How To Fix ‘Steam Missing File Privileges’ Error

With the introduction to steam, it has become easy for gamers to use any computer to play games they buy/download to their Steam accounts. Steam has also provided its users to get easy access to the updates, DLCs, expansions, remote gaming, and matchmaking servers.

Despite all these perks, there are a few problems that still occur such as —downloads getting stopped in between for no reason, or not having enough disk space, and lastly but most common — steam missing file privileges.

However, through this article, we will try to help you overcome such issues or give you solutions to work around it. We will also be providing you with possible reasons as to why these problems occur. So let’s begin!

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Steam Missing File Privileges: Top 15 Fixes

Users usually encounter this issue on Windows 10 while attempting to install or update their steam games. According to most people in this section, it occurs due to a rogue graphics card driver.

If the user has an onboard Intel graphics card and the software running for it, then there are more chances of encountering this problem. Another reason for steam’s file privilege error could be Intel’s igfxEm module.

Regardless of whether or not you have Intel onboard graphics, there is still a chance of this error popping up on your device. Similarly, server overloads or shutdowns in your region could also be considered as one of the causes for generating this error.

There could also be some glitch or mismatch in your game cache files and/or Steam library folder which is causing this blunder. However, in most cases, this is a minor error and we are certain that executing the following in-depth solutions will fix Steam’s missing file privileges error.

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Method 1 : Restart Your PC

In case you are running an old tired hard-drive instead of a new solid-state drive for gaming then you might anticipate restarting your computer, due to slow start-up times.

We would still suggest that you restart your PC to see if the error gets fixed. If the error continues to exist –Don’t Panic! We still have a bunch of other solutions, one of which will perhaps work out for you.

Method 2 : Change Your Download Region

The error of steam missing file privileges can also occur when you are connected to a bad or corrupted downloading server since it not only affects the speed and availability of your download but also how smoothly it works.

To fix this issue, we suggest you perform the solution listed below:

STEP 1 – Open Steam, go to the top left Steam menu item and then click on Settings. 

STEP 2 – Under settings, choose the option ‘Downloads’. 

STEP 3 – Click on the drop-down menu from the Download Region and select some other region that is closest to you.

STEP 4 – Press OK and then restart steam.

Restart steam and check if the error still exists. This method not only fixes steam file privilege error but also helps in cases when the steam download gets slow or stops working.

Method 3 : Stop And Fix The igfxEm Module

The igfxEm module is one of the processes that interfere with Steam, but stopping this service and restarting Steam can resolve this problem. Here is how to do it :

STEP 1 – Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc , type taskmgr”  and then press Enter. 

STEP 2 – For Windows 8/8.1/10, select the ‘Details taband for the older version of Windows, select the ‘Processes Tab’.

STEP 3 – In the Processes tab, look for ‘igfxEm.exe’ or ‘igfxem.exe

STEP 4 – Once you find igfxEm.exe’, click on End task/process.

The igfxEm.exe is the Graphics Executable Main Module for Intel’s Common User interface which ensures that your resolution settings are saved when your monitor is disconnected or off.

You can disable the igfxEm module completely so that you don’t face similar problems in the future. The steps include :

STEP 1 – Press Win+R. 

STEP 2 – Type msconfig in the area provided and click on OK. 

STEP 3 – Choose the Services tab and search for igfxEM module.

STEP 4 – Un-tick the box beside the igfxEM module, click on apply and then hit OK.

If you don’t find the igfxEM module or process on your device, that means you have the latest intel drivers as Intel figured out that a module in the Software was creating problems.

To make sure that Windows 10 is optimized for gaming, it is necessary that you use the latest drivers. And if you update the driver, you can eliminate the issues with igfxEm module and Steam file privileges by :

STEP 1 – Press Win+X on your keyboard or simply right-click on the start button.

STEP 2 – Choose Device Manager and expand the Display adapters item.

STEP 3 – Look for your Intel graphics device and right-click on it.

STEP 4 – Choose Update driver from the menu and select the first option (Search automatically for updated driver software).

STEP 5 – This may take up some time to look for the latest drivers. After it’s done, you will find an option to install the drivers or might find that the drivers have already been installed.

After you update the driver, the igfxEM module should be replaced by the ifgxPERS module depending on the version of Intel’s display/graphics adapter you’re running. The ifgxPERS module has the same function as the igfxEM.

Method 4 : Run Steam With Administrator Privileges

STEP 1 – Go to Task Manager and search for Steam Client Bootstrapper. Erase it by clicking on End task. 

