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How to take a screenshot on the Steam deck

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One handheld device that Valve Corporation developed offers a complete Steam library. Steam is not just a handheld service. You can also connect it to a monitor to play games on Steam. Last year, Valve was curious to know if its product would fulfill consumers’ needs. But we can see a large number of users on the Steam deck.

Steam decks are handheld devices that can connect to monitors. The desktop mode provides almost the same experience as the PC. Every such player should take screenshots of their gameplay for any purpose. On PC, everyone is familiar, but on Steam, it is more challenging to do the same. Here, we will show you how to take screenshots of the Steam Deck in its different modes.

How to take a screenshot of the Steam deck

To be very clear, press the R1 and Steam buttons simultaneously on the Steam deck to take a screenshot. But I know that shortcuts can only explain some things in more detail. The Steam deck has two modes: one game mode and the second desktop mode. There needs to be more clarity about which modes include screenshots and how to take screenshots in each of them. To address such concerns, we are sharing screenshots of both modes.

  • In Game Mode: This mode is the default one where a user typically starts gameplay. To accomplish this, the Steam deck provides a straightforward method of capturing screens. All you have to do is press the Steam button and R1 simultaneously. Following this, a notification appears saying you have taken a screenshot. Your Screenshot has been accepted and saved.
  • In desktop mode: Unfortunately, there is no direct way to capture a screen in Steam Deck’s desktop mode because this mode only offers a complete PC-like experience. That is why there is no way. The pre-installed Spectacle app assists with it. All you can do is click the icon at the bottom, search for spectacles, open it, and click the Take a Screenshot button. That is it; the Screenshot will be saved.
  • Upload a screenshot to Steam: The Steam deck allows you to share screenshots with the Steam community, regardless of how you take them. Click on the Library tab at the top. Select the game for which the Screenshot is displayed. Now click on Screenshot showing under the post screenshot summary >> Press share >> Add caption >> Upload >> That is it. You can view this post in Content under your username’s drop-down menu.
  • Find and share a screenshot: Steam Deck’s sharing feature is dedicated to desktop mode. Here, you first need to upload your Screenshot to Steam. After that, you can share it with anyone. But note that while uploading, make its visibility public. However, the desktop mode has a dedicated option, so you do not need to do anything. You can find your Screenshot in profile >> media >> activity. Just click on your profile >> activity >> select Screenshot for that. Click on the COG icon. Click on Share >> That is it. In this way, you can share a screenshot.

To conclude, taking a screenshot of the Steam deck is not easy. The only thing you need to do is configure the settings for each mode, which we have shared. For that, we have shared all the essential observations. It would be great if you could find screenshots from the Steam Deck and share them with me, even after explaining everything, if any user still has questions about them all below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Where is the F12 screenshot saved?

Ans. It is directly saved to the screenshot folder on Disc C.

Q2. Where are the screenshots on the Steam Deck?

Ans. You can find them by pressing the steam button >> Media >> Your Screenshot will appear.

Q3. Where are the screenshots on the Steam Deck?

Ans. This can also be done with the same key combinations as mentioned above.

Q4. How do you take a screenshot on Steam without an overlay?

Ans. Press a hotkey controlled by Steam (by default, F12) to take a screenshot.