Steam Deck Won’t Turn On? Here’s What You Should Do
If you find that your Steam Deck isn’t booting up, the issue may be related to its power sequence, screen, buttons, or possibly a software glitch, especially after a software update. It is also possible that your Deck might not hold a charge.
There are scenarios where the cause may differ, depending on the gravity of the issue. You might have just unboxed your Deck before finding out it won’t turn on, or perhaps you’ve been playing a game and it crashed unexpectedly. This guide will help pinpoint possible issues and provide solutions that may work for your device.
Why Your “New” Deck Won’t Boot?
Steam Decks follow a specific boot-up sequence right out of the box. You might find that your new Deck won’t start after opening it.
- For the OLED model, you may not need to plug it in immediately; simply hold the power button for 7 seconds, and it should boot up.
- The LCD variant requires charging to a certain level to wake up from power-saving mode. You’ll need to use the included power adapter and cable to charge the Deck before trying to turn it on. If, after 15 to 20 minutes of charging, the “new” Deck still doesn’t turn on, contact Valve for support.
1. Put Your Deck to Charge
Ensure your device has enough battery to power on. Naturally, if you leave your Deck in sleep mode, the battery will gradually drain, and if left for an extended period, it may deplete completely. Therefore, it’s a good idea to plug your Deck in before moving on to more serious procedures.
Connect your charger’s Type-C cable to the Steam Deck and the other end to a power source. Check that the device is charging by verifying if the LED next to the charge port lights up when plugged in.
2. Give Your Deck Time to Cool
Like other handhelds, a Steam Deck can overheat, especially if you’re playing in a way that blocks the heat vents in the back. Although there’s plenty of thermal headroom, a Steam Deck will automatically shut off if it reaches 105°C.
If your Steam Deck is getting very hot and turning off, and not powering back on, let it cool down before attempting to start it again.
3. Try a Different Charger
If your device’s charging indicator doesn’t light up, there might be an issue with the charger or the charging port. To identify the problem, try a different charger or power outlet.
Valve’s included charger has a 45W adapter, and it’s advisable to stick with the same wattage if you’re considering a third-party option. Also, try using another set of cables to eliminate the possibility of a charging issue.
4. Force Restart Your Deck
If you’ve tried the basic steps above, there could be a software-related issue. In this case, it’s recommended to force-restart your device. This can be done by pressing and holding the power button for around 12 seconds.
Force restarting your Deck will reboot the device and prompt any available and pending system updates to install. This will likely resolve any software bugs or glitches associated with your Deck.
5. Perform a SteamOS Rollback
If there’s an issue with the boot sequence, you can start your Deck using BIOS recovery. Hold the Power and Volume Up buttons to boot into recovery mode until you hear a chime. Release the Volume Up button, and you’ll enter the BIOS.
If you see the menu, your Deck is functioning but experiencing issues loading SteamOS. In this case, consider reverting to a previous version of SteamOS.
- Force shut down your Deck by long-pressing the Power button.
- Hold the Power button and the three-dot menu button.
Power off your Steam Deck - Once you hear the boot sound, release the three-dot menu button.
- You’ll now see a list of previously available SteamOS versions you can roll back to.
Switch to an older version of SteamOS - Select a version suitable for your issue.
Note that this method reverts to the latest version once your Deck is restarted and serves as a temporary fix.
6. Connect to an External Display
To eliminate the possibility of a screen issue, you might need to connect your Deck to an external display. This can be done using either a Steam Deck Dock or an adapter cable, both of which are sold separately.
If the external display shows an image while your Deck’s screen remains blank, there’s a good chance it’s experiencing a hardware issue. Contact Valve for support in this situation.
7. Check Your Deck for Signs of Damage
The Steam Deck’s power button has had mixed feedback since launch. While it works fine for some, others find it challenging to see the boot screen logo. Valve has been criticized for the Deck’s power button’s lack of durability, which can either become unresponsive over time or get stuck altogether.
If your power button is stuck, search online forums for any makeshift solutions. If your device is still under warranty, initiating a replacement or RMA might be the better option.
