Steam ID formats explained
Steam identifies every account several ways, and tools disagree about which one to show. They all point at the same number.
SteamID64
A 17-digit number that begins with 7656119, for example 76561198012345678. This is the format Steam's Web API uses and the one you should treat as the account's permanent identity. Profile URLs of the form steamcommunity.com/profiles/<id> use it.
SteamID2 (STEAM_0:X:Y)
The legacy text format, for example STEAM_0:1:26039975. X is 0 or 1 and Y is a number. The account number is Y × 2 + X.
SteamID3 ([U:1:N])
The modern text format, for example [U:1:52079951], where N is the account number directly.
How they convert
Add the account number to the base value 76561197960265728 to get the SteamID64. Our converter does this for you, in both directions, and also resolves vanity names.
For STEAM_0:1:26039975: account number = 26039975 × 2 + 1 = 52079951, which is [U:1:52079951], and 76561197960265728 + 52079951 = 76561198012345679.
Vanity URLs
A custom name in steamcommunity.com/id/<name>. It is friendly but it is not an identity: owners can change it, and once released, another person can claim it. Never use a vanity name as proof of who someone is.
Which should you use for trading?
Always compare SteamID64 values. If two profiles show different SteamID64s they are different accounts, whatever the names say.
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