Steam Deck controls & shortcuts

Every Steam Deck system button combo — screenshots, force quit, the on-screen keyboard, mouse and brightness — plus the per-game controls for hundreds of titles. Buttons follow the Xbox ABXY layout, with Deck-specific Steam, QAM and grip buttons on top.

Steam Deck shortcuts can shift between SteamOS versions. The authoritative, always-current list is the one your Deck shows on screen when you hold the Steam button (or the QAM “…” button).

Interactive Steam Deck

See every control on the Deck

All games →

Hover any button for what it does. Switch between the Deck's own system shortcuts (hold STEAM + a button) and the controls for popular games — the same Xbox-style layout you'll hold.

Your game's Deck layout, on your wall

The controls of the games people play most on Steam Deck, as print-ready posters. No watermark on the print.

System button combos

Screenshots & capture

Take a screenshot STEAM +R1

Game & window management

Force quit the running game hold STEAM +B Hold until the game closes — the fix for a frozen title.
Show the live shortcut list hold STEAM Hold Steam (or QAM) to see every current combo on screen.

Display & accessibility

Brightness up STEAM +Stick ↑ Left stick, not the D-pad.
Brightness down STEAM +Stick ↓ Left stick, not the D-pad.
Toggle magnifier (zoom) STEAM +L1

Mouse & keyboard emulation

Open / close on-screen keyboard STEAM +X
Left mouse click STEAM +R2 Clicks are crossed: R2 = left.
Right mouse click STEAM +L2 L2 = right.
Move cursor (stick) STEAM +Right stick
Move cursor (trackpad) STEAM +Right pad
Enter STEAM +D-pad →
Tab STEAM +D-pad ↓
Escape STEAM +D-pad ←

System & power (hardware buttons)

Sleep / wake POWER Short press to suspend; press again to resume.
Power menu / shut down POWER Long press.
Force power off POWER Hold ~5s only if unresponsive.
Volume VOL + +VOL −

The rear grip buttons (L4, L5, R4, R5) ship unassigned — remap them to any input per game or globally in the controller settings.

Game controls on Steam Deck

The Deck uses a standard Xbox-style controller, so these per-game button maps are exactly what you'll press on Steam Deck. Pick a game for its full control scheme.

Steam Deck controls — FAQ

How do I take a screenshot on Steam Deck?

Press Steam + R1. The capture is saved to your media, where you can view or share it.

How do I force quit a frozen game on Steam Deck?

Hold Steam + B until the game closes. This force-exits the running title and is the recommended fix for a frozen game.

How do I open the on-screen keyboard?

Press Steam + X. The same combo toggles the keyboard closed again.

How do I see every Steam Deck shortcut?

Hold the Steam button (or the QAM “…” button) for a couple of seconds and an on-screen list of the current shortcuts appears. The two buttons are interchangeable for these combos.

How do I control a mouse cursor in Game Mode?

Hold Steam and use the right stick or right trackpad to move the pointer, Steam + R2 for left-click, and Steam + L2 for right-click. In Desktop Mode the right trackpad acts as a mouse without holding Steam.

What are the back buttons (L4/L5/R4/R5) for?

They are extra programmable grip buttons, unassigned by default. You map them to any input per game (or globally) in the controller / button-layout settings.

Does the Steam Deck use an Xbox controller layout?

Yes — the face buttons follow the Xbox ABXY arrangement (A bottom, B right, X left, Y top) and it reports as a standard controller, plus Deck-specific buttons: Steam, QAM, two trackpads, and the L4/L5/R4/R5 grips.