Guide · Hardware

Steam Deck mods: what you can install and how

Desktop apps, Decky Loader plugins, SSD and thumbstick swaps: what Valve supports on the Steam Deck, and what voids the warranty.

· tama

Valve made the Steam Deck easy to change from the software side and harder from the inside. A full desktop and multi-boot are built in, and community plugins are a short install away. Opening the case is allowed too, but Valve says damage you cause is not covered by the warranty.

Nobody here has opened a Deck for this guide. Every step and warning below comes from Valve’s support pages, Valve’s hardware repository, iFixit’s repair guides and the Decky Loader project page, checked on October 16, 2026.

Software mods: no screwdriver needed

Desktop Mode apps

The Deck is a PC. To reach the desktop, press Steam, open Power and pick Switch to Desktop. Valve calls it a stock KDE Plasma experience. You install apps with the Discover Software Center on the taskbar, which uses Flatpak and puts the apps on the writable part of the drive. Valve likes this route because future SteamOS updates will not break those apps.

To run a desktop app from Gaming Mode, open Steam on the desktop, choose Add a Game, then Add a Non-Steam Game, and pick the app. It then shows up in your library under the non-Steam tab.

Valve’s Desktop FAQ is blunt about going past Flatpak. Anything you install another way, such as with pacman, “may be wiped with the next SteamOS update”, and running random commands or scripts from the internet can “get your device into a bad state or compromise your data”. The command that unlocks the read-only system image, sudo steamos-readonly disable, comes with what Valve itself calls a “warning sandwich”: do not run it unless you know what you are doing.

If you like the desktop enough to change its look, our guide to KDE Plasma themes covers the System Settings you will find there.

Decky Loader plugins

Decky Loader is not a Valve product. Its project page describes it as “a homebrew plugin launcher for the Steam Deck”, and it adds a plugin menu you open in Gaming Mode. The install, from the project’s README:

  1. Switch to Desktop Mode.
  2. Download decky_installer.desktop from the Decky Loader GitHub page and move it to the desktop.
  3. Double-click it and choose the latest release. The pre-release is for plugin developers and is less stable.
  4. Open the Return to Gaming Mode shortcut.
  5. In Gaming Mode, open Decky’s menu and its store icon to reach the Plugins Browser.

You do not need to set an admin password first: the installer can set a temporary one and remove it afterwards. The README advises against plugins from untrusted sources. It also warns that “sometimes Decky will disappear on SteamOS updates”; the fix is to run the installer again. To remove Decky, run the installer in Desktop Mode and choose to uninstall it. Removing a plugin removes the plugin’s files, not other files it created.

Controller layouts

The lowest-risk mod is a new control scheme. Highlight a game in your library, press A, and select the gamepad icon. From there you can edit the layout, or open the current template and press R1 to browse Community Layouts that other players shared.

Another operating system

Valve’s FAQ says multi-boot is supported and you can reach the BIOS. The Deck can also boot from a microSD card, which lets you try another system without touching the internal SSD. If SteamOS gets into a bad state, Valve’s SteamOS recovery page covers how to reinstall it.

Hardware mods: read Valve’s warning first

Valve’s Basic Use and Troubleshooting Guide is clear: “We don’t recommend opening or otherwise modifying your device – any damage that results won’t be covered under your product warranty.” It adds that Valve is not responsible for replacing screws or other parts damaged while you try to open or modify the Deck.

Valve’s hardware repository strikes a slightly different tone. It says “you have every right to open up your Steam Deck and do what you want with it”, then recommends that you leave it to professionals, because “you might break your Steam Deck, or even get hurt”.

Valve’s support guide lists the rear cover screws:

Rear cover screws by model, from Valve’s support guide
Model Driver
Steam Deck LCD (model 1010) Size 1 Phillips
Steam Deck OLED (model 1030) T6 Torx

The model numbers come from iFixit’s device pages. You can also tell an OLED by its orange power button on the top edge.

The common hardware mods

SSD upgrade

Both models take an M.2 2230 NVMe SSD, and iFixit’s LCD guide specifies a single-sided drive. That guide estimates 20 minutes to an hour for the swap; the OLED has its own guide. The drive comes out after the back cover, the board shield and the battery cable.

A new SSD is empty. iFixit’s guide points you to Valve’s SteamOS recovery instructions to install the system again. It also notes that the buttons, thumbsticks and touchpads may not respond at first after a fresh image: use the touchscreen for setup and let the Deck update, and the controls should work after the restart. The ESD shield wrapped around the old drive has to move to the new one.

Thumbsticks

Each stick is a complete module that you replace as one unit, according to iFixit. Steam Decks ship with one of two thumbstick types, and capacitive touch only works with the right one. To find yours, open Settings > System and read the Controller ID: “MEDA” means Type A and “MHDA” means Type B. A new stick needs calibration afterwards; iFixit has a separate calibration guide.

Shells and printed parts

Valve published CAD files of the Deck’s external shell (STP, STL and drawings) under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 4.0 license. The files describe the outside surface only, which is the part you need to design a case or another accessory. The repository has moved to the SteamHardware/SteamDeck path on Valve’s GitLab.

Replacement parts

Valve’s FAQ says it worked with iFixit, and that replacement parts and repair guides for the Deck are on iFixit’s site. iFixit lists the fan, thumbsticks and bumper button assemblies as the parts people replace most often.

Before you open the case

iFixit’s SSD and thumbstick guides start with the same preparation:

  1. Run the battery below 25%. A charged lithium-ion polymer battery can be dangerous if punctured.
  2. Put the Deck into battery storage mode, which iFixit says Valve recommends before internal repairs. Shut it down, hold Volume + and press power to reach the BIOS, then open Setup Utility > Power > Battery storage mode.
  3. Unplug every cable.
  4. Take out the microSD card. If it stays in while you remove the back cover, it could snap in half.
  5. Follow general electrostatic discharge (ESD) precautions while you work.
  6. Keep track of each screw. iFixit warns that a screw in the wrong hole can damage the Deck.

Your Deck may also differ from the photos. iFixit notes that Valve changed the internal design of the LCD model in early 2023: the refreshed version has a black board shield and a fan with curved sides.

If you only want more space without opening anything, read our guide to the Steam Deck microSD card.

Sources

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