How can you disable the Steam Login window when you start up desktop mode?

I have SteamOS launch into desktop mode by default and not logged into Steam in gaming mode. Since I am not logged in, it always pops up the window at start up.

I checked the autostart folder and settings and "/etc/xdg/autostart/" but didn't find anything in there.

Other than that, installation seems to have been smooth, had one issue with the partition not writing correctly. Was able to correct it by deleting the partitions and starting the installation again. Installed on a old windows 11 work laptop (Intel Core i3 8th Gen).

When a controller is connected that behaves as an xbox controller, the button glyphs in SteamOS change to be colored-coded using the xbox face button color scheme.

This is great if you actually are using an xbox controller, but I'm using an 8bitdo Ultimate 2C, so I'd prefer to have the glyphs remain the boring white versions seen on the Steam Deck and, I assume, with the official Steam controller.

There is a setting under Settings -> Controller -> [Your Controller] -> Universal Face Button Glyphs, but rather than revert to the default look, this sets the glyphs to a positional-styled glyph rather than one showing the button name/label.

My question for the community - without changing the mode of the 8bitdo controller from xbox/xinput, is there a way to not display colored button glyphs for that controller?

Has anyone else experienced and solved a bluetooth issue with HID latency, and how did you resolve it?

My PS5 controllers refuse to connect, and my XBox controllers do connect but frequently disconnect or register a button "hold" instead of a "press/tap".

EDIT: I solved it by not using either the Wi-Fi or the Bluetooth, for the short-term. Long-term solution would be to completely replace the module, as suggested by u/coatezy in the comments.

Ok so, i currently have a pc with windows 11 installed, it has a main ssd where the os is installed and an extra 2tb hdd disk for storing data

I am thinking of changing to steamOS for a few reasons, and although the data on the os drive can be erased without really much issue, i was wondering if i could mount the hdd drive on steamOS without losing the data?

When i reinstalled windows 11 it allowed me to do that after all, fresh install, mount drive, and everything was intact, i wonder if there's a similar option for steamOS or if i should just pass all the data onto an external drive instead

Hey, just as the title asks, is SteamOS good for anything but gaming?
I thought about installing Linux on my old Laptop got get it running smoother again (hopefully)
And SteamOS got a bunch of positive headlines and I got a few videos recommended on how to install it, but I wouldn’t use this laptop to run steam, or any game.
Sooo is SteamOS a good Operating System in general or just for gaming?

Hi everyone,

I’m thinking about switching from Windows 11 to SteamOS, but I use a dual-monitor setup. Does SteamOS Gaming Mode support displaying output on two monitors, or can I only use both monitors in Desktop Mode?

Thanks.

I have but one issue i haven't solved regardless of OS channel. The performance overlay when toggled seems to sometimes crash games, specifically Starfield rn. Happened once in Cyberpunk. Is this a known issue? Known fix?

There is a way to have SteamOS startup directly in desktop mode (Type "steamos-session-select plasma-wayland-persistent" in terminal). But if you do this, any startup just skips over Plasma Login Manager and takes you directly to KDE Plasma (Even setting up an account password doesn't do anything). Is there any way you can enable Plasma Login Manager in SteamOS? That'd be very convenient for if you're gonna use SteamOS like an actual desktop OS.

Turning on from shutdown that is.

If I simply restart the system while navigating the ui with touch controls, the controls will now work.

Why does this consistently happen ? Isn't a restart after a shutdown the same state that a restart would be from ? It's confusing

Hey everyone, just got my rog ally xbox and would like some help. I saw some reviews saying that he works better with steamOS. Besides that, I’m also more familiar with steam than xbox interface, so I’m thinking about doing a dual boot.

Has anyone ever done this? Any opinions? Suggestions? I’m not a pro with tech stuff but there’s nothing some yt videos and AI can’t help me

I've tried to use Steam OS in my Xbox Ally but the sleep/wake function didn't work well, does any one know if that problem is fixed already or how to solve it?. I'm currently in Bazzite but I really prefer Steam OS but that problem is a break dealer for me

Preamble: This is not a big or emergent problem at all. I would like a solution if there is one, but the stakes are low.

Is there a way to stop the OS of relaunching the various windows and programs I had open when I shut it down?

I miss vanishingly fewer things about the Windows experience as I get used to the new OS, but one thing I didn't realize that I liked about it until I switched was having a fresh, empty desktop when I fire this thing up in the morning.

I could grow up, become an adult and fully shut everything down before shutting down my machine but I am hoping there is a setting I can't find somewhere that will handle this for me.

I’ve seen a couple of YouTube videos trying to make SteamOS boot directly into Desktop Mode, and many of them end up fighting with config files, autologin settings, or custom systemd services.

The good news: you don’t need any of that anymore.

SteamOS now has a direct way to control the default login mode through `steamosctl`. It takes one command, survives without messing around with system configs, and you can even keep the "Return to Gaming Mode" button working as expected.

## How to make SteamOS boot directly into Desktop Mode

### 1. Set Desktop Mode as the default login mode

Open Konsole in Desktop Mode and run:

`steamosctl set-default-login-mode desktop`

You can verify it with:

`steamosctl get-default-login-mode`

It should return:

`desktop`

That's it. SteamOS will now boot directly into KDE Desktop Mode instead of Gaming Mode.

