How to Setup Your Steam Deck [Step by Step with Pictures]

how to setup the steam deck tutorial step by step
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Do you need a little help setting up your Steam Deck for the first time? Or maybe you want to check out the process while you wait for yours to arrive. Either way, I’ll show you how to setup your Steam Deck with step by step pictures below for everything single step.

This setup guide is for a brand new Deck that has arrived in the mail. You’ll go through this step before you install any Steam Deck accessories, such as a screen protector or protective case.

The pictures below are taken by me during every step of the setup process!

If you have any questions, comment down below and let us know.

Still need to buy your Steam Deck? Click here to head to the official store.

How to Setup Your Steam Deck

When you first receive your Steam Deck in the mail and take it out of the protective mailing case, you’ll be greeted with the box below. Valve could have done better on the packaging, but that’s just my opinion!

how to setup your steam deck box

Remove your Deck from the box and take off the plastic wrap. The console sits in its default carrying case with a paper protective sleeve that reads, “Your games are going places”.

setup your steam deck in package

Take off the protective sleeve and throw that in the recycling bin or keep it as a keepsake. You’ll be left with the Deck inside of its carrying case. On the back side of the case (not shown in the picture below) is a little slot with a carrying case for your charger.

steam deck in box

Unzip your case, and you’ll see your Steam Deck for the first time. Take a good look because not we’ll show you how to set it up!

steam deck in open case

Plug your Deck in and charge it while you go through the setup process. This way, it will be charged and ready to go when you can play Steam games for the first time.

steam deck plugged in and charging

Hold the power button to turn it on for the first time. The first thing you’ll have to do is set your default language. Make your selection by tapping on your language on the touchscreen or by using the left analog stick to select your language and then pressing the A button.

setup your steam deck set the language

Next, you’ll have to choose your timezone, either with the touchscreen or the analog stick and A button again.

steam deck choose your timezone

Select your home wi-fi network from the list. You’ll have to enter in your password using the virtual keyboard that pops up.

setup your steam deck choose your network

When the Steam Deck has connected to your network, it will give you a Connection Successful message.

setup steam deck connection successful

Next, your Deck will install the SteamOS operating system automatically. This can take a few minutes and you don’t have to touch anything while it goes through its process.

setup your steam deck installing steamos

When SteamOS is done installing, you will be greeted with a Sign In page. Enter in your Steam username and password and then tap on or select the Sign In button.

setup your steam deck sign in to your steam account

If you have Steam Guard enabled on your account, you will receive a five-character code in the email associated with your account. Enter in the code here and select Sign In to verify your account.

steam guard code

Voila! You will see the welcome screen for the first time. Because this is your first time setting up the Steam Deck, the portable console will walk you through a tutorial, which you can tape or click through.

setup your steam deck welcome screen

First, the device lets you know about your Steam button to exit your game back to your library. It is most similar to the home button on an iPhone.

setup your steam deck tutorial steam button

On the right side is the Quick Access button. This option will pull open your quick settings, which allows you to adjust your brightness, airplane mode, sounds, graphics, and other system options on your console.

setup your steam deck quick access button

On the top right side of the console is the power button. If you tap this button, you can put your console to sleep – even in the middle of a game. If you hold the power button down, the options window will appear and let you shut down, sleep, and a few other options.

setup your steam deck power button

On the top left of the console are your volume buttons. You can raise and lower the speakers with at any time with these.

setup your steam deck volume buttons

Finally, the bottom-right of the console features a micro SD slot. If you want to expand the space of your Deck, you can insert a Micro SD card into this slot and follow the instructions on the screen to format it.

setup your steam deck microsd slot

The setup tutorial is finished! Tap the middle of the screen to complete your setup.

setup your steam deck tutorial finished

And with that, you have just completed the Steam Deck first time setup! Your home screen will already contain all of the games you have in your library. You must go into them and download them onto your Steam Deck hard drive before you can play them.

steam deck home screen

Want us to show you some Steam Deck tips for new players? Comment down below and let us know what you would like to see!

Author

  • Ryan William

    With over 7 years of hands-on experience in the dynamic world of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR), Ryan is a recognized authority in the field. His collaborations with industry giants like Meta and HTC underscore his expertise in shaping the AR/VR landscape. Ryan has written over 2,000 blog posts, offering in-depth insights, reviews, and analyses of the latest mixed reality technology. From groundbreaking games to cutting-edge hardware, Ryan's extensive knowledge ensures readers are always at the forefront of AR/VR/MR, as well as Steam Deck, news.

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