How to Easily Run Windows 11 on Steam Deck

The Steam Deck is one of the best portable gaming devices on the market, despite one major drawback: it doesn’t support Windows. Unlike the Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go and a number of other devices with pre-installed Windows, the Steam Deck uses Linux.

It must be admitted that Valve’s handheld console itself has changed the perception of Linux gaming. It can run most Steam games quite well, but you’ll need Windows if you want to play PC Game Pass titles or take advantage of the steady stream of free games on the Epic Games Store. You will also need Windows if you play multiplayer games that apply anti-cheat software that is not compatible with Linux. That covers it Destiny 2, Fortnite, Apex Legendsand more.

The easiest way to install Windows 11 on a Steam Deck without changing (and potentially breaking) its internal file system is to create a portable version of the operating system, conveniently stored on a USB-C SSD that you can easily connect to the Deck whenever you want, and if you don’t want it, unplug it. I will walk you through the many steps required to complete this task. This is a long guide, but try not to get discouraged; although the process is long, each step is still quite elementary.

Buy a modern USB-C SSD or build your own

(If you already have an SSD on hand that you want to apply, skip to the next step.)

I suggest purchasing the smallest (in terms of shape, not memory) portable SSD you can afford. As for internal storage, 2TB should be enough for a while, but 1TB or less may be enough for your needs. Crucial X6 2TB SSD is a good, relatively miniature and inexpensive option that connects via USB-C. This is not This however miniature.

For something even smaller, be prepared to pay more. Genki SavePoint SSD Enclosure for $49.99 is definitely the better route. It’s petite, fits into a compact M.2 2230 SSD (not included) and this is the only case I have used that was thoughtful enough to include a second USB-C port in its design, enabling pass-through charging. Typically you give up the ability to load your Steam Deck when you connect an SSD – not in this case. It also includes a magnet that allows you to attach it to your steam deck so it doesn’t hang down. Once you receive your M.2 SSD, simply open the case and insert it.

Alternatively, you can buy e.g M.2 2280 SSD under contract plus that $29.99 SSD enclosure thanks to this, you can easily connect it to your Deck. It will be slightly larger than the aforementioned Crucial and Genki SSDs, but will perform the same.

If you don’t know, it’s free, legal, and uncomplicated to download, install, and apply on Windows 11 (unregistered copies have no personalization options and are marked with a constant watermark in the lower right corner of the screen). Microsoft is providing downloads for its latest operating system, and downloading a copy is an vital part of the process.

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

Select “Windows 11 (Multi-Edition Operating System for x64 Devices)” and then press the blue “Download Now” button. The page will load and then another option will appear asking you to select your desired language. Once done, select “Confirm” and then click “64-bit Download” to start the download.

Create a bootable version of Windows 11 on your SSD

Once you’ve connected your SSD to the computer where you’ve downloaded the Windows 11 file, it’s time to turn it into a bootable disk that your Steam Deck can recognize when it boots up.

Start by downloading a copy Rufusa free, easy-to-use application that specializes in turning USB devices into bootable drives. Scroll down to the “Latest Releases” section and download the latest standard version for 64-bit systems.

In your downloads folder, find Rufus and open it. The first two steps involve pressing the “SELECT” button on the right side of the application and then finding the Windows 11 operating system file in the downloaded files. (The version of the file at the time of publication is called “Win11_24H2_English_x64.”) Double-click to mount it in Rufus. “Scanning Image” will appear in the status bar, so hold it to check the file.

Then make sure you check the box next to “List USB Hard Drives.” Once you do this, the SSD should appear. Select it in the “Device” drop-down menu at the top of the program.

Once the drive is mounted, click the drop-down menu under “Image Option” and then select “Windows To Go.” Selecting this option instead of “Standard Windows Install” allows Windows to boot from the SSD without having to install the entire operating system on your Steam device, which is what we want in this case.

In the “Volume Label” section of the “Format Options” section, you can name the disk whatever you want.

Press the “Start” button at the bottom and the process of installing Windows on the SSD will begin. Before it starts, a pop-up 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, Windows will be ready on your SSD, but you’re not done yet.

Download Windows drivers for your Steam Deck

For your Steam Deck’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPU, and other components to work properly on Windows, you’ll need to download official Valve drivers for your mobile device. Open this pageand then scroll to the section for your Steam Deck (OLED or LCD). Download each of the drivers listed in the deck you will be running Windows on and keep the page open as it will serve as a useful guide later. (Note: As Valve’s website points out, Steam Deck OLED must be running beta system software for the Bluetooth driver to work properly on Windows. To install the beta, go to settings, click on system, then “Beta Participation” , change the “Stable” version to “Beta” and then restart your Deck.)

Each driver will be downloaded as a .zip file. You can unzip and extract the contents of each of the six downloaded files. Create a modern folder called “Steam Deck Drivers” or something similar, and then move all the extracted folders to it. Then move this folder full of drivers to the root of your SSD drive where Windows is now installed.

Start Windows for the first time

If you don’t have a Genki SavePoint SSD case that allows pass-through charging while in apply, be sure to fully charge your Steam Deck before booting into Windows for the first time.

Press the “Steam” button on your Steam device, scroll down to “Power” and select “Shut Down.”

After shutting down the system, connect the SSD drive containing Windows and the Steam Deck drivers. Then hold down the volume down button and click the power button of your device without releasing the volume down button until you hear the system beep. This should launch the Steam Deck disk selection screen. Use the right touchpad to hover over the drive, then pull the right trigger to place the cursor over it.

There will be a long loading process while Windows initializes. Answer the questions that appear, but select “I don’t have internet” if asked about Wi-Fi. Then you will finally get to the Windows home screen. You’ll notice something strange – it’s displayed sideways. Don’t be afraid. In the next section, I’ll discuss how to fix this seemingly unavoidable quirk.

Make Windows display correctly

From the open part of the home screen, pull the left trigger to “right-click”, which will bring up a series of options. Select “Display Settings”.

Scroll down (using your finger or left touchpad) until you find “Display Orientation” under “Scale and Layout.” Change it from “Portrait” to “Landscape”. This solves the problem.

Install Steam Deck drivers

It may be tempting to click around in Windows to initialize applications and install some games, but first let’s continue installing the Steam Deck driver. Open the folder where you decided to store them and apply Valve driver page open on your phone or computer, install it on Deck according to the instructions. Use the left trigger to open the options for each file, which will allow you to easily select the appropriate option to install them.

If Steam Deck did not display the “Your system must restart for changes to take effect” pop-up before the six driver installation is complete, go ahead and restart Windows 11 for the hardware changes to take effect. Your device should automatically restart into Windows without having to hold down the volume down button on your device. But if not, at least you know how to get back to the Windows operating system.

From this point on, it’s all about tailoring your experience to your liking. The Xbox app comes pre-installed on Windows, so logging in will allow you to 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 may download.

Now that you have your own fully working Windows installation ready for your Steam Deck, you won’t miss out on any critical PC gaming.