Walter Steinhauser (1885–1980) was an Austrian philologist who specialized in Germanic studies.

Since 1905, Steinhauer studied Germanistics at the University of Vienna under Joseph Seemüller and Rudolf Much, and Indo-European linguistics under Paul Kretschmer, in addition to philosophy.

He served as an officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1906, and received a PhD in 1911 under the supervision of Seemüller.

He served as an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I, retiring at the rank of captain.

He completed his habilitation in Germanic studies in 1927 under the supervision of Much at the University of Vienna, where he subsequently became a lecturer.