Steam · Independent guide
Steam Trade Ban or Restriction? Read the Notice Right
Steam shows several different notices when trading or the Community Market stops working: a support-issued trade ban, a timed security restriction, a trade hold, a cooldown, or a Community ban. Each one comes from a different cause and ends differently. Read the exact wording on your own account first, then decide whether you wait it out or open a request with Steam Support.
Decode my noticeWe never ask for your Steam login, Steam Guard codes, trade links or API keys.
Concept illustration, not a screenshot of the recovery process.
On this page
Based on Steam Help
Definitions follow Steam Support's own articles on restrictions, holds and Market access.
Nothing to hand over
We never sign in to your account or touch your inventory or items.
Independent guide
Respawnr is not affiliated with Valve or Steam; notices and rules change over time.
Access, trading and play are different
Match the wording in Steam’s notice. Recovering your account does not automatically remove another restriction.
Account access
Can’t sign in?
Start with the login or recovery route for your account.
Check sign-in optionsTrading & Market
Items held or trading restricted?
A hold delays item delivery. A restriction may stop you from trading or using the Market.
Compare the noticeVAC / game ban
A ban named in the notice?
Check the specific ban policy. Password recovery is a separate process.
Understand VAC bansCheck Steam’s current hold guidance ↗, restriction rules ↗
What waits, what stays, and what nobody can undo
Some trade notices end by themselves; others stay, and no one can pay or talk them away.
Steam Support will not lift a trade or Market restriction on request
Steam states Support cannot modify these restrictions, whatever caused them.
Available alternative: Read the notice, wait out timed ones, and ask Support only to clarify yours.
No one can shorten a timed restriction or cooldown
Security restrictions and cooldowns run for a fixed period set by Steam.
Available alternative: Look for an end date in the notice or on the item in your Inventory, then trade after it.
We won't help trade through a second account to dodge a ban
Steam may restrict every account belonging to the same person, not just one.
Available alternative: Keep trading on hold and ask Steam Support about the notice on your own account.
We won't help move items to a middleman or another account
Steam blocks sending items from banned accounts, and Support does not restore items that leave.
Available alternative: Leave items where they are and ask Steam Support about your notice.
Paid unban or unlock services cannot remove a trade ban
Only Valve can change a restriction; Steam Support is free and does not work through third parties.
Available alternative: Use help.steampowered.com, which is free, from your own signed-in account.
A chat saying you were reported and will be banned is not Steam
Steam says such claims are scams; see our guide to the "you were reported" scam.
Available alternative: Ignore it; real notices appear on your own account.
Scope & boundaries
What this guide helps with
- Explain what each Steam trade and Market notice means
- Point out which restrictions expire on their own
- Show how to ask Steam Support about a notice on your own account
- Help you secure the account if you didn't cause the restriction
Outside this guide’s scope
- Offer ways around a trade ban, hold or cooldown
- Suggest alt accounts or middlemen to keep trading
- Buy, sell, hold or move items or accounts for anyone
- Ask for your password, Steam Guard codes or API key
A trade restriction is decided by Steam on your own account; the only legitimate route is reading the notice and, when needed, asking Steam Support directly.
Ask Steam Support about a trade notice in 5 steps
Do this from your own account, signed in, and only on the official help site.
You need to be able to sign in. If you can't, start with the locked-account or hacked-account guides instead.
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Copy the exact wording
Start a trade or Market action and note the full reason Steam shows, word for word.
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Look for an end date
Check the notice and the item's tradable-after date in your Inventory; dated limits simply expire.
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Secure the account first
If you didn't cause it, secure your email, change your password and use the Steam Mobile Authenticator.
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Open one request
At help.steampowered.com, signed in, describe the notice, the dates and what you noticed.
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Watch that request only
Replies arrive in your help request; Steam says it rarely emails owners of restricted accounts.
A few details worth knowing
Does a Steam trade ban expire?
Usually not. Steam says most trade bans are permanent, while trade holds, cooldowns and security restrictions end on their own after a set period. Your notice says which one you have.
What does 'trade probation' mean?
It is an older notice some players report seeing, and Steam Help has no current article on it. Rely on the exact wording of your own notice. Trade holds are a separate thing, and our trade hold guide explains them.
Can Steam Support remove my trade or Market restriction?
Steam Support states that it cannot modify trading or Community Market restrictions, whatever the circumstances. You can still ask it to explain a notice on your own account.
Where do I see why I can't trade?
Steam typically shows the reason when you try to start a trade or a Market action. Items with their own wait show a tradable-after date in your Inventory, and a lock or Community block may show a red alert banner you can click for details.
Does a CS2 trade reversal put a cooldown on my account?
Yes. Steam says reversing a CS2 trade puts a 30-day trade and Market cooldown on the account that reversed it, and Steam Support cannot modify it. Our stolen-items guide covers when a reversal makes sense.
Official guidance
Check the platform’s current instructions and the options shown for your own account.