Steam Community :: Guide :: Replacing the now-removed steam music player in 2024

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Replacing the now-removed steam music player in 2024

By Thespikedballofdoom

Replacing the steam music player with a music player called foobar2000. You can use any player that has a webview but foobar2000 is probably the best one and it's what I use.

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Created by

Thespikedballofdoom
In non-Steam game

Category: Achievements, Modding or Configuration, Secrets

Languages: English

Posted

Updated

1 Oct, 2023 @ 12:51pm

8 Mar, 2024 @ 10:17am

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Guide Index

Overview

Replacing

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Replacing

Obviously the steam music player's main purpose was to be able to control music from inside the steam overlay. This guide seeks to replicate that as seamlessly as possible. We'll be using foobar2000[www.foobar2000.org] with the
beefweb remote control component[github.com]
to replicate the player in the overlay.
Foobar2000 will be your new steam player in this case.
Once you've got foobar installed the beefweb plugin can be installed by just opening it and letting foobar ask you to install it. Once you have, go to file > preferences > tools > beefweb remote control.

You'll want to enable remote control and set a port. Remember the number.
If you want to set a username and password you'll need to use url syntax like this:

http://username:password@localhost:8776

Now hop into the overlay and paste that link in the web browser while foobar's running. Now we've got our player.

But of course, I'm sure if you have so such investment in the overlay that you'd follow a guide like this you'd want the browser to not have to sacrifice itself just for a music player. So let's change one of steam's other browser buttons windows instead. I like to use the discussions window for this. It's the speech bubbles button. Enable dev mode in steam by launching steam with -dev.

Now right click on the discussions overlay window and inspect element.

Go back to your desktop to find a new window. Go to the console tab and type this command, replacing port with your port #:

this.document.location = http://localhost:port

Now you can go back into the overlay to see the player there.
Note you'll have to do this last step again if you ever open this window without foobar also open. It redirects to the about:Error URL if it can't get a page.

By default steam's window is rather wide, and beefweb's not black dark like mine is, I've edited mine with both steam themes[github.com] and some custom css for the beefweb plugin, but it should be fine for most of you so I'll just leave you with a link to my assets if you really want them.
https://github.com/Thespikedballofdoom/Foobar-steam-music-player/releases/tag/1

I don't recommend any other players because they aren't nearly as customizable. Especially VLC is terrible at being a music player.

13 Comments

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Thespikedballofdoom [author] 12 Jun @ 5:05am

It sucks.

LittleFreak 12 Jun @ 2:15am

iirc, vlc Media Player can do the same.

Entity 13 Aug, 2024 @ 7:45pm

Though, thanks for this and your thought of it.

Entity 13 Aug, 2024 @ 7:42pm

Damn. Well, I guess I can agree. Then it is a transfer before doing an import option afterwards.

Thespikedballofdoom [author] 13 Aug, 2024 @ 7:30pm

Well, foobar is fast to set up to a state identical to the old steam player IMO. Depending on how many games you play it is a bit of a hassle as you have to repeat the steps for every new game, or you can do what the first comment said and simply set your web browsers' default page in the overlay to the player page.

For playlists themselves, steam used a m3u8 file which foobar can read just fine. Get it at "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\music\_database\queue.m3u8"

Entity 13 Aug, 2024 @ 7:28pm

One question...... Is it an easy way quick import or is it sort of transfer situation?

Entity 13 Aug, 2024 @ 7:15pm

Ah, well then good.

Thespikedballofdoom [author] 13 Aug, 2024 @ 7:12pm

It's 100% offline

Entity 13 Aug, 2024 @ 7:11pm

Wow, this sucks rotten eggs.................. More of a online media player than an offline convenience.

It makes it a little harder than usual.

user 7 Mar, 2024 @ 3:24pm

I mean, this way, the music player opens every time you launch the overlay's browser, meaning the modification is permanent. That's better in my book.

And hopefully, at one point, Steam fixes that link appending bs, so there needn't be any hosts edits.

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