Steam Deck: How to Exit Desktop Mode

In this guide, we show you how to exit Desktop Mode on Steam Deck computer without any problems. Steam comes with a Linux-based desktop OS that can be used on its own. This might look hard, but it’s really very easy. Almost every gamer knows that Steam is a very popular way to play games and buy new ones. It has a lot of games you can download and play, but it also has something else. You might not know that Steam Deck lets you easily switch to desktop mode. So, that’s a pretty cool thing.

In February 2022, Valve made the Steam platform even better by making it almost as good as a PC. Users would forget they weren’t playing on a PC. The Steam Deck is a handheld video game console made by Valve Productions. This device not only has all of the games in your Steam library, but it also lets you play games that aren’t from Steam through Proton. Some users don’t know about the Desktop mode because it was just released. In this article, we’ll talk about how to get out of Steam Deck’s Desktop Mode.

How to use Desktop Mode on Steam Deck

Even if you didn’t know the Steam Deck had a Desktop Mode, it’s pretty easy to get to it. In fact, there are two ways to do this, and here’s how Desktop Mode works:

1. Use your Steam Deck’s Steam button.
2. Move down and click on Power.
3. From the Power menu, highlight Switch to Desktop and click on it.
4. Wait until Desktop Mode appears on your Steam Deck.
5. The second way to use Desktop Mode is to press and hold the Power button until you see the Power menu. From there, you can get to Desktop Mode by following the same steps as above.

How to exit Desktop Mode on Steam Deck

Desktop Mode is fun, especially if you want to use your Steam Deck as a computer that can do everything. But it seems that some Steam Deck owners aren’t sure how to get out of Desktop Mode. There are two ways to get out of Desktop Mode on Steam Deck, just like there are two ways to switch from SteamOS.

1. The easiest way to do this is to double-click (or double-tap) the icon on the desktop that says “Return to Gaming Mode.”
2. This should be available to everyone, since Valve made it one of the shortcuts that come with Desktop Mode.
3. But you can also use the steps below to get back to Steam Deck’s normal interface.

But you can also use the steps below to get back to Steam Deck’s normal interface.

1. Click the Steam icon in the lower left corner of the taskbar.
2. Choose “Shut Down.”
3. Select Restart.
4. When your Steam Deck is done restarting, you’ll go back to the main SteamOS interface, which you’re probably more familiar with.

‘Return to Gaming Mode’ Not Appearing on Desktop

Some Steam Deck users have said that when they try to get out of Desktop Mode, the “Return to Gaming Mode” shortcut doesn’t show up. You can go back with the steps above, but if you’d rather have a shortcut on your desktop, you can do the following:

1. Click the Steam icon in the lower left corner of the taskbar.
2. Find KWrite and open it.
3. Use the KWrite app to type the following text. Press the Steam button and X at the same time to get to your virtual keyboard.
   • Name=Return to Gaming Mode
   • Exec=qdbus org.kde.Shutdown /Shutdown org.kde.Shutdown.logout
   • Icon=steamdeck-gaming-return
   • Terminal=false
   • Type=Application
   • StartupNotify=false
4. Click Save As in the menu bar.
5. Use the File Browser to go to the Desktop Folder.
6. Return.desktop is the name of the file.
7. Make sure “.desktop” is at the end of the file name.
8. Use KWrite to save the file.
9. Select the file from your desktop and right-click on it.
10. Choose the tab for Permissions.
11. Check the box next to “Is Executable.”

What Is Desktop Mode?

Desktop Mode on Steam Deck means that you can connect the device to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to use it like a traditional PC. In Desktop Mode, you can access a full-fledged operating system based on Linux (SteamOS is a Linux-based operating system) and do things that you would normally do on a desktop or laptop computer. The Steam Deck is a versatile device because it can be used for both portable gaming and as a small personal computer when needed. You can use it to get work done, browse the web, watch videos, or even run games and apps that aren’t from Steam.