On a desktop Linux installation of Steam, open Steam > Settings > Interface. Under Client Beta Participation, choose Steam Beta Update and click Restart Now. To return to the released client, choose NONE – Opt out of all beta programs, let Steam restart, and fully exit and relaunch Steam if it still reports the beta.
What the Steam Client Beta changes
The Steam Client Beta is Valve’s test channel for the Steam desktop application. An opted-in installation receives a client build that can include features and bug fixes not yet in the released client. The choice applies to the Steam client as a whole, not to a single game.
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This setting is independent of three other kinds of beta or preview channels:
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- A game’s own beta branch, selected in that game’s Properties > Betas page.
- SteamOS update channels on supported Steam hardware.
- The separate system-update channel documented for Steam Frame.
Changing the client channel can cause Steam to replace or download client files. Valve’s FAQ confirms the restart and channel-switch behavior but does not publish a standard download-size estimate.
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Enable Steam Client Beta on a Linux desktop
- Launch the desktop Steam client.
- Open the Steam menu in the upper-left corner of the client window.
- Select Settings.
- In the Settings sidebar, open Interface.
- Find Client Beta Participation.
- Open its selection menu and choose Steam Beta Update.
- When Steam displays the restart prompt, choose Restart Now.
Steam closes and starts again on the selected channel. After it reopens, return to Settings > Interface and check that Steam Beta Update is still selected. Valve’s client-beta FAQ notes that an update can occasionally return the selection to None; if that happens, repeat the selection and restart.
Leave the Steam Client Beta
- Open Steam > Settings > Interface.
- Under Client Beta Participation, select NONE – Opt out of all beta programs.
- Allow Steam to restart when prompted.
The NONE option returns the desktop client to the released channel. If Steam continues to show the beta, asks for another restart, or appears not to complete the change, exit Steam completely rather than merely closing the window. Then launch Steam again. Valve’s FAQ gives this full-exit-and-restart procedure for a change that remains stuck.
A switch back to the public channel may require Steam to obtain the current public client files. The available Valve instructions do not state how large that download will be, so the required time and data use depend on the client build already installed and the files that must be replaced.
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Check which channel is active
Use the Interface setting
The most direct check is the same control used to change channels. Open Steam > Settings > Interface and read the value beside Client Beta Participation. Steam Beta Update means the client is opted in; NONE – Opt out of all beta programs means it is opted out.
Confirm after a restart
Do the check after Steam has restarted, not only immediately after choosing an option. The restart is when Steam applies the channel selection and obtains any required client files. If the value has reverted to None, enable the beta again and restart once more. If it shows the beta after opting out, use the complete exit and relaunch procedure in the previous section.
Client beta versus a game beta or hardware update channel
These controls can look similar because each offers a choice of versions, but they operate at different scopes. Use the menu location and the files being changed to identify the right one.
| Channel | Scope | Where it is selected | What changes | Restart behavior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam Client Beta | The entire desktop Steam client | Steam > Settings > Interface > Client Beta Participation | Steam client files, features and fixes | Steam must restart after changing the selection |
| Game beta branch | One game | The game’s Properties > Betas page | That game’s content depot or branch | Steam may need to update the game; the client channel is unchanged |
| SteamOS or other hardware OS channel | The operating system on supported Steam hardware | The device’s system-update controls | Operating-system files and firmware-related components, where offered | Determined by the hardware OS update process |
| Steam Frame system channel | The Steam Frame system software | The separate System Update Channel control documented by Valve | Steam Frame system updates, not the desktop Linux client beta | Determined by the device update process |
If you want an experimental build of one game while keeping Steam itself on the released client, change only that game’s Properties > Betas setting. Conversely, selecting Steam Beta Update does not automatically place every installed game on a beta branch.
