta:
image

ZZorrototo 2024-02-11 github

I noticed a new thing now on Steam BETA, right click on someone in your friend list, and then hover the menu items back and forth, you'll see some kind of window popping in the top left corner of monitor when the context menu just doesn't crash completely : https://youtu.be/lyvVhosAJ7A

RRexSonic 2024-02-23 github

I noticed a new thing now on Steam BETA, right click on someone in your friend list, and then hover the menu items back and forth, you'll see some kind of window popping in the top left corner of monitor when the context menu just doesn't crash completely : https://youtu.be/lyvVhosAJ7A

I am having the same issue on arch with kde plasma 5

CConzar 2024-02-25 github

I am also having this issue. I tried upgrading to Beta and the issue still remains.

Jjettorio 2024-03-30 github

Same issue here. KDE Plasma 6.0.3-2, Arch, stable steam 1709846872
Was not happening couple updates back

Kkoolg63 2024-04-02 github

Hello,
Same issue, lubuntu 22.04.

RRoadTrain 2024-04-11 github

Same issue here (friends, context menu closing by itself, mini-windows popping in the left top corner). Unable to join games via context menu. Been having it for several weeks at least.
Linux Mint 20.3 MATE.
Steam Stable 1709846872.

Edit: this is seemingly 'fixed' for me by launching steam with STEAM_DISABLE_BROWSER_SHUTDOWN_WORKAROUND=1 steam (from here: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/10758#issuecomment-2037102437). Though now I'm getting steamwebhelper restarts with steam ui relaunching entirely, so not sure about the viability of this approach.
I assume that the root causes of these issues are possibly connected.

Rred15 2024-04-13 github

Edit: this is seemingly 'fixed' for me by launching steam with STEAM_DISABLE_BROWSER_SHUTDOWN_WORKAROUND=1 steam (from here: [#10758 (comment)](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/10758#issuecomment-2037102437)). Though now I'm getting steamwebhelper restarts with steam ui relaunching entirely, so not sure about the viability of this approach. I assume that the root causes of these issues are possibly connected.

For me this workaround means that when having the context menu open for a friend and hovering over a submenu it closes the entire steam UI and the terminal I launched it in spews out lines to show how the whole steamwebhelper.sh got restarted:

steamwebhelper.sh[53865]: === Sat Apr 13 10:33:08 AM CEST 2024 ===
steamwebhelper.sh[53865]: Starting steamwebhelper under bootstrap sniper steam runtime at /home/red15/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_64/steam-runtime-sniper
RRoadTrain 2024-04-14 github

@red15 Yep, I also get these UI restarts, though mainly when closing child windows (like Properties window of a game). Anyway, it's not a viable workaround, so I personally reverted back.

But the flickering was gone, so I figured this information might help eventually fixing the issue.

Ccorigne 2024-06-11 github

Any forward action on this? I'm also having this issue on i3 / arch.

Jjtrees 2024-06-11 github

I can't find the source for this right now (a GH user suggested it in another issue), but I was able to fix work around a similar issue on Hyprland with the following window rules:

stayfocused, title:^()$,class:^(steam)$
minsize 1 1, title:^()$,class:^(steam)$
ZZorrototo 2024-06-11 github

It's a graphical problem, there is some kind of video crash internally in Steam when it happens, unrelated to window rules or what you suggest. It is not a focus or similar issue.

Ddjhnsn 2024-07-11 github

Same problem for a long time.

KDE Plasma 6
X11
Nvidia
Manjaro
Linux 6.6.30

5576125176251825152 2024-07-26 github

Same issue here, I have had this issue since steam overhauled the friends list UI AFAIR.

DWM
X11
Nvidia
Arch Linux
6.10.0-zen1-2-zen

Aanthraxx 2024-09-11 github

For anyone who uses XMonad and still experiences this issue, please try the following:

  1. Make sure you are using xmonad-contrib at least version 0.18.1 (not any version before it)
  2. Make sure to use XMonad.Hooks.EwmhDesktops and use minimum ewmh:
import XMonad
import XMonad.Hooks.EwmhDesktops

main = xmonad $ … . ewmh . … $ def {…}

Optional: Make sure to use fixSteamFlicker from XMonad.Util.Hacks if you experience flickering:

import XMonad.Util.Hacks (fixSteamFlicker)

main = xmonad $ … . ewmhFullscreen . ewmh . … $ def {
        …
        handleEventHook = fixSteamFlicker <+> fullscreenEventHook,
}
FFossPrime 2024-10-06 github

I've been having the same issue for over a year. Game properties button doesn't work 20% of the time and Context menus in the Library tree appears and disappears within 100ms after right click, about 20% of the time.

Changing the focus settings on Gnome Tweaks doesn't fix it.

Steam Beta Branch: Steam Beta Update
Steam Version: 1728093750
Steam Client Build Date: Fri, Oct 4 8:50 PM UTC -08:00
Steam Web Build Date: Fri, Oct 4 6:51 PM UTC -08:00
Steam API Version: SteamClient021
NixOS with Gnome on Linux 6.10.0

Ggepbird 2024-10-06 github
ZZorrototo 2024-10-06 github

On my side since I switched from GTX 1060 to an RX 6800, I don't seem to have the problem anymore, I see for a split second a black menu in the nested menus, but it doesn't close anymore on itself immediately. I'm sure NVIDIA was a big part of the problem on my side but it seems recent Steam also help "fix" (or made it better at least) the issue.

How many people with AMD card still have the issue? and if so maybe provide more system info.

FFossPrime 2024-10-06 github

@FossPrime try [#9684 (comment)](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/9684#issuecomment-1683211268).

This fixed for me on NixOS using dwm.

That didn't help at all for me on Gnome. I checked the Gnome issue tracker and there doesn't appear to be any discussion about this conflict. I don't think it's GPU related as I'm running mesa drivers on a 12-gen Intel i7-12700H, as stable as you can get. Changing resolution from 4k to 720p didn't help. I also have a i5-1240P laptop with ChromeOS, and the context menu works 100% of the time there, even though it's basically the same processor and it's running Wayland Steam.

I can't use Steam on my Chromebook as it doesn't support CJK fonts for game reviews/titles or browse files for patches and mods.

JJoshua079 2024-12-19 github

This really needs to be fixed. I can't seem to figure out why every other distros I've used, don't have this issue. Yet on Lubuntu, Steam's context menus are just broken.
Settings > interface > "enable context menu focus compatibility mode" helps a little, but as others mentioned, it doesn't work for anything in the immediate context menu. Its enough for most features, but isn't a complete enough fix.

JJuniorWolfgamingDE 2025-11-16 github

I still experience this issue in the friend menu to this day. Is there no fix in sight?

RRaxyz0 2026-07-15 github

Also experiencing this in Steam Overlay whenever I try to invite friends. It's infuriating.

OS: CachyOS x86_64
Kernel: Linux 7.1.3-1-cachyos
DE: KDE Plasma 6.7.2
WM: KWin (Wayland)