How to (officially) install Windows on a Steam Deck OLED

Valve’s SteamOS was designed with the Steam Deck in mind, but it’s hard to ignore the never-ending array of native Windows apps and PC-exclusive games. Thanks to some recently released drivers, you can now give in to Windows 11 and install it directly on your Steam Deck and here’s how.

Before you start

The easiest way to install and run Windows on your Steam Deck OLED is via a bootable microSD card. You can erase the drive and install Windows directly to the Steam Deck’s internal SSD but taking the “fresh start” approach effectively forces you to start from scratch. This complicates the ability to reinstall SteamOS at a later time.

Using an SD card for Windows gives you the freedom to change your mind and switch back to SteamOS to overcome performance issues that are holding back your game of choice. As with any major operating system changes, be sure to back up your files and games before proceeding.

To start the installation, enable SteamOS Beta and update BIOS to version 3.6.9 or later. To do this, press the “Steam” button and then go to Settings > System > Beta Participation and select “Beta” from the list of system update channels. You will be invited to reboot your device, after which the new update will be ready for you. Install it and you are good to go.

Once your devices are updated, you’ll need an ultra-fast microSD card (UHS-I or faster) with at least 64GB of storage. You will also need a Windows computer to prepare the medium.

Prepare your SD card

The first step to creating a bootable microSD card is to get the Windows 11 ISO. On your computer, download the Windows 11 or Windows 10 installation media and ISO directly from Microsoft website. Both versions of Windows are supported on Steam Deck, and the installation process is basically identical.

Download and open Rufus

Now that you have the ISO, you’ll be using the wonderful, free, open source software Rufus To actually set up your card. Visit the official Rufus website on your computer and download the latest version of the executable file. Once downloaded, open the executable file to run Rufus.

Insert your microSD card

Insert your microSD card into your computer’s card reader. Your computer should recognize it, but be sure to configure it if it asks you to.

Launch Rufus, and you should see the main window of the application open. Rufus automatically detects connected USB devices or memory cards. In the Device drop-down menu, make sure your microSD card is selected as the target device. Be careful when selecting the correct device, as the process will format the selected card.

Boot selection

In the “Choose Boot” section, click on the drop-down menu and select “Disc or ISO image (please select)”. Next, click the Select button next to the menu and locate the Windows ISO file downloaded from your system. Once you find it, click “Open” to mount the ISO file to Rufus.

Now select “Windows To Go” from the “Image Option” menu.

Rufus creates boot disk for Windows 11 Iso

Partition scheme and file system

Rufus will automatically set the “Partition System” to GPT and the “Target System” to UEFI (non-CSM), which is necessary for compatibility with modern systems like Steam Deck. The File System should be left as NTFS (the default for Windows installations).

Now is also a good time to rename your microSD card using the “Volume Label” field if you wish.

Windows user experience settings

Once you click the Start button, Rufus will prompt you for Windows user experience settings. If you prefer to manually configure regional settings or use an online Microsoft account, you can leave the relevant options unchecked. However, for privacy and convenience, it is recommended to enable these options.

Finish the installation

After confirming your settings, you will receive a final warning message that all data on your microSD card will be deleted. You’ve already reached this point, click OK to continue. Rufus will now install Windows on your microSD card.

Copy Windows drivers to your SD card

With your new operating system sitting quietly on your SD card, you’re ready to get the necessary drivers to run the software smoothly on your Steam Deck. valve Deck: Windows Resources The page contains all the required files. Download the required drivers to your Windows 11 desktop and unzip the files.

Open the root folder on your microSD card and create a new folder. Now you can just select the folders containing the drivers and drag them to the folder you just created for later use.

Give SteamOS a boot

Your newly prepared boot disk is ready to bring the Windows 11 PC experience to your Steam Deck.

First, turn off your Steam Deck completely. Now insert the SD card into the microSD card slot of the Steam Deck. Press and hold the Volume Down button and then press the Power button, then release both buttons once you hear the sound.

You will be taken to the boot selection menu. Select your SD card and press “A” to set up Windows.

Once you’re in Windows, you can return your screen to its correct horizontal position. Right click and go to Desktop > Display Settings > Scaling and Layout > Display Orientation > Switch to Landscape mode to fix your screen layout.

After installing and running Windows on your OLED Steam Deck, it’s time to set up the basic drivers that we left in the root directory of your SD card. Go to the folder and continue installing each driver.

Install the APU driver

Find the “setup.exe” file in the APU driver folder and run it to install.

Install the SD card reader driver

Go to the “BayHub_SD_STOR_install” folder and run the executable file “setup.exe”.

Install the Wi-Fi driver

Go to the Wi-Fi driver folder, right-click the “qcwlan64.inf” file, and choose “Install”.

bluetooth driver

For Bluetooth, right-click “qcbtuart.inf” in the Bluetooth driver folder and select “Install”. Keep in mind that if this doesn’t work, you may not have remembered to update the BIOS for your OLED Steam Deck.

Audio drivers

You will need to install three different drivers to get full audio functionality: “cs35l41.inf”, “NAU88L21.inf”, “amdi2scodec.inf”. For each driver, right-click, and then select “Install.”

Once all the drivers are installed, Windows will run on your OLED Steam device like the desktop you dragged into your friend’s basement to get some gaming Counter Strike In 2001.

Back to SteamOS

Since you made the wise decision to install Windows 11 to a bootable SD card, it’s easy to switch back to SteamOS if you choose.

First, turn off your Steam Deck completely. Press and hold the Volume Down button and then press the Power button. Release both buttons as soon as you hear a sound. You will be taken to the boot selection menu.

Select your Steam Deck’s SSD and press “A” to boot back into your intended operating system.

Alternatively: Install Windows directly (not recommended)

If you’re still intent on nuking Steam Deck’s SSD drive in order to run “full Windows” on your mobile device, it’s a similar process with just a few modifications. Get a USB drive that can hold at least 32GB of data and plug it into your Windows computer. Download the ISO from Microsoft website In the same way mentioned previouslylaunch Rufus, and select the memory stick of your choice in the “Device” window.

You will still choose “Disk or ISO Image (please select)” from the “Boot Selection” menu, then click the “Select” button next to it, and open the Windows ISO file. Since you are installing the operating system directly to the hard drive, select Standard Windows Installation from the Image Option drop-down menu.

Complete Windows 11 installation via Rufus

When you are greeted by the Windows User Experience window, make sure to check the box next to Remove 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot, and TPM 2.0 requirements and proceed to finish the installation.

Ideal Rufus settings for Windows 11 installation

Once you have finished setting up your USB, create a folder in the root and Download driversAnd you are ready to install.

Turn off the Steam Deck completely and insert the flash drive into the USB port of the Steam Deck. Hold down the Volume Down button and then press the Power button. Release both buttons as soon as you hear a sound. You will be taken to the boot selection menu.

Select your USB drive and press “A” to start the Windows 11 installation process. Go through the setup process and select “Custom: Windows installation only” when prompted. When asked where to install Windows 11, delete all partitions and create a new one.

There’s no turning back now – this will delete all information stored on your OLED Steam Deck. Choose the new partition as the installation location. You’re good to go. now Screen repair, Install driversEnjoy your quirky looking Windows 11 laptop.

Windows on the Steam Deck is nice, but not essential. There are plenty of options to play games from the Epic Game Store on your Valve mobile device that don’t involve installing Windows.