How to Check If a Steam Account Has a VAC Ban

Paste the user's profile URL or SteamID64 into an online lookup tool, or open their public Steam profile. An account with a ban shows red text such as "1 VAC ban on record".

Check before you trade items, buy gift codes, or invite someone to a private server. Below are the methods that work for any account.

What a VAC ban is #

A VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) ban is an automatic restriction. Valve's detection system applies it when it finds cheat software on a player's computer. The player can no longer join VAC-secured servers for that game, and the items for that game stay locked for good.

Each penalty blocks different functions. Our guide on VAC ban vs game ban vs trade ban has the details.

Method 1: SteamID Resolver (fastest) #

1. Copy the user's Steam profile link, vanity URL, or numeric ID.
2. Open the SteamID Resolver tool and paste the link into the search bar.
3. Read the Account Status & Bans card. A green badge ("Clean / No Bans") means the account has no recorded VAC or developer bans. A red badge ("VAC Banned") comes with the number of bans and the days since the last one.

The tool queries Valve's official ISteamUser/GetPlayerBans endpoint, so the data is live. It works even when the owner sets the profile to private.

Method 2: the public Steam profile #

1. Open the profile: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/<SteamID64> or https://steamcommunity.com/id/<vanityURL>.
2. Look at the right sidebar, under the badges and the level.
3. If the user has a ban, Steam shows red text, for example 1 VAC ban on record | 42 days since last ban or 1 game ban on record | 120 days since last ban.

If the profile is public and shows no red text, the account has no bans from the last 2,555 days.

Private profiles #

You can still check them. Players can hide their friend list, playtime, and inventory, but Valve treats ban records as security data and always returns them. This is the raw response from the Steam Web API:

{
  "players": [
    {
      "SteamId": "76561198000000000",
      "CommunityBanned": false,
      "VACBanned": true,
      "NumberOfVACBans": 1,
      "DaysSinceLastBan": 184,
      "NumberOfGameBans": 0,
      "EconomyBan": "none"
    }
  ]
}

VACBanned: true appears whatever the privacy settings are, so a private profile does not hide an active ban. For trades, read how to check VAC bans before trading.

What happens after a VAC ban #

These restrictions start immediately:

• You cannot join VAC-secured servers in that game.
• In Counter-Strike 2 and Team Fortress 2, skins and stickers cannot be traded or listed on the Steam Community Market.
• If the account lent games through Steam Family Sharing when the cheat happened, the lender account also gets a VAC ban.
• The account cannot post reviews or vote on community content for that game.

Can a ban ever be overturned? See can VAC bans be removed.

Frequently asked questions #

Can I check if a private Steam profile has a VAC ban? #

Yes. Valve's Steam Web API publishes ban status even if the user sets inventory, playtime, or profile details to private.

How many days does a VAC ban stay on a Steam profile? #

Valve shows ban notices on a profile for 2,555 days (about seven years). After that the red text disappears from the public profile, but the ban stays active on the account.

What is the difference between a VAC ban and a game ban? #

Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) detects unauthorized code modifications automatically. Individual game developers issue game bans (for example through Overwatch in CS2 or the anti-cheat in Rust).

Can Steam Support remove a VAC ban if it was an accident? #

According to Valve's official policy, Steam Support does not remove VAC bans unless Valve's engineers prove that an automated detection was false.

Check an account before any high-value trade. The free SteamID Resolver shows VAC, game, and trade bans in seconds.

Last updated: October 2026