Steam error code 105: the client cannot reach the server

Error code 105, 'Unable to connect to the server,' appears inside the Steam client when store or community pages fail to load. It is a connection failure between the client and Steam's web servers, and the causes are the usual network suspects: DNS resolution problems, a proxy or VPN in the path, router trouble, or security software interfering. The games library usually still works, which is the clue that Steam itself is not down.

Fix it, in order

  1. Confirm Steam is up via its status page from a phone or another network. If the platform is healthy, the problem is local.
  2. Restart the router and PC, the oldest advice in networking because it keeps being right.
  3. Flush the DNS cache: run ipconfig /flushdns from a terminal, then restart Steam.
  4. Change DNS to a public resolver (for example your router's settings or the PC's adapter settings) to rule out a failing ISP resolver.
  5. Disable VPN and check the Windows proxy (Settings, Network, Proxy) is off unless you set it deliberately.
  6. Clear Steam's web browser cache: Steam, Settings, Web Browser, Delete web browser cache, then restart the client.

Why 105 is a DNS suspect first

In browser terms, error 105 classically means a name could not be resolved, the client asked where the server lives and got no usable answer. Steam's client inherited the numbering. That is why DNS steps come before exotic ones: a poisoned cache, a router whose DNS relay has wedged, or an ISP resolver having a bad day all produce exactly this code.

Common questions

My games launch fine, only the store fails. Same fix? Yes. The store is web content inside the client, so it depends on DNS and the web cache in ways the game library does not. The DNS flush, resolver change, and cache clear are aimed precisely at this split behavior.

Does error 105 mean my account has a problem? No. It is a transport error, the client could not reach a server. Account problems produce sign-in or authorization messages, not connection codes.

Related

Steam error code 118 · Steam connection error · ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED · Steam disk write error