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What to do when the selection will not stick
The option returns to None after updating
Reopen Settings > Interface after the client update finishes. If Client Beta Participation has returned to None, select Steam Beta Update again and accept the restart. Valve’s FAQ specifically warns that the selection can occasionally need to be repeated after Steam updates.
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Steam still reports the beta after opting out
- Choose NONE – Opt out of all beta programs again if necessary.
- Let Steam close, then use Steam’s exit command so the process is no longer running.
- Launch Steam again from your normal Linux application menu or launcher.
- Check Settings > Interface to verify the value.
Valve describes a complete exit followed by a restart as the remedy when the channel change has not completed. Do not assume that closing only the window has ended Steam; use the client’s exit action and make sure it is no longer running before relaunching.
The restart prompt never appears
Return to the Interface page and read the selected value. If it is still None, the selection was not applied; select the desired channel again. If the desired value is already shown but Steam behaves as though the old channel is active, exit Steam completely and relaunch it. This follows Valve’s documented recovery path without relying on an unverified command or deleting client data.
The client fails to start after the change
First perform a normal complete exit and relaunch. If the problem remains, treat it as a Linux Steam client issue and collect the information needed for a reproducible report rather than repeatedly switching channels. Valve’s Linux issue tracker asks reporters to search existing reports before opening a new one.
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Valve’s Steam for Linux repository lists the baseline for the current stable Linux client. These are client requirements, not extra prerequisites for finding the beta selector:
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- A current Ubuntu release or Ubuntu LTS with a 64-bit kernel.
- An x86_64/AMD64 processor.
- At least 512 MB of RAM.
- At least 5 GB of available storage.
- Both 64-bit and 32-bit graphics drivers.
- Both 64-bit and 32-bit glibc.
- glibc 2.31 or newer from 2025-08-15 onward. This requirement affects older distributions, including Ubuntu 18.04.
A machine can therefore meet the menu instructions yet still encounter launch or runtime problems if its distribution, libraries, graphics stack or available storage falls outside that baseline. Check those fundamentals before treating a failure as a beta-channel problem.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Report a Linux beta problem to Valve
Valve’s Steam for Linux repository is the issue tracker for the Linux beta client. Search existing issues first; an existing report may contain a workaround or confirm that the symptom is already known.
For a new report, provide enough detail for another person to reproduce the failure:
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- A detailed description of what happened.
- Exact reproduction steps, including the menu selection and restart sequence.
- Linux distribution and version, kernel, desktop environment and relevant hardware details.
- Relevant command-line output and logs.
- A Steam CrashID or minidump when Steam supplies one.
Include whether the issue occurs only with Steam Beta Update, only after returning to NONE – Opt out of all beta programs, or on both channels. That distinction helps separate a client-channel regression from a general Linux configuration problem.
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Practical decisions before opting in
Choose the client beta when you need an unreleased client fix
Opt in when a Steam client feature or fix available in the test channel is relevant to you and you can tolerate testing a version that is not yet the released build. The channel affects the desktop application, so the choice is broader than enabling a beta branch for one game.
Stay on the released client when predictability matters
Use NONE – Opt out of all beta programs when you want the public client channel or when troubleshooting a problem that may be related to the test build. After selecting it, allow the restart and use a full exit and relaunch if Steam does not complete the change.
Keep the scopes separate
Before changing anything, decide whether the problem concerns Steam itself, one game’s content, or a hardware operating system. The desktop client selector cannot change a game’s beta depot or a device’s operating-system channel, and those other controls cannot opt the desktop client into Steam Beta Update.
Quick Recap
Quick reference
| Goal | Menu path | Selection | Required follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enable the desktop client beta | Steam > Settings > Interface | Steam Beta Update | Choose Restart Now |
| Leave the desktop client beta | Steam > Settings > Interface | NONE – Opt out of all beta programs | Restart; fully exit and relaunch if the change is stuck |
| Change one game’s branch | The game’s Properties > Betas | The branch offered by that game | Steam updates that game’s content; client beta status is unaffected |
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