How to Take Screenshots on Steam Deck

The Steam Deck is a fantastic handheld gaming device that allows you to play your favorite PC games on the go. One handy feature it offers is the ability to capture screenshots of your gaming adventures. Whether you want to share your high scores, show off cool in-game moments, or keep memories of your gaming experiences, taking screenshots on the Steam Deck is easy and fun.

In this guide, we’ll show you how you can easily take screenshots on your Steam Deck. We’ll also highlight how to boost the quality of the screenshots to ensure everything captured looks crystal clear. And that’s not all. Once you’ve taken the screenshots, we’ll also show you how to share those Steam Deck screenshots. So, let’s begin.

Also Read: How to check if the game is compatible with Steam Deck

How to Take a Screenshot on Steam Deck via Gaming Mode

The Steam Deck has a built-in screenshot feature that you can use to capture the screen anytime. It’s super easy to use. To take a screenshot in gaming mode, press the Steam button and the R1 button simultaneously on your Steam Deck.

You should now get a notification at the bottom right corner of the screen confirming that the screenshot has been taken.

And that’s it. Your screenshot should be saved to your Steam Deck in the Media section.

Set Custom Buttons for Taking a Screenshot

Alternatively, if you wish to set custom buttons for taking a screenshot in a game, Steam Deck also allows you to do that. Here’s how to change and set the custom screenshot button on Steam Deck.

Step 1: Open the Steam game you want to change the screenshot button for.

Step 2: Press the Steam button on your Steam Deck. Now, inside your game settings, navigate to Controller settings.

Step 3: Click on the Controller Settings option at the bottom.

Step 4: You will be taken to the Controller settings for that specific game. Click on Edit Layout to proceed.

Step 5: Now, set custom actions for every button, trigger, and joystick on the Steam Deck. Select the button that you wish to set to take screenshots.

Step 6: You will be taken to the custom action mapping section. Switch to the System tab at the top, then select Take Screenshot.

And that’s it. You’ve now set your custom screenshot button. Use this button inside the game to capture a screenshot easily.

How to Take Screenshots on Steam Deck in Desktop Mode

Alternatively, if you’re using the Steam Deck in the Desktop mode, this button combination would not work. Instead, you’d have to use an app called Spectacle. Thankfully, it’s already installed on your Steam Deck, so you don’t have to install anything. Here’s how to use the Spectacle application to take screenshots on the Steam Deck.

Step 1: Firstly, switch to the Desktop Mode on your Steam Deck. To do that, press the Steam button on your Steam Deck and select the Power option.

Step 2: In the new menu that pops up, select ‘Switch to Desktop’.

Step 3: Your Steam Deck will now reboot into the Desktop Mode. Once done, open the start menu by clicking the bottom-left corner.

Step 4: Hover over the Utilities option and click on Spectacle.

Step 5: Click on the ‘Take a New Screenshot’ button.

And that’s it. The screenshot will be saved to the Screenshots folder in your home directory.

Take Better Quality Screenshots on Steam Deck

By default, the Steam Deck captures and stores screenshots in JPEG format. While the resolution is still 1280 x 800 pixels, the final image is compressed and lossy. Thankfully, you can make the Steam Deck save the screenshots in an uncompressed PNG format by following the steps below.

Step 1: In the Desktop Mode, launch the Steam application.

Step 2: Click on the Steam icon in the top-left corner. Now, select Settings.

Step 3: Tap on the In Game option in the left sidebar.

Step 4: Now, scroll down to the screenshots section. Enable the toggle next to ‘Save an uncompressed copy of my screenshots’.

And that’s it. Your screenshots will now be saved in an uncompressed PNG format. However, note that this will consume more space on your storage drive.

How to Locate Screenshots on Steam Deck

So you’ve taken all those screenshots on your Steam Deck. But that’s only part of the process. Here’s how to find the screenshots saved on your Steam Deck.

In Gaming Mode

Inside the Gaming Mode, SteamOS has a nice Media section to store all your saved screenshots. Here’s how to access it.

Step 1: Simply press the Steam button on your console.

Step 2: Now, in the menu that pops up, select Media.

And that’s it. You should now be taken to the Media section to view all your saved screenshots.

In Desktop Mode

When using the Desktop Mode, you can locate screenshots on the Steam Deck saved by Spectacle in the Pictures folder. Here’s how to access it.

Step 1: Open the start menu and navigate to System > Dolphin.

Step 2: This will open the Dolphin File Manager on your Steam Deck. Now, click on the Pictures folder in the left sidebar.

And that’s it. You can easily view all the screenshots captured by Spectacle here in one place.

Alternatively, you must use the Steam application to access the screenshots you took in the Gaming Mode. To do that, open the Steam app on your Steam Deck. Click on View from the top menu bar and select Screenshots.

And voila. The Steam app will show you all the screenshots you took in the Gaming Mode on your Steam Deck.

Share Steam Deck Screenshots

While taking screenshots on the Steam Deck is easy, sharing them is a different story altogether. To share screenshots, first, upload them to your account and make them public. By default, all the screenshots saved on your Steam Deck are private. Here’s how to upload and share your Steam Deck screenshots.

Step 1: Inside the Gaming Mode, open the Media section, as shown previously. Here, select the screenshot you wish to share. Then, press the Options button on your Steam Deck.

Step 3: You should now get a pop-up window. Tap or select Upload to proceed.

Step 4: You first need to change the privacy settings. To do that, in the Upload Screenshot section, change the privacy level to Public.

Step 5: Now, click on Confirm. You should get a notification confirming that your screenshot has been uploaded.

Step 6: Now, navigate to the Public section at the top using the R1 button.

Step 7: Highlight your uploaded screenshot and press the Options key on your Steam Deck. From the pop-up menu, select Share.

Step 8: Select your preferred option from Steam activity feed, QR code, or Send to friend.

However, remember that the Send to Friend option only works for your Steam friends. A better option is to scan the QR code with your smartphone and share the image with anyone you like. Alternatively, if you’re in the Desktop Mode, you can email the screenshot(s) to yourself or transfer them to a microSD card or USB drive to transfer it to your computer.

FAQs on Taking Screenshots on Steam Deck

Capture Your Moments Easily

And well, that was it. Hopefully, you can now easily take screenshots on the Steam Deck. With these simple steps, you can effortlessly capture, access, and share your favorite gaming moments on your Steam Deck. You may also want to check out these Steam Deck carrying cases.