Steam Guard and trade restrictions
Steam blocks or delays trades on some accounts. Here is what to check before you pay with skins.
Steam has its own rules about who can trade and when. If your account cannot trade, the checkout cannot send you an offer, or the offer cannot be accepted.
Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator
Without the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator, Steam holds trades for several days. With it, you confirm the trade in the Steam Mobile App and it goes through faster. Set it up in the Steam Mobile App under Steam Guard.
Common restrictions
- New device or new authenticator. Steam may block trading for a few days after you sign in on a new device or add a new authenticator.
- Password change or account recovery. Changing your password or recovering your account can block trading for a few days.
- Trade ban or community ban. Accounts with a Steam trade ban cannot trade at all.
- Limited account. Accounts that have not spent money on Steam cannot trade.
How to check
Open the Trade Offers page in your Steam inventory. If your account is restricted, Steam shows a message there with the date the restriction ends. Only Steam can lift a restriction. We cannot change it from our side.
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