The Steam Deck is Valve’s fantastic handheld console that blends the on-the-go ease of a Nintendo Switch with the power of a gaming PC. One of the best things about the Steam Deck is that its compatible with a plethora of PC games right out of the box.
If you own a Steam Deck, have you taken the time to explore everything the software and hardware has to offer? Did you know that there are hidden shortcuts that let you do things like capture a screenshot, toggle the on-screen keyboard, and change the screen brightness?
That’s right—you don’t need to fiddle around in menus to perform many of the everyday actions on the Steam Deck. To help you out, we’ve rounded them all up here, ready for you to refer to at any time. Alternatively, just hold the Steam button on the Deck to bring them up.
All the Steam Deck Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Steam + B (long press) | Force the game to shutdown |
| Steam + X | Show the on-screen keyboard |
| Steam + L1 | Toggle 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 |
Enjoy the Steam Deck’s Vast Game Library
The Steam Deck is an evolving product, so Valve might add more shortcuts over time. For now, this is the complete list, which you can use either when browsing the Steam interface or playing one of the many great games available in the store.
Happy learning!
