If you are looking for Steam Deck shortcuts, then you are at the right place.
Valve doesn't make it obvious, but Steam Deck owners have plenty of shortcuts at their fingertips. If you are a Steam Deck user, knowing all the Steam Deck shortcuts as well as having useful Steam Deck plugins installed can definitely save you time and energy.
While some people are already familiar with the important shortcuts, there may be some shortcuts that you haven’t yet discovered. To help you discover them, we’ve gathered together a list of all the Steam Deck shortcuts for your convenience.
Table of Contents
Let's get right into it!
All the Steam Deck shortcuts
From capturing a screenshot, getting the keyboard in desktop mode, and changing the screen brightness, there is no shortage of Steam shortcuts. They're handy, and they'll be a lot easier to use than opening the full menu every time.
So, here is the full list of Steam Deck shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Steam + B (long press) | Force the game to shutdown |
| Steam + X | Bring up the on-screen keyboard |
| Steam + L1 | Toggle the magnifier tool on/off |
| Steam + R1 | Capture screenshot |
| Steam + L2 (soft pull) | Right mouse click |
| Steam + R2 (soft pull) | Left mouse click |
| Steam + Right joystick | Joystick mouse |
| Steam + Right trackpad | As mouse |
| Steam + Right trackpad (click) | Left mouse click |
| Steam + Left joystick up | Increase screen brightness |
| Steam + Left joystick down | Decrease screen brightness |
| Steam + D-pad right | Enter key |
| Steam + D-pad down | Tab key |
| Steam + D-pad left | Escape key |
In case you didn't know, if you press and hold the Steam button for a while, a whole list of all the available shortcuts pops up until you release the button. So for those times when you forget, you can refresh your memory without revisiting this guide.
click to enlargeSteam Deck shortcuts not working?
Many users have reported that Steam Deck shortcuts sometimes do not work, especially in Desktop Mode. The exact cause of this issue is unknown but we believe it is an instance of the common Steam Deck keyboard not working issue.
The official FAQ states that Steam Deck controls work in Desktop mode only if you're running Steam in the background. That means you should be connected to the Internet and the Steam client should be running for the Steam Deck shortcuts work.
If the issue persists despite following the steps above, we recommend you navigate to Settings > Controller > Desktop configuration and then set up custom buttons to perform your favourite Steam Deck shortcuts.
FAQs
How do I add desktop shortcuts to Steam Deck?
To add desktop shortcuts to Steam Deck, first, open the Application Launcher in Desktop Mode and highlight the application you wish to add to the desktop. Then, press the L2 button and select Add to Desktop from the menu.
How do you right-click on a Steam Deck?
To right-click on Steam Deck in Desktop Mode, you need to highlight the item you’re interested in and then press L2. In Gaming Mode, you can press the Steam + L2 buttons to perform a right-click.
Can you change Steam Deck shortcuts?
Yes, you can change the Steam Deck shortcuts. To do that, go to Settings > Controller > Desktop configuration and then set up custom buttons for your favourite shortcuts.
And that covers everything about Steam Deck shortcuts. In other news, Steam Deck 2 will have improved battery and display, according to designers.