Disable Hardware Encoding in Steam Remote Play

Updated 5 November 2026 · Standard formula, shown below

Steam Remote Play streams your games from one PC to another, and by default it uses your GPU’s hardware encoder to keep latency low. However, hardware encoding can cause stuttering, artifacts, or even crashes on some systems, especially with older drivers or certain GPUs. This guide shows you how to disable hardware encoding in Steam Remote Play, forcing software encoding instead, which can improve compatibility and stability at the cost of higher CPU usage.

What You’ll Need

A Steam account and the Steam client installed on both the host (the PC running the game) and the client (the PC you’re streaming to).
Administrator access to the host PC if you need to change system-wide settings (usually not required for Steam settings).
Approximately 5 minutes of time.

Step-by-Step

Open Steam on the host PC. This is the computer that will run the game and send the video stream.
Go to Steam Settings. Click Steam in the top-left menu bar, then select Settings from the dropdown.
Navigate to Remote Play. In the Settings window, click on Remote Play in the left-hand sidebar.
Open Advanced Host Options. Look for a section titled Advanced Host Options (you may need to scroll down). Click on it to expand the options.
Enable Software Encoding. Find the checkbox labeled Enable hardware encoding (or similar wording). Uncheck this box. The exact label may vary slightly depending on your Steam version, but it’s usually clear.
Apply and restart. Click OK to save the changes. Steam may ask you to restart for the changes to take effect. If prompted, restart Steam.
Test your stream. Start a Remote Play session from the client PC and verify that the stream works. If you still see issues, you may also need to adjust the client-side settings (see Troubleshooting).

Note: Some newer Steam versions have moved this option under Settings > Remote Play > Advanced Host Options with a checkbox that says Enable hardware encoding. If you don’t see it, make sure your Steam client is up to date.

Common Mistakes

Disabling on the wrong PC. The hardware encoding setting is on the host PC (the one sending the stream), not the client. If you disable it on the client, it won’t affect encoding.
Missing the Advanced Host Options. The setting is hidden under a submenu. If you don’t expand it, you won’t see the checkbox.
Not restarting Steam. Some changes only take effect after a full restart of Steam. Closing the window isn’t enough; make sure the process is fully ended.
Assuming it’s a per-game setting. This is a global setting that applies to all Remote Play sessions on that host. You can’t enable it for one game and disable it for another.

Tips

Check your CPU usage. Software encoding uses your CPU heavily. If your CPU is weak, you may experience lag. Monitor CPU usage with Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) during a stream.
Update your GPU drivers first. Many hardware encoding issues are fixed by updating your graphics drivers. Try that before disabling hardware encoding.
Use a wired connection. For the best streaming experience, connect both PCs via Ethernet. Wi-Fi can introduce latency and packet loss that makes encoding issues worse.
Lower the streaming resolution. If software encoding is too demanding, reduce the streaming resolution or frame rate in the client’s Remote Play settings to lighten the load.
Keep the host’s game settings reasonable. The host PC is doing double duty: running the game and encoding the stream. Lowering in-game graphics settings can free up resources.

Troubleshooting

If disabling hardware encoding doesn’t fix your problem, or if you encounter new issues, try these steps:

Stream still stutters. If the stream is still stuttering, the issue may be network-related. Check your network speed and latency. Also, try lowering the streaming bitrate in the client’s Remote Play settings.
CPU usage is too high. If your CPU is maxing out, you may need to close background applications on the host PC. Alternatively, consider re-enabling hardware encoding and instead updating your GPU drivers or changing the encoder settings (if available).
No option to disable. If you don’t see the checkbox, your Steam client may be outdated. Go to Steam > Check for Updates and restart. Also, ensure you’re looking at the host PC’s settings, not the client’s.
Stream is black or garbled. This can sometimes happen with software encoding if the CPU can’t keep up. Try reducing the streaming resolution or frame rate. Also, ensure your CPU meets the minimum requirements for software encoding (generally a modern quad-core or better).
Audio issues. If audio is out of sync, it’s often a network issue. Try a wired connection or lower the bitrate. If it persists, restart both Steam clients.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does disabling hardware encoding affect game performance?

It can. Software encoding uses CPU resources, which can reduce the host PC’s performance in CPU-intensive games. However, if hardware encoding was causing crashes or severe stuttering, the overall experience may improve.

Can I disable hardware encoding on the client PC?

No. The encoding is done on the host PC. The client only decodes the stream. There’s no client-side encoding setting.

Will this fix all streaming issues?

No. Streaming issues can be caused by network problems, insufficient hardware, or game-specific bugs. Disabling hardware encoding is one troubleshooting step, but not a guaranteed fix.

Is software encoding better quality than hardware encoding?

Not necessarily. Modern hardware encoders (like NVENC or AMF) can produce quality comparable to software encoders, but with much lower CPU usage. Software encoding may be more stable on some systems, but it’s not inherently higher quality.

How do I re-enable hardware encoding?

Simply go back to Steam Settings > Remote Play > Advanced Host Options and re-check the Enable hardware encoding box. Restart Steam to apply the change.

Does this setting affect Steam Link hardware or mobile apps?

Yes, the setting applies to all Remote Play sessions from that host, including Steam Link devices and mobile apps. It’s a host-side setting.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.