Steam Overlay Not Working? Try These Fixes to Resolve the Issue

howtogeek.com:

Have you tried to open Steam Overlay using the default hotkey, but nothing happened? This could be caused by the overlay being disabled or the wrong shortcut being used, but other factors could also be at play. Here are some solutions that may help you resolve the issue.

Ensure Steam Overlay Is Enabled

To begin with, confirm that Steam Overlay is enabled in the relevant settings. Navigate to the "Steam" menu in the top-right corner and select "Settings" (on Windows) or "Preferences" (on macOS).

Go to the "In Game" tab in the left sidebar and activate the toggle next to "Enable the Steam Overlay While In-Game."

It's worth noting that Steam allows users to turn off the overlay for specific games. If the overlay doesn't work in a particular game, ensure it's not disabled for that game. To check this, go to the "Library" tab at the top, right-click on the game, and select "Properties."

Navigate to the "General" tab in the left sidebar and turn on the toggle next to "Enable the Steam Overlay While In-Game."

If the feature is already enabled in the Steam settings and for the game, apply the remaining fixes.

Ensure You're Pressing the Right Hotkey

To open the overlay in any game, you have to press a designated hotkey. It's set to Shift+Tab by default, but you can easily customize it. Steam Overlay won't work if a different hotkey is pressed than the one selected in the settings.

To check this, go to the "Steam" menu in the top-left corner and select "Settings" (on Windows) or "Preferences" (on macOS). Then, navigate to the "In Game" tab in the left sidebar and ensure that the same shortcut (that you're pressing) is listed next to "Overlay Shortcut Key(s)."

If the selected hotkey differs from what you're pressing, change it or return to the game and press the currently set shortcut. This will ideally prompt the overlay to open and resume working normally.

Rule Out Interference From Other Apps

If any running application uses the same hotkey assigned to launch Steam