The Steam Deck from Valve is a well-made device that has had a lot of research time and care put into it. However, just like any complex electronic gadget, things can go wrong. So, what do you do when your Steam Deck won’t turn on.
We’ve seen similar issues on hundreds of devices over the years, and your Steam Deck is not alone in this particular struggle. Unfortunately, a significant amount of time it means your device needs repair or replacement, but there are also plenty of benign reasons why a computer like the Deck won’t turn on.
Below, you’ll find some of the most common fixes we’ve compiled from user forums, as well as logical troubleshooting steps based on our own experience as tech support pros.
1. Charge It for a Enough Long Time
If your Steam Deck has not been used for a significant amount of time, or you didn’t charge it for a while after draining it, then it can take longer than usual for enough charge to build up for it to power on.
Lithium ion batteries can be permanently damaged from being stored for too long with little or no charge, so do keep an eye on your Deck as you leave it to charge. If it gets excessively hot, or the charger or cable gets too hot, disconnect it immediately and don’t attempt to charge it again until it’s been professionally assessed. However, this is a pretty rare situation.
The LED on your Steam Deck should light up when plugged in, even if it won’t power on. If the LED light does not come on when you plug the charger in, it means the Deck is not receiving power. The LED will dim after a few seconds, which is normal and not a sign of a power issue.
If after 30 minutes of charging it still won’t power up, it’s time to move on to other steps.
2. Force Restart Your Steam Deck
There’s a chance that your Steam Deck is actually on, but has a blank screen and is unresponsive. In this case, it makes sense to force a restart. All you have to do is hold down the power button. Do this for at least four seconds for the standard Deck, and seven seconds for the OLED Steam Deck model.
3. Enter BIOS/Recovery Mode
If the Steam Deck’s LCD is on and it’s been charging, and you’ve tried a force restart, then the next step is recovering from the BIOS.
All you have to do is hold the volume up button while powering your Deck on and if it works you’ll boot into the BIOS. Just select continue and you’ll boot from the BIOS options screen.
4. Check the Charger and Outlet
The Deck should charge with any charger that can provide 45W of power at a minimum, but sometimes the charger itself is the source of the problem. Make sure that the charger works correctly by trying it with a different USB-C device.
You should also check if the outlet is working correctly by plugging something else into it, and don’t forget to check the cable itself and swap it out or test it with something else.
Be on the lookout for any sign of damage, loose parts, frayed cabling, or anything that would suggest the charging equipment is damaged in any way. If you do find damage, it might explain why your deck is not working correctly. If another charger works, that’s pretty much conclusive evidence that your Deck charger is the culprit, but we understand that most people don’t have lots of 45W+ chargers just lying around.
5. Use the Official Charger
If you’ve been using a high-output power bank or a third-party charger to top up your deck, try using the official charger instead. While strictly speaking any charger that conforms to the correct USB standard (USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 to be exact) and power output should work, the charger that’s been designed for the Deck is the only one that’s approved or guaranteed to work. Of course, you should plug the official charger into something else to rule out that it’s also faulty!
If your official Steam Deck charger is dead, you can easily buy a replacement, or even just a second charger to avoid using third-party chargers that might not be compatible for whatever reason.
6. Check Your Charging Port
Image Credit: Valve
If the charger works with other devices, but not your Steam Deck, the next culprit in the lineup is the charging port itself.
First, insert your USB-C cable and check if it has an abnormal amount of wiggle room. Some wiggle is necessary, but if it’s noticeably loose then it’s possible that the port has broken on the inside.
The next thing to check is if your USB-C plug doesn’t seem to go in far enough. Although USB-C is generally a great design, it does have an issue with debris getting shoved into the port with each insertion.
In fact, what you think is a “loose” port might actually just be a port stuffed with lint and other gunk. The good news is that it’s pretty easy to clean a USB-C port, but we have a whole USB port cleaning guide that will help you do it safely and thoroughly.
7. Check the Device For Signs of External Damage
We don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but although a device like a Steam Deck is probably tougher than most people think, a bad drop or bump could damage the Deck in such a way that it won’t turn on, or appears like it’s not turning on. If you have not dropped or bumped it recently, then it’s a good idea to give it a good look to see if there’s any evidence that someone else might have done so.
8. Connect It to an External Monitor
Image Credit: Valve
We just mentioned that the Deck might look like it’s not turning on, but is actually on, and one of the ways this could happen is through a faulty screen.
The good news is that the Deck supports external monitors. Unfortunately, you’ll need a USB-C dock with HDMI or DisplayPort, or just a straight USB-C to HDMI or DP adapter. If you have one, can borrow one, or don’t mind buying one, then you can hook up a monitor or TV and try to power on your Deck.
If your screen was the issue, then you should see the Deck’s display output on the external monitor. In which case you’ll want the screen checked out by a professional.
9. Attempt to Re-Image Your Deck
Your Steam Deck comes with a factory “image” on its disk drive, designed specifically for the Deck and its hardware. However, this is not “firmware” but regular software that can be corrupted, preventing your Deck from booting.
If your Deck manages to make it to BIOS mode, then you likely have the option to “re-image” the device and install the latest pristine image to the main drive. Just note that this will erase your data but it’s likely that your game saves have been synced to the cloud.
It’s best to follow the latest official re-imaging instructions, but the general process works like this:
- Download the latest official image.
- Use a utility like Rufus to write the image to a clean, formatted USB drive of 8GB minimum.
- Plug the drive into your turned-off Steam Deck using an adapter that allows the Steam Deck to receive power at the same time as having the drive connected. You don’t want the device to lose power during the update.
- Hold the volume down button and then press and release the power button.
- You should hear a chime, at which point release the volume down button.
- From the BIOS boot menu select “EFI USB DEVICE” and wait for the Deck to boot.
Once you’re booted into the recovery environment, you’ll have several options to recover the Deck. You can try the “Reinstall Steam OS” option if you want to try and save your games and data, but “Re-image Steam Deck” is the cleanest solution and will put your device back in factory condition.
10. Open Your Steam Deck ( At Your Own Risk) or Send It to a Pro
Image Credit: Valve
If nothing we’ve recommended so far works, then you can open up your Steam Deck to see if you can confirm one of several issues. Have a look at iFixit’s Steam Deck Teardown or the official Steam Deck teardown video to see what’s involved.
If your Deck is still under warranty, this isn’t worth risking in our opinion, although simply opening the Deck should in theory not void your warranty. If it’s not under warranty, then you can check to see if the charging port really is broken off and loose, or if the battery is swollen or otherwise suspicious. Give it a good eyeballing to see if anything looks loose, broken, or damaged.
If you see something broken, or if you don’t even want to have a look, then send your Deck to a professional repair shop for evaluation if it’s no longer under warranty.
11. Send It Back to Valve
If your Steam Deck is still under warranty, and you’ve tried all the tips above that don’t involve opening her up without any luck, it’s time to send it home. Get in touch with Valve customer support, and let them know that you’re having trouble and would like to send the unit back.
If you did not buy it directly from Valve, then you need to speak with the supplier. If you bought your Steam Deck in a region that’s not officially supported by Valve, you likely don’t qualify for any warranty repairs or replacements, but the third-party seller might have their own solution in place.
