How (and Why) to Use Your Steam Deck’s Desktop Mode

The Steam Deck makes it seem like your PC games are designed for handheld gaming, but that’s kind of a bizarre illusion. Under the hood, the Steam Deck is essentially a Linux PC using a user interface built for the controller. This means that you, the user, can easily dive under the hood using the Steam Desktop interface and start modifying and customizing your games just like you would on a regular gaming PC.

When you’re in desktop mode, you’ll find a full Linux desktop environment (specifically KDE Plasma) with Firefox for web browsing, a file manager, and a full Steam desktop interface. While it works a little differently than something like Windows, if you’re used to tweaking settings or changing game files on Steam, this mode will feel familiar.

You’ll also need access to this mode if you want to install third-party launchers, modify your games, or run emulators. With just a simple interface change, so many possibilities await you. Here’s how to get started.

How to enter desktop mode

Valve has made it easier to switch to desktop mode, and it shouldn’t scare anyone. Here are the steps:

1. Press the Steam button (under the left touchpad).

2. Select Power .

3. Select Switch to Desktop .

That’s it. Easy, right? Keep in mind that this technically means rebooting your console, so if you’re in the middle of a game, save all your progress. After a black screen appears briefly, you will see the desktop user interface with several shortcuts on the desktop and a toolbar at the bottom.

How to Navigate the Desktop on Steam Deck

While you can technically connect a mouse and keyboard to use it as a desktop, you don’t have to. You’ll need to learn a few basic controls, but once you do, you’ll be able to navigate just like you would on any other PC.

• Touch screen. First of all, since it’s a touchscreen, you can tap directly on anything on the screen. This is not the most accurate method, but it is worth mentioning in advance.

• The right trackpad is your mouse. Just like the touchpad on your computer, you can use the right trackpad to control the cursor on your desktop.

• The left trackpad is the scroll wheel. It can be a little wonky, but swipe up and down on the left trackpad and you’ll be able to scroll through websites or menus that have focus.

• Click and right-click on the right and left triggers respectively. To click on something, press the right trigger. To right-click something, press the left trigger. Yes, it sounds counterintuitive when you describe it, but once you do it, it will become much more natural.

• Press Steam + X to open the on-screen keyboard. This is the least intuitive part of the interface, but if you need to enter text, press Steam + X. This shortcut will bring up the virtual keyboard. When you’re done, you can close it by clicking the keyboard icon in the bottom right corner.

These basic controls will allow you to navigate most of the desktop interface. It may seem a little cumbersome at first, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly. With that in mind, you can start messing around with your Steam Deck files.

Install non-Steam game launchers.

Steam may be the default official game store for Steam Deck, but technically you can install others. This used to be a bit of a hassle, but long-suffering volunteers have created tools that make this task easier than ever . You can install launchers like GOG Galaxy and even Epic Games Store without much effort.

Keep in mind that none of these are officially supported, and you’ll need to look into installation methods specifically for Steam Deck to get them working. The Steam Deck runs on a build of Linux and can only run Windows apps through a frankly magical layer of Proton compatibility . Along the way, you get into territory where there are more bugs, but you can find access to a lot of games that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to play with the standard Steam Deck setup.

Start modding your games

Modding is one of the best ways to breathe new life into your favorite games, and Steam is usually very friendly to it. While there’s no easy way to do this from the default Steam Deck, desktop mode opens this world right up. You can use Firefox to browse popular mod sites like NexusMods and the Dolphin file browser to search your game files.

Since you can also access the desktop version of Steam, it will be easier for you to view the game files. Right-click (that is, left trigger) any game in your library, choose Properties > Installed Files , then click Browse to open the folder where that game’s files are located.

In some (rare) cases it may even be easier. NexusMods is currently developing a Steam Deck version of its mod management app, which currently officially supports Stardew Valley , with plans to support more games in the future.

Connect peripherals for a complete PC experience

You can connect a wide range of peripherals to the Steam Deck’s USB-C port, allowing you to effectively turn your Deck into a full-fledged computer. Valve even has an official dock (though you can find cheaper ones from companies like Anker ). It also supports Bluetooth connections for wireless keyboards and mice. In this case you can connect:

• External monitors. The Steam Deck has a 1280×800 panel (IPS or OLED, depending on your model), which is great for its size, but hardly high resolution. If you prefer to play your games on something larger and more detailed, you can connect an external monitor and play on it.

• Keyboards and mice. It’s obvious that Steam and its games were designed with the PC interface in mind. While the Steam Deck does a great job of making games feel right at home on a portable computer, you can always connect a mouse and keyboard as a fallback option. It also makes desktop mode easier to navigate.

• External hard drives. One of the biggest disadvantages of the Steam Deck is its limited storage capacity. Instead of constantly rebooting your games, you can connect an external drive and load your games from there in desktop mode. You’ll save a lot of time (and bandwidth) deleting and re-uploading.

• Ethernet adapters. In my opinion, the Steam Deck is best for single-player games. However, if you want to use it for online gaming from time to time, you can get better latency over an Ethernet connection. Docking stations can add this functionality when connected, without having to buy an entire laptop.

If you’ve only ever used the Steam Deck in handheld mode, you’ll probably have a great time. The experience is so refined at this point that you’d think every game on Steam was designed with handheld devices in mind first. However, if you’re willing to brave less traditional waters, Steam Deck’s desktop mode is a gateway to the kind of power usually reserved for full-blown PCs.

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