Fix: ‘There was an error accepting this trade offer’ (26) in Steam

Are you unable to accept the trade offer and facing error code 26? Fear not! we have many solutions that you can follow to get this issue resolved in no time. Follow our quick and easy solutions listed down below to get your issue resolved. In this article, we will explain why this error occurs and what can be done to resolve it.

What is Trade Error 26 in Steam and What causes it?

Trade error 26 mainly occurs due to “Disabled steam guard” or “Inventory being full.” You may encounter this error both while sending or accepting a trade offer.

Sometimes the full inventory message is just an error from the server side. You can resolve it by waiting a bit and then trying again. If that doesn’t work, you may apply these proven methods to fix your issue.

How to Fix ‘There was an error accepting this trade offer’ error?

We have many solutions listed down below to get your issue resolved, follow each solution one-by-one to see which one works best for you.

Solution 1: Check Steam’s servers status

Trade Error 26 is often a server-related issue that occurs when the servers are down, which can be checked from (here). If the servers are down then there is nothing you can do to fix this issue as server issues are fixed by Steam. However, if servers are up and running but you are still facing this issue, you can follow the other methods listed below to get this issue fixed.

Solution 2: Restart Steam from Task Manager

You might be unable to accept the trade if outdated temporary and cache files are stored in your Windows. Therefore, you should restart the Steam client to remove such files causing the issue. Follow the steps below to do it.

1. Open Task Manager by pressing your keyboard’s Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys.
2. If you spot Steam there, click on it once and press the End Task button.

   

3. Press the Windows key and type “Steam.”
4. Tap Enter key.

Solution 3: Ensure Space in the Inventory (For Reciever)

The following error also occurs if the receiver doesn’t have enough space in their inventory for a particular game. Steam’s inventory space is infinite. However, some games impose restrictions on the users by limiting the number of items they can keep in the inventory.

If your inventory has reached the limit, you can resolve it by removing some items. Unfortunately, Steam doesn’t allow you to remove or delete items from your inventory directly. Here are some methods to get rid of unwanted items.

1. Sell the items on the Steam marketplace.
2. Send it to friends for free.
3. Create a dummy account to dump all of your inventory trash.

Solution 4: Restart the Trade

Trade error 26 might also occur if your friend or other party is already in trade of the same items with another party. You can resolve this conflict of items by simply restarting the trade. Follow these steps to solve the problem.

1. Hover over your name on the menu bar of the Steam application.
2. Navigate to Inventory > Trade Offers > New Trade Offer.
3. Choose the friend you want to trade with.
4. Select different items than before and click Make Offer.

   

Solution 5: Use Steam Web to Trade Items

1. Open your web browser.
2. Go to the address, store.steampowered.com.
3. Login by entering your credentials.
4. Make a trade offer to your friend by following the previously-discussed procedure.

Solution 6: Reset Steam configurations

If your account is not authenticated correctly, you may encounter this error. This happens because, over time, the credentials become corrupted or outdated. You can still access games, but the Steam client will disable your trading. You can easily tackle this situation using the “steam://flushconfig” command.

The flushconfig command resolves many issues, including the error at hand, by refreshing the core files of Steam and returning them to their original state. Follow these steps to do it.

1. Turn off Steam completely by using the Task Manager method discussed above.
2. Press your keyboard’s Windows + R keys simultaneously.
3. Type the “steam://flushconfig” command in the Run dialogue box and press Enter.

   

4. Wait for a bit, and then restart your PC.
5. Navigate to Steam’s installation folder by right-clicking on the Steam icon on your desktop and clicking Open File Location.
6. Double-click on Steam.exe in the installation folder.

Note: After restarting your PC, you must run Steam from its original folder.

Solution 7: Enable Steam Guard authentication system

The steam guard is a mobile authentication platform that secures a Steam account via 2-step verification. Enabling the Steam Guard is a prerequisite for a Steam trade. Here’s how you can enable the Steam Guard.

1. Click on the Steam button on the top-left corner of the Steam desktop application.
2. Navigate to Settings.
3. Click on Manage Steam Guard Account Security… in the Account section.

   

4. Select the Get Steam Guard codes by email option and proceed.
5. Re-login to your Steam account by entering the credentials on the Steam client.
6. Enter the Steam code sent to your email address.

Solution 8: Contact Steam support

If any of the above-provided solutions don’t work, contacting Steam Support is the last thing to try. Steam Support will help if the problem is specifically in your account or profile. Here’s how you can reach out to Steam Support.

1. Open the Steam application.
2. Click on the Help button in the application’s navbar.
3. Select Steam Support in the drop-down menu.
4. Navigate to Trading, Gifting, Market, and Steam Points > Trading > I am unable to trade > Contact Steam Support.
5. Type the problem details in the box on the next screen. Mention everything in detail, such as when the error occurs, trading certain inventory items, etc.
6. Click Send.