How to Sign In
SGI has two ways to sign in. They both give you access to the same features (with a couple of documented exceptions), the difference is purely in how SGI talks to Steam.
| Steam Sign-in (recommended) | Legacy Sign-in | |
|---|---|---|
| Steam client required? | No | Yes, must be installed, running, and signed in |
| Sign-in method | Your Steam username/password, or scan a QR code | Pick from accounts already signed in to the local Steam client |
| Multiple accounts at once? | Yes, see Multi-Account | No, one account at a time |
| Play games normally while idling? | No, see What's different below | Yes |
Not sure which to pick? Use Steam Sign-in unless you specifically don't want to use your username/password; in that case, use Legacy Sign-in
Steam Sign-in
This is the recommended method. SGI signs in directly to Steam's servers so it doesn't need the Steam client installed or running on your PC at all.
SGI never sees or stores your password. Your information is sent directly to Steam's own servers to establish the sign-in, the same as signing in through the official Steam client or mobile app
Open SGI
On first launch, you'll land on the sign-in screen
Choose Steam Sign-in
Click Steam Sign-in
Sign in
- Enter your Steam username and password, or
- Use the Or sign in with QR panel shown next to it, and scan the code with the Steam mobile app
Steam Guard
If prompted, approve the sign-in from your Steam mobile app, or enter the Steam Guard code sent to your email
Continue
Once signed in, you're taken straight to the dashboard automatically
Once signed in, you can add further accounts without signing out of this one. See Multi-Account.
Legacy Sign-in
Use this if you'd rather not enter your Steam username/password into SGI at all. It requires the Steam client to already be installed, running, and signed in. SGI reads the account(s) that are already logged in through Steam itself.
You must have the Steam client installed, running, and signed in to at least one account
Legacy Sign-in only supports one signed-in account at a time. This is a real limitation of the Steam client itself, not something SGI can lift. To use more than one account at once, sign in to the additional accounts with Steam Sign-in instead
Install Steam
Download and install the Steam client
Sign in to Steam
Sign in to your Steam account via the Steam client
Choose Legacy Sign-in
Open SGI and click Legacy Sign-in on the sign-in screen
Select your account
If you're signed in to more than one account in the Steam client, SGI lists all of them; choose yours by clicking its avatar
Continue
Click Continue to proceed to the dashboard
What's different between the two
A small number of features behave differently depending on which method you used to sign in. Each is called out on its own feature page, but the full list is:
- Playing games normally while idling: Steam Sign-in talks to Steam using the same underlying protocol as the real Steam client, so if you launch and play a game yourself while SGI is idling that account, Steam treats it as a conflicting session. Idling stays uninterrupted with Legacy Sign-in, since it works alongside your already-running Steam client rather than opening a second session; if you want to idle and play at the same time, use Legacy Sign-in
- Idling many games at once: The Steam Sign-in method can idle up to 32 games from one background session; Legacy Sign-in launches one helper process per game (same 32-game Steam-imposed ceiling either way)
- Game Coordinator titles (TF2, Dota 2, CS2, Left 4 Dead 2, Portal 2): can only be idled and have their achievements managed correctly via Legacy Sign-in
- Steam Credentials for Card Farming/Inventory Manager: Steam Sign-in accounts can skip this step entirely (a gamer-tier perk); Legacy Sign-in accounts always need it
- Free Games auto-redeem: works as a plain toggle for Steam Sign-in accounts; Legacy Sign-in accounts need a separate one-time store sign-in first
Everything else (Card Farming, Achievement Unlocker, Achievement Manager, Inventory Manager, Idling, Auto-Idle, Favorites) works the same regardless of which method you used.