How To Hide Games On Steam: A Complete Guide for 2026

If you want to know how to hide games on Steam, you can easily do this by right-clicking a title in your library, selecting manage, and clicking the hide option. Knowing how to hide games on Steam helps you clean up your digital collection and protect your privacy. This guide covers everything you need to know about hiding titles on the desktop client, mobile app, Steam Deck, and family sharing setups. We will use plain steps to walk you through the User Interface (UI) on your computer and the SteamOS system on your handheld device.

Steam Gift Card

What Does Hiding Games on Steam Do?

Hiding a game on Steam means removing the game title from your main library list so you do not see it every time you log in. It is a quick way to organize your local library on your computer without deleting or uninstalling the game itself. You might do this to clean up a cluttered list, tuck away guilty-pleasure games, or just keep your collection looking neat. It is important to know the difference between organizing your local view and actually hiding games for privacy. Hiding a game locally on your computer does not automatically hide your playtime from friends.

How to Hide Games on Steam Library (PC & Mac)

In order to hide games on your Steam library, you need to open your desktop client and use the management options.

Step-by-Step Desktop Instructions

Follow these steps to hide your games using the 2026 desktop UI:

Open the client on your PC or Mac and click on the Library tab at the top of the screen.
Scroll through your game list on the left side to find the game you want to hide.
Right-click on the game title.
Hover your mouse over the Manage option in the drop-down menu.
Click on Hide this game.

This removes the game from your immediate library view, but it does not delete your save files or remove the game from your account.

How to Hide Games on Steam Mobile App

In order to hide games on your mobile device, you need to use the library settings inside the iOS or Android application.

Using the 2026 Steam App

Use the current mobile application interface to hide a game by following this exact tap path:

Open the mobile app and tap the Library icon at the bottom.
Scroll through your list or search for the specific game.
Tap on the game to open its details page.
Tap the Manage icon, which looks like a gear or settings menu.
Select the Hide option from the list.

How to Hide Games on Steam Deck

In order to hide games on your Steam Deck, you need to use the built-in SteamOS features, which operate similarly to Big Picture Mode.

Hiding Games on SteamOS

You can easily clean up your handheld device display by doing the following:

Turn on your Steam Deck and navigate to your Library.
Highlight the game you want to hide using the directional pad or thumbstick.
Press the Options (Menu) button on your device.
Select Manage from the pop-up menu that appears on screen.
Choose Hide this game.

How to Hide Games on Steam From Friends and Profile

In order to hide games on Steam from your friends, you need to use the privacy settings, because simply hiding a game locally does not stop friends from seeing you play it.

Setting Games to Private

The "Mark as Private" feature allows you to hide specific games from your profile and activity feed entirely.

Find the game in your library and right-click it.
Select Manage, then choose Mark as Private.
You can also mark a game as private directly in your shopping cart before you finish buying it.

How to Hide When Playing Games on Steam

If you want to hide active gameplay sessions from friends, you can simply change your online status. Open your Friends List, click the drop-down arrow next to your profile name, and select Invisible or Offline. Going invisible lets you chat with friends while appearing offline to everyone else. Going offline disconnects you from the chat network completely.

How to Hide Games on Steam Family Share

In order to hide games within Steam Families in 2026, you need to manage your privacy settings so you do not share certain titles with your household.

Excluding Games from Family Sharing

When you mark a game as "Private" using the steps above, it automatically hides that game from all Steam Family share members. The game will not show up in their shared library pool. If a parent tries to restrict games for child accounts, they should use the parental controls built into Steam Families rather than just hiding the game. Parental controls block access completely, while hiding only removes the game from the visual list.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

These are common questions you might have about Steam library management and privacy.

How to hide games on Steam wishlist?

You cannot hide a wishlist from the public if your main profile is public. However, you can set your entire profile or your "Game Details" privacy setting to Private. This hides your wishlist from everyone.

Where to find hidden games on Steam?

To find the Hidden Games tab in the 2026 UI, click on the View button at the very top menu of the desktop client, then select Hidden Games from the drop-down list.

How do you unhide games on Steam?

Navigate to your Hidden Games list, right-click the title of the game you want to bring back, select Manage, and then click Remove from Hidden.