Why are some features of Steam not available to me?

Limited users are prevented from accessing several features on Steam, including but not limited to:

• Sending friend invites
  
• Initiating chat sessions
  
• Voting on Greenlight
  
• Participating in the Steam Market
  
• Posting frequently in the Steam Discussions
  
• Gaining Steam Profile Levels and Trading Cards
  
• Submitting content on the Steam Workshop
  
• Accessing the Steam Web API
  
• Using browser and mobile chat

My Steam account is missing some Community features and/or is showing up as a limited user. What does this mean?

We've chosen to limit access to these features as a means of protecting our customers from those who abuse Steam for purposes such as spamming and phishing. Spammers' and phishers' ability to send invites and chat requests to strangers is thereby reduced, protecting legitimate users from annoyance and scams.
Other features are still available. Limited users can still create community groups, be added as friends, and chat with other users.

How can I gain access to all Steam features?

You will need to spend at least $5.00 USD within the Steam store.
Some examples of purchases that grant access to these features are:
Adding the equivalent of $5 USD or more to your Steam Wallet
Purchasing game(s) that are equal to $5 USD or more from the Steam store
Adding a Steam Wallet card to your Steam account
Purchasing a Steam gift from the Steam store
(Receiving a Steam gift from a friend doesn't count)
Each Steam purchase total will be tracked in USD. If your Steam store's currency isn't in USD, it will be tracked and converted to USD automatically using daily exchange rates.

Note:
CD Keys and retail purchases do not remove limited user restrictions. You must make a purchase from your Steam account.


What will not grant me access to the above features?

The below actions will not remove limited user restrictions:

• Activating a retail game on Steam
  
• Playing free demos
  
• Adding a non-Steam game as a shortcut
  
• Adding/playing promotional trials like Free Weekends
  
• Free to Play games (Examples: Alien Swarm, free versions of Portal and Team Fortress 2)
  
• Activating promotional CD Keys from hardware or graphic card manufacturers

I received my game(s) as a gift, will I gain access to all features?
No, games that have been received as a gift or via Steam Trading are not eligible.

Note:
Steam Support cannot remove this limited user status from your account.

More information can be found on the support site faq page.
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3330-IAGK-7663