Steam Deck Desktop - FAQ

Steam Deck is designed for a complete Steam gaming experience: gamers can browse, download Steam games, and text or voice chat with friends with Steam Chat, receive game and system updates

You can adjust Steam Deck settings, and more. All within the default deck user experience. Also, Steam Deck is a PC and you can easily access the desktop and do much more.

Here are answers to some of the most common questions we get about using the desktop on the Steam deck.

How do I get to the desktop?

In the Steam menu, choose Power, then Switch to Desktop

How do I get back to the Deck UI from Desktop?

On the desktop there is a link to 'Back to Game Mode'. Select it to return to the standard Steam Deck UI. You can also go back to Log Out to go back through the system menu.

Can I use the desktop without keyboard and mouse?

You can use the track pad as a mouse. Clicking on the right touchpad is a primary click, clicking on the left touchpad is a secondary click.

Does Steam Deck Control Work in Desktop Mode?

Yes, if you're running Steam, apps and games in SteamOS desktop mode have access to entries in your Steam deck

How do I install apps?

Currently, this is a standard KDE Plasma experience in terms of software installation. You can use the Discover Software Center (on the taskbar) to install applications. Discover Software Center installs applications on the writable portion of your drive using Flatpak technology (more on this below).