Fix: Steam App Configuration Unavailable
Steam is a game distribution platform that lets users buy, download, install, and play games. Recently, a lot of users are complaining about the Steam app configuration unavailable issue during the installation of the games. This error will come up during the installation of a game and it will usually appear for a particular game. This error will prevent users from installing the game. Keep in mind that this issue isn’t limited to the installation of complete games, some users are seeing the issue during the downloading/installation of a DLC for the game as well.
What causes the Steam app configuration unavailable error?
There are a couple of things that can cause this issue and they are listed below.
- Steam Bug: The most common cause of this issue is usually a bug in the Steam system. Since bugs can be introduced during an update and they can cause these type of weird issues, this is highly likely to be a bug. The usual solution for this is to just sit and wait for the developers to release a fix in the next update.
- Steam appinfo.vdf file: This can also be caused by the Steam’s appinfo.vdf file. This file contains information about your downloaded games like their full names etc. So a problem or corruption in this file can cause issues with the installation. So, deleting this file usually resolves the issue.
Method 1: Delete appinfo.vdf file
Since appinfo.vdf can cause this Steam app configuration unavailable error, deleting the file resolves the issue in most cases. This is because Steam will create this file on the next startup so any corruption or change that might have been causing the issue will not be present in the newly created appinfo.vdf file. So, simply navigate to the location of appinfo.vdf and delete it. Then relaunch the Steam and the issue should be resolved. Steps for performing this process are given below.
- Shutdown the Steam app
- Hold Windows and press E
- Type C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\appcache\ in the address bar and press Enter
- Locate the file named appinfo.vdf. Right click and select Delete. Confirm any additional prompts.
Now open Steam and try to download the game again.
Note: If this doesn’t work then try to run Steam with admin privileges (right click and select Run as administrator) after deleting the appinfo.vdf file. This might solve the issue.
Method 2: Wait for Steam Update
If method 1 didn’t solve the issue then there isn’t a lot that you can do to rectify the issue. If method 1 didn’t work then that means the issue is caused by a bug in the Steam. These bugs are usually fixed in the next updates so all you have to do is wait for the next Steam update. You don’t have to do anything though, Steam automatically checks for the latest updates. So, updates will automatically be installed once they are available or you will be notified about the new updates. Just don’t forget to open the Steam so it can check for the latest updates.
