Most modern devices with a screen these days have a way to capture a screenshot and the Valve Steam Deck is no different. And while the company did build a button combination feature into Gaming Mode, the same cannot be said about Desktop Mode. So let me show you all of the ways I take a screenshot on my OLED Steam Deck.
Saving a Screenshot in Gaming Mode
So the first method I’ll go over today is likely the one that is used most often. I just have a feeling that over 90% of the time people are using their Steam Deck, it’s going to be in Gaming Mode. Maybe you want to capture a moment while you’re in the middle of playing a game. Or maybe you simply want to save an image of your Steam Library.
Whatever the case, there’s a simple button combination you can use when you’re in Gaming Mode on the Steam Deck.
- Steam Button + R1 Button
That’s all there is to it. You can capture a screenshot on the Steam Deck by pressing the Steam button and R1 button at the same time. There shouldn’t even be a need to hold the two buttons down. Just quickly pressing them at the same time will be enough to trigger the feature.
You’ll even see a little toast message appear in the bottom right of the screen. This will confirm with you that the image has been saved to your local storage and tapping on it will bring it up in an image viewer. You can then choose to keep it stored there, delete it, or upload it to your Steam account.
These can be set as private or public so the screenshots don’t have to be made viewable to anyone else.
Saving a Screenshot in Desktop Mode
Now what if your Steam Deck is in Desktop Mode instead? Things are a bit more complicated because Valve does not currently have a button combination that performs this action while in that specific mode. This could be added in a future update, but I don’t see it being a priority for them at this time.
In either case, I’ll be sure to update this article if that ever does change.
So while in Desktop Mode, you’ll need to use a 3rd-party application to save some screenshots. If you wanted, you could find a popular Linux program that does this and just install it manually. But you may also be able to find it using the Discover application repository that’s included with Desktop Mode.
However, you may be happy to learn that Valve has already pre-installed a screenshot tool for you. It’s called Spectacle, and it can be found in the Utility section of the Application Launcher (the bottom left Steam Deck logo button in the taskbar).
Taking a Screenshot on a Steam Deck
Conclusion
Honestly, I was a bit surprised to learn the button combination does not work in Desktop Mode like it does in Gaming Mode. Again, this could change with a future update but it isn’t an available feature at this moment.
Still, I can’t be mad at Valve since they did include a pre-installed app that does the job we’re looking for. It makes little sense to build out that type of feature at this time when there are open source options out there. I hope this written guide and video tutorial about how I save screenshots on my Steam Deck OLED helps you to learn a bit more about the device.