How to load Windows 11 on Steam Deck

this steam deck Despite one major drawback: it doesn’t run Windows, it’s still one of the best portable gaming devices around. and ASUS ROG AllyLenovo Legion Go, and a range of other devices that come pre-installed with Windows, the Steam Deck uses Linux.

To its credit, its handheld computer alone changed the way people think about Linux gaming. It runs most Steam games just fine, but you’ll need Windows if you want to play PC Game Pass games or take advantage of the Epic Games Store’s endless stream of free games. If you’re playing a multiplayer game that uses anti-cheat software that’s not compatible with Linux, you’ll also need Windows. This includes Destiny 2, fort night, apex legend,etc.

The easiest way to install Windows 11 on a Steam Deck without changing (and possibly messing up) its internal file system is to make a portable version of the operating system, conveniently stored on a USB-C SSD, which you can do in the following cases Easily plug in and out of the deck: you want it, unplug it when you don’t. I’ll walk you through the many steps required to do this. This is a long guide, but don’t be intimidated; although the process is long, each step is fairly simple.

Buy a new USB-C SSD, or build your own

(If you already have an SSD you want to use, skip to the next step.)

I recommend buying the smallest (in terms of form factor, not storage) portable SSD you can afford. As for internal storage, 2 TB should be enough for a while, but 1 TB or less may be enough for your needs. Crucial X6 2TB SSD is a good, relatively small and affordable option that connects via USB-C. it is not That But it’s small.

For something smaller, be prepared to pay more. energetic SavePoint SSD Case $49.99 is the obviously better route. It is small and suitable for compact M.2 2230 size SSD (not included), it’s the only well-thought-out case I’ve used that incorporates a second USB-C port into its design, allowing for pass-through charging. Normally when you connect an SSD, you give up the option of charging the Steam Deck, but not with this SSD. It also includes a magnet that allows you to attach it to your Steam Deck so it doesn’t wobble around. Once you have your M.2 SSD, just open the case and insert it.

Alternatively, you can purchase M.2 2280 solid state drive On sale, add $29.99 SSD hard drive box This way you can easily connect it to your Deck. It’s slightly larger in size than the aforementioned Crucial and Genki SSDs, but the working principle is the same.

In case you didn’t know, it’s free, legal, and easy to download, install, and use Windows 11 (unregistered copies lack personalization options and have a persistent watermark in the lower right corner of the screen). Microsoft offers downloads of its latest operating systems, and getting a copy is a necessary part of the process.

Go to this page Then scroll down to the “Download Windows 11 disk image (ISO) for x64 devices” section.

Select “Windows 11 (multi-version operating system for x64 devices)” and click the blue “Download Now” button. A page will load and then appear with another option asking you to select your desired language. Once you’ve done this, select “Confirm” and finally click “64-bit Download” to start the download.

Create a bootable version of Windows 11 on an SSD

Once you have the SSD connected to the PC where you downloaded the Windows 11 archive, you can convert it into a bootable drive so that the Steam Deck can recognize it when it boots up.

First download a copy Rufusa free and easy-to-use application designed to turn USB devices into bootable drives. Scroll down to the “Latest Versions” section and download the latest standard version for 64-bit systems.

In your downloads folder, find Rufus and turn it on. The first two steps involve clicking the Select button on the right side of the application and then locating the Windows 11 operating system file in Downloads. (The file’s version name was “Win11_24H2_English_x64” when published.) Double-click it to install it into Rufus. A message “Scanning image” will appear in the status bar, so please hold down while verifying the file.

Next, make sure to check the box next to “List USB hard drive.” Once this is done, your SSD drive will appear. Select it under the “Device” drop-down menu at the top of the program.

Once the drive is installed, click on the drop-down window under “Image Options” and select “Windows To Go.” Selecting this option instead of Standard Windows Installation allows Windows to run on the SSD without having to install the entire operating system on the Steam Deck, which is what we want in this case.

In the Format Options section, under Volume Labels, name the drive whatever you want.

Click the “Start” button at the bottom and the process will begin to install Windows on your SSD. Before you start, a pop-up window will appear asking you which version of Windows you want to install. Just select “Windows 11 Home.” A second pop-up window will appear with more options to specify. You can choose the first two as well as the last option. Once this process is complete, you’ll have Windows set up on the SSD, but we’re not done yet.

Download the Windows drivers for your Steam Deck

In order for the Steam Deck’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPU, and other components to work properly in Windows, you’ll need to obtain Valve’s official drivers for handheld devices. Open this pagethen scroll to the section about which Steam Deck you have (OLED or LCD). Download each driver listed under the Deck that you will be running Windows on, and keep the page open as it will serve as a helpful guide later. (Note: As indicated on the Valve page, the Steam Deck OLED requires running beta system software in order for its Bluetooth driver to work properly in Windows. To install the beta, go to Settings, click Enter System, and then click on “Beta” Go to the “Medium” section, change “Stable” to “Beta” version, and restart your Deck.

Each driver will download as a .zip file, which you can unzip and extract the contents of each of the six downloads. Create a new folder called “Steam Deck drivers” or something similar and move all extracted folders into it. Then, move this folder full of drivers to the root directory of the SSD where you now have Windows installed.

Booting into Windows for the first time

Unless you have a Genki SavePoint SSD case (which allows pass-through charging while in use), make sure the Steam Deck is fully charged before booting Windows for the first time.

Click the “Steam” button on the Steam Deck, navigate down to “Power,” and select “Shut Down.”

After the system shuts down, connect the SSD containing the Windows and Steam Deck drivers. Then, hold down the volume down button and click the Deck’s power button without releasing the volume down button until you hear the system chime. This should launch to the Steam Deck’s drive selector screen. Use the right trackpad to hover over the drive, then pull the right trigger while hovering over the drive.

A lengthy loading process occurs as Windows initializes. Answer the questions it displays, but if it asks for Wi-Fi, select “I don’t have internet.” You will then end up at the Windows home screen. You’ll notice something strange – it’s displayed horizontally. do not be afraid. In the next section, I’ll explain how to solve this seemingly inevitable problem.

Make Windows display correctly

In the opening portion of the home screen, pull the left trigger to “right-click,” which will reveal a bunch of options. Select “Display settings.”

Scroll down (with your finger or the left trackpad) until you find Display Orientation under the Scale and Layout section. Change it from “Portrait” to “Landscape”. That’s it.

Install your Steam Deck drivers

You may be tempted to click through in Windows to initialize applications and install some games, but let’s move on to installing the Steam Deck driver first. Open the folder where you chose to store them and use Valve’s Drivers Page Open it on your phone or computer and follow the instructions to install them on the Deck. Use the left trigger to open the options for each archive, allowing you to easily select the correct option to install them.

If the Steam Deck doesn’t show the “Your system must restart for the changes to take effect” pop-up after installing the six drivers, go ahead and restart Windows 11 for the hardware changes to take effect. The device should automatically reboot back into Windows without having to hold down the Deck’s volume down button. But if not, at least you know how to get back to the Windows operating system.

From now on, it’s all about customizing your experience the way you want it. The Xbox app comes pre-installed with Windows, so once you log into the app, you can stream or download PC Game Pass games to the same SSD where Windows is installed. The same goes for any other PC game store you can download from.

Now that you have your own fully operational Windows installation ready for your Steam Deck, you won’t miss any of the big PC games.