STEP 2 – Open Steam shortcut by right-clicking on your desktop or taskbar and select Run as administrator.

In case, you don’t have a Steam shortcut on your taskbar or desktop, then go to Steam’s folder in Program Files (or Program Files (x86)), find the Steam executable, and run it as an administrator from there.

The above-mentioned method should fix the issue of Steam trying to access files or folders that require administrative rights. The permanent solution to this problem includes the following steps :

STEP 1 – Open Window File Explorer (or any other Windows compatible file manager/explorer), locate your Steam folder, and open it.

STEP 2 – Right-click on Steam.exe and choose Properties. 

STEP 3 – Click on the tab marked Compatibility.

STEP 4 – Look for ‘Run this program as an administrator’ somewhere at the bottom of the window and ensure that the Checkbox beside it is checked.

STEP 5 – Click on ‘Apply‘ and then ‘OK’.

Method 5 : Verify Integrity Of Steam Game Files

STEP 1 – Open Steam.

STEP 2 – Look for the game where you’re facing the Steam file privilege issue and right-click on it.

STEP 3 – From the pop-up menu, click on ‘Properties’

STEP 4 – In the Properties section, look for the tab marked as ‘LOCAL FILES’.

STEP 5 – Look for ‘VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES’ and click on it.

After doing that, Steam will start comparing the files on your system with what they have on their servers. It may take a few minutes depending on the size of the game you’re scanning. In case, Steam finds any issue with game files, it will fix it automatically.

Method 6 : Repair Steam Library Folder

STEP 1 – Open Steam.

STEP 2 – Click on the menu item at the top left of Steam.

STEP 3 – Go to ‘Settings’ and click on ‘Downloads.’

STEP 4 – Look for the ‘Content Libraries’ section and select ‘STEAM LIBRARY FOLDERS’ under it.

STEP 5 – Right-click on the center of the panel or on the Steam Library Folder and select Repair Library Folder from the context menu.

The completion may take some time and after it is done, restart Steam and try to update or install the game.

Method 7: Verify If SteamApp Folder Has the Right Permissions

STEP 1 – Ensure the Steam client is closed.

STEP 2 – Go to windows file explorer and locate the SteamApp folder. (C:\\Program Files(x86)\\Steam\\Steamapp or C:\\Program Files\\Steam\\Steamapp).

STEP 3 – After finding the Steamapp folder, right-click it, and select Properties from the menu ensuring that the General tab is selected.

STEP 4 – Look for two checkboxes and a button, under the Attributes section. The Read-only checkbox should be un-ticked.

STEP 5 – Click on OK and restart Steam to check if the issue has been resolved or not.

If this method doesn’t resolve the Steam file privilege error then try using the method mentioned below.

STEP 1 – Again ensuring that the Steam is closed, open Windows File Explorer, and go to your Steam folder.

STEP 2 – Select Properties by right-clicking on the menu and click on the Security tab.

STEP 3 – Click on EDIT and check each editable user ensuring they have all possible permissions checked under Allow. Also, check the Full control box under Allow is ticked(will make it quick) and none of the boxes under Deny are ticked.

STEP 4 – Click on OK.

Restart Steam and check if the problem still persists.

Method 8 : Grant Full  Permissions To The File

The above-mentioned method should have worked out for you. In case it didn’t, let us use another method to fix this.

STEP 1 – Go through the error message carefully, focusing on the directory of the problem file.

STEP 2 – Close Steam completely and go where the file is (e.g. C: > Program Files (86) > Steam > steamapps > downloading > 570 > game > dota > maps > dota_sfm.vpk)

STEP 3 – Right-click on it and choose the Security tab.

STEP 4 – Again click on Edit and ensure all editable users have the Full control box under Allow ticked, verifying none of the boxes under Deny are ticked.

STEP 5 – Click on OK

After the completion of this method, restart Steam and check if the error message still pops up. If it does show up but for a different file, then most likely your problem has been solved. Do the same for each file that is causing a similar issue.

Method 9 : Delete the Problem File(s)

If method 8 didn’t solve your problem, then delete the problem files and let Steam download them again. Method 6 and 7 should have resolved this but sometimes the files may be locked.

STEP 1 – Keep the Steam client closed.

STEP 2 – Read the error message and remember the directory of the file in question.

STEP 3 – Open Windows File Explorer to find the file and delete it.

In case the file is unlocked, try deleting it by booting Windows through Safe Mode. You can also use a free application like Lock Hunter.

