The Steam Deck is powered by Steam’s Linux-based operating system called SteamOS. When you aren’t playing in Game Mode, which is the default interface, you can switch to Desktop Mode for extra utilities, like setting up emulators and installing plugins. While the Gaming Mode lets you take screenshots with a simple shortcut, it can be a bit tricky to take screenshots in the Deck’s desktop mode. In this guide, I’ll also show you how you can easily do that.
Take Screenshots in Steam Deck Desktop Mode
To take screenshots in Steam Deck’s desktop mode, you need to use Spectacle which comes preinstalled with the SteamOS.
- To access Spectacle, simply click on the Start icon at the bottom left in Desktop Mode
- Here, select the Utilities tab, and then Spectacle
- When you launch Spectacle, it will take a screenshot automatically
- You can adjust different settings by clicking Configure at the top right
- Here, you can set the launch action in General, set the location of the screenshots in Save, and set a hotkey in Shortcuts
- I’ve set the shortcut to d-pad right, and it’s super easy to use it
After you’re done adjusting the settings, press OK, and you’re set. You can now easily take screenshots of the entire screen, or even specific windows with whatever hotkey you’ve set.
We hope this guide was helpful and that you can now take screenshots in Steam Deck’s desktop mode. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
