If the Steam Deck touchscreen is not working for you, you are in the right place!
The Steam Deck is great for gaming on the go but it definitely isn't perfect. You can still expect to encounter problems like being unable to reach Steam servers, your controller not working suddenly, or your touchscreen not functioning as it should.
Whether you're encountering unresponsive areas, ghost touches, or other touch-related problems, this guide will walk you through a step-by-step process to identify the underlying causes and implement effective remedies.
What causes Steam Deck touchscreen to stop working?
The Steam Deck's touchscreen is only used in certain games, but you'll definitely need it for other things like accessing your virtual keyboard in the desktop mode. So it can be quite frustrating when the touchscreen stops working altogether.
There can be several factors contributing to the Steam Deck touchscreen not working issue, including firmware or software glitches, physical obstructions or damage, calibration issues and so on.
A Valve employee has confirmed that the firmware initialization issue is the cause behind Steam Deck's touchscreen problem. They also confirmed that a simple reboot of your device is not enough to resolve the issue.
How to fix Steam Deck touchscreen not working
Fixing your Steam Deck touchscreen actually requires you to go into BIOS mode and change a few things. This might seem a bit daunting to those who aren't used to navigating BIOS, but you should be fine if you stick to this guide.
Here's what you need to do to fix the Steam Deck touchscreen not working issue:
- Turn off the Steam Deck as you normally would.
- Hold down the Volume+ button then press the Power button. This should boot your Steam Deck in BIOS mode.
- Use your D-Pad to get to "Setup Utility" and press A to confirm.
- Go into the Power Menu and select Battery storage mode. This will shut your Steam Deck off again.
- Wait for the power LED to blink three times, then plug your Steam Deck into a power source with the charger it came with.
- Turn the Steam Deck back on.
It's important to note that the charger you use in step 5 is the official charger your Deck came with. Using other chargers might cause some unexpected shutdowns and you definitely don't want that to happen while messing around in BIOS mode.
So with that, the touchscreen on your Steam Deck should be working again. While you're here, take a look at the shortcuts you can use on your Steam Deck to make navigation a bit easier.