To start your Windows 10 PC in safe mode:

STEP 1 – Open Windows Run Dialog(Win + R)

STEP 2 – Type ‘msconfig’ then click on OK.

STEP 3 – System Configuration window will appear, click on the Boot tab.

STEP 4 – Ensuring that your current operating system and the Minimal radio button is selected, tick the Safe boot checkbox under the boot section.

STEP 5 – Click on Apply and OK. Restart your PC.

NOTE – Uncheck safe mode after you are done deleting the file(s).

Method 10 : Clear Steam’s Download Cache

The thing that makes Steam load information and download games easily is its own downloading cache but a corrupted Steam download cache can create many problems. To fix this,

STEP 1 – Open Steam and click on the Steam menu item.

STEP 2 – Go to Settings and select ‘Downloads’.

STEP 3 – Click on ‘CLEAR DOWNLOAD CACHE’.

STEP 4 –  A message will pop up stating that this process will clear your entire local download cache. Once the process is completed, log in to Steam and click on OK to proceed.

Log back into Steam to check whether or not it has fixed the Steam’s missing file privileges.

Method 11: Uninstall And Reinstall The Game

You can also delete the problem files by uninstalling the game and then reinstalling it.

STEP 1 – Open Steam Client.

STEP 2– Search for the game that is having all the issues in your library.

STEP 3 – Right-click on it and select Uninstall from the pop-up menu.

STEP 4 – A configuration dialog will appear, click on delete.

STEP 5 – Go to the Steam store, look for your game and install it.

Method 12 : Manually Delete The Entire Game Folder

Delete your entire game folder and let Steam download it again.

NOTE: IF you have limited bandwidth or metered connection, then do not delete the entire folder at once. Instead, delete each file individually.

After you have re-downloaded the game, follow the steps mentioned in Method 9, with a little change. Steam saves downloaded and downloading games according to their AppID which can be found on Steam’s database.

You can also find your AppleID using the error message that appears to inform Steam’s missing file privileges.

After this, look for the game from the menu bar on the top.

Use Lock Hunter or Windows Safe Mode as mentioned in method 9 in case you face any problem in deleting the folders.

Method 13 : Create A New Steam Library Folder

To create a new Steam library folder, create it in a directory or folder which has fewer restrictions than Program Files or Program Files (x86).

STEP 1 – Open Steam.

STEP 2 – Click on the Steam menu item and select Settings.

STEP 3 – Click on ‘Downloads’ and select ‘STEAM LIBRARY FOLDERS’ ensuring that it is under the Content Libraries section.

STEP 4 – Once Steam Library Folder appears, click on the ‘ADD LIBRARY FOLDER’.

STEP 5 – You can either create a new folder for your new Steam library or choose an existing path.

STEP 6 – After creating the new Steam library, set it as default Steam library by right-clicking on it and following the commands from the menu.

To move your games to the new Steam library,

STEP 1 – Close Steam.

STEP 2 – Open Windows File Explorer and look for the location of the old Steam library that you would like to move (C:\Program Files\Steam or C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam).

STEP 3Copy these three files and folders: Steam.exe (file), SteamApps (folder), and Userdata (folder). Paste these items into your new Steam Library folder e.g. F:\\Steam.

STEP 4 – Rename or delete the old Steam folder under Program Files and if you face any trouble in doing so, ensure you have administrative rights before you try. Also, verify that you have closed the Steam client completely.

Method 14 : Temporarily Disable Your Antivirus

Sometimes the Anti-viruses tend to interfere and act aggressively with friendly applications such as causing update issues with Discord or prevent BlueStacks engine from starting up. At times, they also give false positives for Steam game files or locks them due to scanning.

Try disabling your antivirus temporarily which is as easy as clicking on one of the options from its system tray.

Go through your Anti-virus help documentation if you’re unaware of how to stop Antivirus temporarily.

NOTE: Steam or any other ports it uses should not be blocked by Fireball.

Method 15: Contact Steam Support

If none of the above-mentioned methods resolved your issue, check your graphics card drivers whether it is up to date or not. In case the problem continues to exist, Contact Steam Support or visit Steam’s official forum or Reddit’s steam community.

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Conclusion

Steam may have several issues but compared to Origin, it is still a lot better. Through the course of this guide, we tried to solve the Steam’s missing file privileges error and hopefully one of the methods did work out for you.

If you are still facing the problem then we suggest you should consider migrating to a really good Linux distro. Thank you for giving your valuable time to us. Happy gaming!