How to Import Your Steam Library Into a Backlog Tracker (With Playtime)

October 2026 · 6 min read

If you own a few hundred games on Steam, typing them into a tracker one by one is not going to happen. The good news: you don't have to. NXTO can pull your whole Steam library, including how many hours you've put into each game, in about a minute. Here is exactly how it works, and what to do when it doesn't.

What you need before you start

Steam only shares your game list when your privacy settings allow it. This is the single reason most imports "fail" — nothing is wrong with your account, Steam just hides the list by default.

Open Steam → your profile → Edit Profile → Privacy Settings.
Set Game details to Public.
Untick "Always keep my total playtime private even if users can see my game details", otherwise hours come through as zero.

You can switch it back to private right after importing. NXTO only needs it public while it reads your list.

Two ways to import

1. Sign in with Steam

Choose Continue with Steam on the sign-up page. Steam confirms who you are (NXTO never sees your Steam password) and the import dialog opens straight away with your library, because we already know which account to read.

2. Paste your profile link

Already have an account with an email? Open your backlog, click Steam and paste your profile URL, vanity name or 17-digit SteamID. You can also connect Steam later in Account so the next import needs no link at all.

What happens during the import

Matching. Every Steam game is matched against the NXTO catalogue, by Steam app ID first and by title second, so renamed releases (“… Remastered”) still land on the right game page.
Playtime. Your hours from Steam are saved with each game.
Estimates. Matched games get a time-to-beat estimate, so your backlog gets a total number of hours.
You choose. The preview lists every game with a checkbox. Untick tools, dedicated servers, betas and demos before you confirm.
No duplicates. Games already in your library are marked and skipped.

What to do right after importing

An imported library is a pile, not a plan. Games with zero hours are your real backlog; games with a few hours are the ones you started and left. Mark the ones you finished as Completed, drop the ones you know you'll never touch, and give three or four games High priority. Our guide to clearing a Steam backlog walks through the sorting in detail.

Keeping it up to date

You don't have to import again every time you buy something. Read how automatic Steam sync keeps your hours current and can add new purchases for you.

If the import shows zero games

Game details is still private (or was just changed — Steam can take a minute).
You pasted a link to a different account, or a group page instead of a profile.
Family Sharing games and free demos don't always appear in the owned-games list that Steam shares.

Import your Steam library in a minute

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