Steam_API.dll Is Missing Errors
Steam_API.dll is used by the “Steam” application to help connect your games with this application. Basically, this file is used to help connect your games with the Steam Program, by providing an “API” (Application Programming Interface) to connect the two. Although this file is used continually to help your computer to process the various important options that it needs to run, we’ve found that it’s either going to become damaged, or have some sort of problem that prevents it from running. In order to fix the problems with Steam_API.dll, you need to first fix the various problems that this file has, and then any of the issues with the software of your system.
These games normally show the Steam_API.dll error:
- Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2
- Just Cause 2
- Other games which use Steam
What Causes Steam_API.dll Errors?
These errors are caused by having these problems:
- This file will be damaged / corrupted
- Your computer will not be able to process the settings the file has
- Your PC has a number of problems with its registry settings
How To Fix Steam_API.dll Errors
Step 1 – Re-Install Steam
The initial step should be to re-install Steam. This is very easy to do – in that you first have to click onto “Control Panel”, access “Add / Remove Programs” and then pick the program that you want to remove and then remove it from your PC.
You can re-install Steam here:
- Click “Start“
- Click “Control Panel“
- Click “Add / Remove Programs“
- Click onto “Steam“
- Remove it
- Restart your PC
- Re-Download Steam & Install again
Step 2 – Manually Replace The Steam_API.dll File
Next, we recommend manually replacing the steam_api.dll file on your computer. This is commonly done by downloading a replacment version of steam_api.dll, and then letting your computer repair the various problems that it may have. Here’s how to do it:
- Download Steam_API.dll from the Internet
- Save the Steam_API.dll file onto your computer’s hard drive
- Browse to c:\Windows\System32
- Locate the current Steam_API.dll on your system
- Rename the current Steam_API.dll to Steam_APIBACKUP.dll
- Copy & paste the new Steam_API.dll into C:\Windows\System32
- Click Start > Run (Or search ”run” on Vista & Win7)
- Type “cmd” in the box that appears
- Type “regsvr32 Steam_API.dll” on the black screen
- Press Enter
Step 3 – Clean Out The Registry
The registry of Windows is a big cause of Steam_API.dll errors. The problem with this part of your PC is that it’s continually being used so much that Windows either becomes damaged, corrupted, or unable to process the important settings that it requires to run. In order to resolve this problem, you can use a “registry cleaner” tool to scan through your PC and fix the various problems that will be leading Steam_API.dll to show errors.
We recommend using a program called “RegAce System Suite” to do this. This program has been created by a large software company in the UK, and is able to fix a large number of issues that your system may have. You can use this tool by downloading it, installing it and then letting it clean out any of the problems that your system may have.