How to Make Your Steam Profile Public
If a calculator here returns nothing, an empty library, or an error, the cause is almost always a private profile. Steam keeps game and wishlist details private by default for many accounts, and no external tool — ours included — can read data Steam hides. The fix takes under a minute, and you can switch it back the moment you’re done.
The exact steps
- Open your Steam profile (click your name, top-right → View my profile).
- Click Edit Profile, then open the Privacy Settings tab.
- Set My profile to Public.
- Set Game details to Public. This is the setting the value and size calculators depend on — it exposes your owned games and playtime.
- If you’re using the wishlist tool, make sure My profile is public; the wishlist follows the profile’s visibility.
- Untick Always keep my total playtime private if you want cost-per-hour figures to work. Steam saves changes automatically.
Changes usually take effect immediately, though Steam’s cache can take a few minutes to propagate to outside tools. If a lookup still fails right after the switch, wait two or three minutes and try again.
What each setting actually exposes
| Setting | Controls | Needed for |
|---|---|---|
| My profile | Whether the profile is visible at all | Every tool; the wishlist calculator |
| Game details | Your owned games and per-game playtime | Value & size calculators |
| Total playtime private | Hides aggregate hours even when games are public | Cost-per-hour metrics |
Setting it back afterwards
None of these tools store your data — calculations run live and are discarded — so leaving your profile public is harmless if you’re comfortable with it. But if you’d rather lock it down again, just return to Edit Profile → Privacy Settings and switch the same options back to Friends Only or Private. Your saved data is untouched either way.
Don’t know which ID to enter once your profile is public? See how to find your SteamID64.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to make my Steam profile public?
A public profile only exposes information Steam is designed to share — your games, playtime, and showcases. It never reveals your password, payment details, or email. Millions of profiles are public permanently. If you prefer, make it public just long enough to run a calculation and switch it back.
Why is my wishlist still private after going public?
The wishlist inherits your main profile visibility. If My profile is set to Public but the wishlist still won’t load, give Steam a few minutes to refresh, then retry — the change occasionally lags behind the setting.
Do I have to stay public for the tool to keep working?
Only while you run the lookup. The result you see is generated on the spot from live data; nothing is saved, so re-privating your profile afterwards doesn’t affect a result you already have on screen.