How to Fix Invalid Depot Configuration Steam Error on Windows 10

While updating and downloading games on a Steam client is a fairly very easy process but there are times when this simple process can be problematic. Today this post will be all about a very common issue that usually appears when you try to download a game or try to update it. A lot of users have complaints regarding the Invalid Depot Configuration Steam Error on Windows. The most annoying thing about this error is that no matter how many times you try to refresh the client or restart it the error does not go away. If you are facing the same issue then you are at the right place. In this guide not only do you get some working solutions but also possible reasons for this error.

Possible Causes of Invalid Depot Configuration Steam Error

Invalid Depot Configuration Steam Error is not an error that you should be worrying about. This is a common error that may appear randomly due to the following reasons.

Temporary Region/Server Issue
Firewall is enabled
Steam Cache Issue
Steam is not updated
Enabled Steam Client Bootstrapped
Issues With the appmanifest.acf

Solutions to Fix Invalid Depot Configuration Steam Error on Windows 10

Now that you have a good idea about the possible reasons behind this issue is; you can now move to solutions. Keep in mind that the below steps can easily be used on any version of windows including windows 7 and above. Now let’s proceed to the solutions.

1. Change Your Steam Client Region Settings

One of the very common reasons for the error is the region settings of your steam client. Sometimes a particular region may trigger steam connection issues. So to fix this; all you need to do is to change the current region to some other region. Follow the steps to see how it is done.

STEP 1. Make sure that your Steam client is opened up
STEP 2. On the very top left you can see the Steam menu, click on it
STEP 3. From the drop-down menu click on Settings
STEP 4. Once the settings page opens up, on the left click on Downloads
STEP 5. Now on the right, under Download Region, change your current Region to any of the other regions
STEP 6. Finally, click OK and try if the issue is fixed

2. Clear Download Cache

If changing the region does not fix the issue then clear the download cache. This will help in clearing out all the temporary data and helps in fixing the issue.

STEP 1. Open up the Steam Settings; for reference, you can check the above method
STEP 2. Once you are on the settings page, click on the Downloads located on the left
STEP 3. Now on the right, scroll down, and there you will find the Clear Download Cache button
STEP 4. Click on it, now try and check if the issue is fixed

3. Turn OFF the Windows Firewall

Another reason that might trigger the error is an active windows firewall. Windows firewall blocks the connection and you get the error. Follow the below steps to turn off the firewall and hopefully your issue will be fixed.

STEP 1. Go to the Start menu and open up the Control Panel
STEP 2. Once you are in the Control Panel windows, select System and Security
STEP 3. Now on the right click on Windows Defender Firewall
STEP 4. On the left, you will find the “Turn windows defender firewall on or off” link click on it
STEP 5. On the right put both Public and the Private network to “Turn off windows defender firewall (Not recommended)”
STEP 6. Once done click on the OK button and save the changes
STEP 7. Now you can check if the error occurs or not

4. Update Steam Client

If you are running an outdated version of the steam client then also the error appears. A lot of users have confirmed that after updating the Steam client the error goes away. So check if there are any pending updates available. If you do not know how to check for the updates follow the steps.

STEP 1. While your steam client is opened up, click on the Steam menu on the top left
STEP 2. From the context menu, click on the option “Check for Steam client updates”
STEP 3. Once you click on it, the client will tell if there are any updates available
STEP 4. If there are any updates kindly install them and your issue will be fixed

5. Disable the Steam Client Bootstrapped Service

Steam Client Bootstrapped is a steam process that often runs during the windows startup. While the process does not interfere in the running services and process generally; but in this case, it might be the possible cause. All you need to do is simply disable the service and the error will not occur.

STEP 1. Minimize the Steam client window
STEP 2. Open up the Task manager by hold CTRL+ALT+DELETE; a blue screen will appear
STEP 3. From there click on Task Manager, now Task manager will open up
STEP 4. On the Task Manager window click on the Startup tab
STEP 5. Here look for Steam Client Bootstrapped, now select it and click on the Disable button
STEP 6. Now check if the error is gone, if it doesn’t, close Steam client and open it again

6. Edit the appmanifest.acf File

If you have gone through all of the above solutions and none of those working for you then chances are that the appmanifest.acf file is the issue. To fix this you have to edit the file and delete some of the content from it which is triggering the error. Check out the steps to see how it can be done.

STEP 1. Close the steam client completely
STEP 2. Now head to the installation folder of the Steam client, below is the usual path
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps

STEP 3. Inside the SteamApps folder, you will find the appmanifest_(game’s id).acf file
STEP 4. Now right-click on the file and open it with the Notepad
STEP 5. Look for the section that says MountedDepots
STEP 6. Under MountedDepots you need to delete all the numbers that you see
STEP 7. Once done save the file by press Ctrl + S
STEP 8. Now run the Steam client without issues

Conclusion:

Invalid Depot Configuration Steam Error on Windows 10 commonly occurs due to several reasons that this post has covered. Furthermore, the guide deeply demonstrates all the working solutions to fix this issue.

Hopefully, by now your issue has been fixed. Thank you!

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