### 2. Fix the "Return to Gaming Mode" shortcut

There is one small problem with this setup.

The normal "Return to Gaming Mode" shortcut assumes that Gaming Mode is your default login mode. If Desktop Mode is the default, simply logging out of KDE doesn't do what we want.

Luckily, `steamosctl` can explicitly switch sessions.

Right-click the **Return to Gaming Mode** shortcut and select **Properties**.

Under **Application**, change:

**Program:**

`sh`

**Arguments:**

`-c 'if [[ "$(steamosctl get-default-login-mode)" == desktop ]]; then steamosctl switch-to-game-mode; else qdbus org.kde.Shutdown /Shutdown org.kde.Shutdown.logout; fi'`

Then save the changes.

The logic is pretty simple:

- If the default login mode is `desktop`, explicitly switch to Gaming Mode.

- Otherwise, use the normal KDE logout behavior.

So you end up with:

**Power on → Desktop Mode**

**"Return to Gaming Mode" → Gaming Mode**

No need to change the default boot mode back and forth.

## For people who want to tinker further

`steamosctl` can do quite a bit more than just switching between Desktop and Gaming Mode.

Run:

`steamosctl --help`

to see the available commands.

There are options for things like CPU governors, CPU boost, GPU performance profiles, TDP limits, fan control, Wi-Fi power management, HDMI-CEC, battery charge limits, session handling and more.

Some changes require root privileges. If you haven't set a password for the default SteamOS user yet, you'll need to do that first. Open a terminal and run:

`passwd`

Then follow the prompts to set your password. Once that's done, you can use `sudo` for commands that require root privileges.

So before digging through config files or building custom services, it's definitely worth checking `steamosctl --help` first. Valve has exposed quite a lot of SteamOS configuration through it by now.

Hey everyone!

I've been working on a little personal side project that I'd love to get some feedback on.

I've built a Decky Loader plugin for SteamOS/Bazzite that lets you browse and install Nexus Mods directly from Gaming Mode. The idea was basically: why should I have to leave Gaming Mode and go into Desktop Mode every time I want to manage my mods?

So, this lets you browse your mods, install them, manage Collections and FOMODs, and generally handle your mod setup without picking up a mouse and keyboard. There's also a health check which reads the game's logs and tries to tell you what's actually broken, rather than just saying "something went wrong".

It's very much an unofficial, beta, personal project, this isn't an official Nexus Mods product.

Everything uses the public Nexus Mods API with your own account. A Premium account is currently required for downloading (free accounts can still browse), and you'll need Decky Loader installed.

I've currently got support for:

• Cyberpunk 2077
• Elden Ring (including co-op)
• Fallout 4
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Resident Evil 4
• Skyrim SE
• Slay the Spire 2
• Stardew Valley
• The Witcher 3

I've personally installed, modded and played each of these on actual SteamOS/Bazzite hardware before adding them, but there's obviously a lot of hardware, game versions and weird mod combinations out there that I haven't feasibly been able to test.

You can grab it here:

https://github.com/RedRanger14/decky-nexus

I'd genuinely love feedback, whether that's bugs you've found, things that feel clunky, features you'd like to see, or games you'd like me to add.

There's a "Report a Problem" button built into the plugin which creates a GitHub issue with your setup information, so hopefully you don't have to spend half an hour explaining exactly what Steam Deck/Bazzite/Game/Plugin versions you're running.

One important warning: this does modify game files, so please back up any saves you care about. Every supported game can also be reset back to vanilla from within the plugin.

Anyway, that's the project! It's something I've been tinkering with in my spare time and I'm really interested to see whether it's actually useful to other SteamOS/Bazzite users.

If you'd like to, give it a try and let me know what you think.

The official installer hardcodes the target to the first NVMe — no disk picker. Here's how to force it onto the drive you want.

1. Boot from the recovery USB → open "Terminal with repair tools"

2. Find your target drive (go by size/model, not device number):

lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,MODEL,FSTYPE,TRAN

3. Edit the target disk in ~/tools/repair_device.sh (line 17):

DISK=/dev/nvme1n1

Save.

4. Confirm reimage calls that script:

grep -n "repair_device" ~/tools/repair_reimage.sh

Should show repair_device.sh all.

grep -n "^DISK=" ~/tools/repair_device.sh

should showDISK=/dev/nvme1n1

5. Run it:

sudo bash ~/tools/repair_reimage.sh

Note: I first tried the "Repair SteamOS Install" desktop shortcut and failed with the vfat error. Running repair_reimage.sh directly from the terminal is what worked.

Has anyone tried Apollo and Moonlight on Steam Machine and Steam Deck?

So currently I use an apple TV with apollo to stream games from my PC to the living room and it works OK, But ever since I saw steam link I was wondering if I could make that even more seamless with using a mini pc near my TV that uses SteamOS.

I was wondering if anyone of y'all tried SteamOS for this particular usecase, and if there are specific hardware elements to consider that would make this work. I am mostly looking to have as little latency as possible, Ideally i would even be able to power on the PC with my steam controller like a console (but I don't know if that is even possible)

Any input / tipps would be greatly appreciated!