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Platform: Steam

Wesley Pyburn (TechNobo) edited this page Feb 1, 2022 · 6 revisions

TcNo Account Switcher - Steam

The TcNo Account Switcher was originally built to be a Steam account switcher and has grown since. Looking for the legacy Steam only version? See this Wiki page: Platform: Steam Legacy.

On this page:

How does the program work?

Collecting info (Locally only):

  • Account names are collected from {SteamInstallLocation}\Steam\config\loginusers.vdf
  • VAC info and profile pictures are collected from https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/{steamID}?xml=1 Switching accounts:
  • loginusers.vdf Sets "RememberPassword" to "1" (true), "mostrecent" to "1" (true) of selected account. "mostrecent" to "0" for the rest. Other items are changed here for setting a "State", such as Invisible or Offline.
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Valve\Steam\AutoLoginUser set to selected account's username. RememberPassword is set to True.
  • Any process with "Steam" is killed (Closed). {SteamInstallLocation}\Steam\Steam.exe is started. Steam does not "need" to be open or closed while switching accounts. Everything is automated.

VAC Status is shown with a red border around the profile's image. A red border is shown for limited, game banned or VAC banned accounts.

Why does it ask me for a password?

When you log in to Steam with an account, it asks for a password. Click "Remember password", and then log in. When you switch away, and back to that account using the TcNo Account Switcher, it shouldn't ask you for a password.

As long as you check "Remember Password", and Steam remembers your password when you restart your PC, it will work. TcNo Account Switcher does not directly interact with passwords, nor does it ask you for them.

Managing accounts

Adding accounts to the Steam Switcher list:

  1. Click the Add New button - Do not "sign out" via Steam, this will forget that accounts password.
  2. Steam will restart, and ask you to input the user/pass. Enter the new details and make sure "Remember password" is checked. After login completes, it should appear in TcNo Account Switcher's list on the next launch. You should be able to switch to and from this account.

Removing accounts from the list:

To remove an account from the list: Right-click on an account and hit "Forget". This will remove it from loginusers.vdf, the removed account will also not "remember the password" in the Steam launcher.

If you removed an account you didn't want to remove, you can 'restore' it and clear 'backups' from the settings window.

Steam Cleaning

This section covers the "Advanced Cleaning" section, via the settings window. This section of the program is for advanced users who want to delete their history for accounts they've logged into.

Only use these buttons if you understand what they do. There is no undo button. Keep a backup of these files if you're unsure.

What does each button do?

Each button deletes the file(s) or registry keys written on it. The buttons and what they delete/clear are listed below. Note: {Steam} is the Steam directory automatically detected, or manually defined by the user.

General

  • ..\Steam\Logs: Recursively deletes files and subfolders in {Steam}\logs\
  • ..\Steam\Dumps: Recursively deletes files and subfolders in {Steam}\dumps\
  • %Local%\Steam\htmlcache: Recursively deletes files and subfolders in %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Steam\htmlcache
  • ..\Steam\GameOverlay*.log: Deletes *.log and *.last files in{Steam}\
  • ..\Steam\appcache: Deletes files {Steam}\appcache\
  • ..\Steam\appcache\httpcache: Deletes files in {Steam}\appcache\httpcache\
  • ..\Steam\depotcache: Deletes files in {Steam}\depotcache\

Clear my login history

  • ..\Steam\config\loginusers.vdf: Deletes {Steam}\config\loginusers.vdf
  • ..\Steam\config\config.vdf: Deletes {Steam}\config\config.vdf
  • ..\Steam\ssfn*: Deletes any and all files that start with "ssfn" in Steam. IE: {Steam}\ssfn1234567890
  • HKCU..\AutoLoginUser: Deletes the following registry value from Steam's registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Valve\Steam\AutoLoginUser
  • HKCU..\LastGameNameUsed: Deletes the following registry value from Steam's registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Valve\Steam\LastGameNameUsed
  • HKCU..\PseudoUUID: Deletes the following registry value from Steam's registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Valve\Steam\PseudoUUID
  • HKCU..\RememberPassword: Deletes the following registry value from Steam's registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Valve\Steam\RememberPassword

These files and registry keys will be generated by Steam when it's started. Make sure Steam is closed before clicking any of these buttons!