How to get the Steam Deck UI on Windows/any Linux OS

As Valve’s first PC handheld, the core part of Steam Deck’s software is naturally the Steam client, but it is very different from the client version that everyone is very familiar with. Its UI interface is specially designed for a small screen and handle operation. Recently, some players discovered that, in fact, the Windows version of Steam can also use the UI interface of this handheld.

Windows:

Open the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\package\

Create a file simply named beta if it isn’t already there and replace all of its content with this text: steampal_stable_9a24a2bf68596b860cb6710d9ea307a76c29a04d

Then on a link to Steam (for example on your Desktop) right click, go to Properties and add this to the “Target:” text field: -gamepadui (make sure there’s a space before the -)

Linux:

Open the folder ~/.steam/steam/package

Create a file simply named beta if it isn’t already there and replace all of its content with this text: steampal_stable_9a24a2bf68596b860cb6710d9ea307a76c29a04d

Then run steam with the argument -gamepadui

Since the Steam Deck UI is specially optimized for handle control, for some people who use the computer as an HTPC or are a Steam game fanatic, if you only play the games in the Steam library when you start up, then this UI is very convenient to use. Although Steam already has a large screen mode, it was designed many years ago, so it can be said that it is not easy to use at all. In contrast, the Steam Deck UI has been well-received by the evaluation, and it is very simple to return to the traditional Steam interface, just delete -gamepadui in the startup item of the shortcut.

However, this also shows that in fact, under the Windows system, the Steam Deck handheld can also achieve full handle operation, but it should be considered the system licensing fee. Valve chose to use Linux as the bottom layer, and then use the Proton compatibility layer to run games under the Windows platform.