How to enable Desktop Mode on the Steam Deck

Once you know how to enable Desktop Mode on the Steam Deck, you basically get the keys to its handheld gaming kingdom. From playing Game Pass games on your Steam Deck to installing Lutris and other non-Steam launchers, many of the device’s best hidden functions are enabled through Desktop Mode – not to mention its entire usability as a proper desktop PC.

Switching to this mode is dead easy, too. As, the takes-three-seconds kind of easy. And I know I keep saying the point of the Steam Deck Academy is to help shed light on the hardware’s less obvious strengths and capabilities, not to give moments-long lectures on how to perform incredibly basic acts of button pressing, but remember that Desktop Mode is going to be crucial in accessing those secrets. It’s fundamental to the Steam Deck’s flexibility as a portable PC, so it is probably worth stopping for a dedicated look.

That said, and so this isn’t an entire article about flipping a single switch, we’ll also go over a few other Desktop Mode basics, including some of its core applications and why you might want to come prepared with a Steam Deck docking station hooked up.

How to enable Desktop Mode on the Steam Deck

Hold down your Steam Deck’s power button, and select “Switch to Desktop.” Wait a few seconds, and that’s it – you’re in.

Want to go back? Either restart your Steam Deck manually, or more easily, just double-click on the “Return to Gaming Mode” shortcut on the desktop. If you don’t have a mouse attached, double-click the Steam Deck’s right trackpad (which also, appropriately enough, controls the cursor).

Desktop Mode on the Steam Deck: Do I need a mouse and keyboard?

Technically, no. Desktop Mode is fully navigable with the onboard controls: you can left-click by pressing the right trackpad, right-click with the L2 shoulder button, and press the Steam button + X to bring up the onscreen keyboard at any time. Prodding the touchscreen instead of clicking via the trackpad works too.

However, I will say it’s drastically easier to get around with a proper mouse. As anyone who’s used Windows 11 on an Asus ROG Ally or Lenovo Legion Go will attest, traditional desktop UIs – like that of the Steam Deck’s Desktop Mode – aren’t really designed for use on dinky handheld screens with gamepad controls. Making precise selections on small icons and folder contents is considerably more difficult with a trackpad or touchscreen than it is with a trusty mouse, hence why the Deck’s default Gaming Mode – which is designed for gamepad-style input – looks nothing like Desktop Mode.

So, while it isn’t strictly necessary, I do normally recommend that you operate Desktop Mode with a mouse (and a keyboard, depending on how much typing you’re likely to be doing in there). You can either pair a Bluetooth mouse, or connect a wired/USB-dongled wireless mouse via a USB-C hub or Steam Deck dock. The latter option is particularly suitable, as you can prop your Steam Deck upright for easier screen viewing. Like you actually are using it as a desktop PC, and the Deck is its own lil’ monitor. N’aww.

Desktop Mode on the Steam Deck: Important apps

The Steam Deck’s Desktop Mode looks a lot like Windows, which might help experienced PC owners get to grips with it. Being an essentially custom-built Linux offshoot, however, its key applications can be distinct from their closest Windows equivalents. Here are the ones you’ll probably be using the most:

Discover

The Discover software centre is both a directory of all your installed apps, and a tool for finding and installing new ones. It’s accessible from the Desktop Mode taskbar via an icon that’s either a blue shopping bag or a blue suitcase; I’ve called it a shopping bag in numerous RPS articles before, but have only recently noticed the suitcase similarity and am now am plagued by crippling self-doubt. Forgive me.

Whatever its choice of blue rectangle, Discover is incredibly convenient for adding all sorts of software to Desktop Mode – the Lutris launcher, browsers, media players and so on – without you needing to hunt down individual installers. By launching Steam (still in Desktop Mode) and adding these apps as non-Steam games, you can launch them from within Gaming Mode as well.

Dolphin

Desktop Mode’s file explorer. A lot about this does resemble what you’re likely familiar with from Windows, with key folders and any expanded storage devices (microSD cards included) listed in a sidebar on the left. Do have a poke around it, though. Some tasks, like the manual installation method of getting the Epic Games Launcher on the Steam Deck, require delving quite deep into Dolphin’s folders and subfolders. Getting to know it beforehand won’t hurt.

For even more control, click the triple bar icon in the top right corner and select “Show hidden files.” This reveals a whole bunch of folders that are kept invisible in the default view.

Steam

Whereas Steam is baked right into Gaming Mode, here in Desktop Mode it’s just another app you can open and close. It helpfully matches the UI design of Steam’s Windows app, and can launch games as readily as Gaming Mode can, though here it’s especially useful for setting other applications as non-Steam games. As this makes them easily launchable from within the default Gaming Mode, desktop-flavour Steam is thus integral for fully setting up non-Steam launchers on your Deck. Or, at the very least, saving you from having to access Desktop Mode again every time you want to fire one up.