Forgot Your Steam Family View PIN? How to Reset It
October 30, 2026 · Updated November 2, 2026
If you've forgotten your Steam Family View PIN, request a recovery email at store.steampowered.com/parental/requestrecovery. Steam sends a link that turns Family View off. This only works if a recovery email was set up with the PIN. If it wasn't, you'll need to contact Steam Support.
Key facts
- Recovery link page: store.steampowered.com/parental/requestrecovery.
- The link goes to the recovery email set during Family View setup, which Valve says "can be different than the email address associated with the account".
- Set or change a recovery email at store.steampowered.com/parental/setrecovery.
- No PIN and no recovery email: contact Steam Support.
- Family View is retired: Valve has replaced it with parental controls inside Steam Families.
- Family View gates the Steam Store, Library, Community, Friends content and other features behind the PIN.
Route 1: The recovery email
When Family View is set up, Steam asks for a recovery email address. Valve notes it can be different from the account's own email, so a parent can use their address. If that was done:
- Sign in to the locked account on the Steam website.
- Visit store.steampowered.com/parental/requestrecovery.
- Steam emails a link to the recovery address.
- Open the link to disable Family View on the account.
Check the spam folder if it doesn't arrive. Once Family View is off, all restrictions are removed, so set it up again, or move to Steam Families, before handing the account back to a child.
Route 2: No recovery email
If no recovery email was ever set and the PIN is lost, Valve's FAQ says to contact Steam Support. Be ready to prove the account is yours. Steam Support establishes ownership from payment details previously used on the account or retail codes activated on it, so have the card or PayPal details from an early purchase and the original email address to hand.
Want to stay ahead of it next time?
If you still know the PIN, add a recovery address now at store.steampowered.com/parental/setrecovery.
Turning Family View off when you know the PIN
- Click the Family View icon and enter your PIN to exit Family View.
- Open Steam > Settings > Family.
- In the Family View section, click Manage, then Disable Family View, and confirm.
Valve says this removes all restrictions from the account, and that your selected options are kept if you turn it on again later.
How Family View was set up (and why the recovery email matters)
Knowing the setup helps you work out which address the recovery link goes to. Valve's FAQ gives two routes. In the Steam client: log in to the child's account, open Steam > Settings > Family, click Manage under Family View and step through the wizard. On the website: click the account name, open Account Details, scroll to Family Settings and click Manage Family View. Either way the wizard asks you to choose which content and features stay accessible, set a recovery email address, then pick and confirm a PIN. Steam then sends a confirmation code to the account's own email to finish setup.
So two addresses are involved: the account's email, which received the setup confirmation, and the recovery email, which receives the reset link. If the reset link isn't arriving, the parent's address is the one to search.
Recovery email not arriving?
- Check which address was used. It's the recovery email entered during Family View setup, not necessarily the account's own email. Parents often used their own.
- Look in spam and filtered folders, and search for mail from steampowered.com.
- Request again after a while rather than many times at once, then use the newest email.
- Still nothing? That's the point to contact Steam Support with proof of ownership.
Changing what Family View allows
You don't need to disable Family View to adjust it. Exit Family View with the PIN, go to Steam > Settings > Family, click Manage in the Family View section and step through the wizard again. Valve says you can keep the same PIN or set a new one at the end. If you chose to allow only some games, the library shows a Family Games group; to add or remove games, right-click a game in the library and use Manage > Add to / Remove from Family Games while outside Family View, or run the wizard again.
Family View vs Steam Families
Valve's Family View FAQ now opens with a note that Family View has been replaced by Steam Families' parental controls. Instead of a PIN on the child's account, an adult in the family manages restrictions from their own account: game access, store, community and chat restrictions, playtime limits and playtime reports. That means no shared PIN to forget, and if a child is locked out, an adult can recover the child's account from Family Management once the child has been in the family for 30 days. Steam parental controls and playtime limits shows how to set them up, and Steam Families explained covers the game-sharing side.
Frequently asked questions
How do I reset my Steam Family View PIN?
Request a recovery email at store.steampowered.com/parental/requestrecovery. The link in it disables Family View.
What if I never set a recovery email?
Contact Steam Support. Valve's FAQ gives that as the route when there's no PIN and no recovery address.
Can I disable Family View without the PIN?
Only through the recovery email or Steam Support.
Which email gets the Family View recovery link?
The recovery address entered during setup, which can differ from the account's own email. The setup confirmation code went to the account's email, so check both.
Is Family View still supported?
Valve says Family View has been replaced by Steam Families' parental controls. Parents now set controls from their own adult account.
Can my child earn their own Steam credit?
XPReward is for adults. Reward sites for teens explains the age rules, and gift cards for kids' gaming accounts covers safe ways to give them Steam money.
Sources
Family View recovery steps checked on 3 November 2026 against: