Summary
- To transfer files between your Steam Deck and your PC via USB, you first need to enter Desktop Mode and install Decky Loader.
- Next, switch to Game Mode and install the DeckMTP plugin found on the Decky Marketplace.
- Turn off the Deck, enter the BIOS, and enable DRD. Finally, boot into Game Mode, open DeckMTP, and enable MTP.
It’s common knowledge that you can’t just plug your Steam Deck into your PC with a USB cable and transfer files between the two machines. Actually, you can—with the right software. All it takes is installing Decky Loader and changing a few options in the Deck’s BIOS.
How to enable DRD on Steam Deck
To enjoy plug-and-play USB file transfers between your PC and your Steam Deck, you need to do two things: activate the DRD (dual role device) option in the BIOS and install a certain Decky Loader plugin.
Enabling DRD allows your Deck to act as both a host and a client when its USB port is in use. The Steam Deck acts as a host when you plug something into its USB-C port: a mouse, keyboard, or a handheld dock. But when you connect it to a PC via USB, the Deck behaves as a client.
Credit: Anker
Usually, the Steam Deck only functions as a host because the xHCI (eXtensible Host Controller Interface) option is enabled by default in the Deck’s BIOS. xHCI is a framework that tells a computer’s USB controller how to function as a host, but not as a client.
But you can’t just switch from xHCI to DRD and call it a day; you also need to install a certain Decky Loader plugin that enables MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) on your Steam Deck, allowing it to behave as a client (a storage media device) when connected to a PC via USB.
There are certain limitations involved with DRD. Enabling it in the BIOS will make the Deck’s USB port unusable if you’re running Windows on it. Also, booting from USB might not work. If you need to boot from USB, access the Deck’s BIOS and switch back from “DRD” to “HXCI” before doing so.
Here’s how to set everything up.
First, switch to Desktop Mode, open your browser, and visit Decky Loader’s website. Download the installation file, locate the “decky_installer.desktop” file, double-click it, and follow the instructions to complete the installation.
You’ll need to provide your sudo password during the installation. If you haven’t set the password beforehand, open Konsole, type “passwd,” and enter it.
Now you can switch back to Game Mode. Once there, press the “…” button on the right of the Steam Deck under the trackpad to open the Quick Access menu. Scroll down to the Decky Loader tab, as shown below, and open the Decky Marketplace.
Once you open the Marketplace, type “DeckMTP” into the search box, or simply scroll down until you locate the DeckMTP plugin. Install the plugin.
Now open the plugin; it should tell you that DRD is disabled. This is expected. To enable DRD (Dual Role Device) and MTP, you must enable DRD in the BIOS. If, for some reason, DRD is already enabled on your Deck, you should enable MTP from the get-go.
Shut down your Deck and then hold the “Volume Up” and power keys until you hear a beep. Let them go, and you should see the BIOS home screen.
The first step is to navigate to the “Setup Utility” menu.
Next, select the “Advanced” tab, then the “USB Configuration” menu, and open it.
Now, you can enter the “USB Dual Role Device” menu and switch from “XHCI” to “DRD.” Exit the BIOS, save changes with the Select key, and boot into Game mode.
Now open the DeckMTP plugin, enable MTP, and you’re good to go.
All you’ve got to do now is plug your Deck into your PC with a USB cable, and that’s it. You don’t have to exit Game Mode, turn the screen off, or anything.
Just connect the two machines with a USB cable, and you should see your Deck in the Windows Explorer, or your explorer of choice if you’re running Linux. The Deck will behave like a USB flash drive or external SSD; you can freely navigate its file system, transfer files to it and from it, and all that jazz. To disconnect it, just unplug the USB cable.
Transfer speeds over USB trump any wireless method
In theory, you can achieve transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps, the maximum bandwidth of the Deck’s USB-C port. In practice, transfer speeds are much slower.
I managed to transfer the five-gigabyte Gran Turismo 4 ROM from my PC to my Deck in 28 seconds. This translates to an average transfer speed of 178 megabytes per second, which is nothing to sneeze at.
Credit: Zachary Cimaglio / How-To Geek
In comparison, wireless transfer methods top out at around 85MBps. Not bad, but twice as slow as the MTP wired transfer.
To achieve the maximum transfer speed, you should use at least a USB 3.2 Gen1 port on the PC side, which tops out at 5Gbps. You’ll also need an appropriate USB data cable. For my testing, I used a USB-C data cable that came bundled with my external SSD enclosure, rated for 20Gbps.
This plug-and-play USB transfer method isn’t only handy for moving large files from your PC to your Deck. I also like it because I can quickly transfer screenshots I captured on my Deck to my PC without having to navigate Deck’s file system with trackpads; I can do it all on my PC using a regular mouse.
There are other ways to transfer files between your Deck and your PC
If you’d rather transfer files between your Deck and PC wirelessly, there are a multitude of options available. Just know that transfer speeds won’t be nearly as fast as using a wired USB connection.
You’re looking at about 85MBps tops, if you’ve got a decent Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E router and a Steam Deck OLED, which supports Wi-Fi 6E. I own the LCD model, which only supports Wi-Fi 5, and I’ve managed to achieve speeds of up to around 60MBps.
Credit: Goran Damnjanovic/How-To Geek
I’ve been using Warpinator (Steam Deck/Linux version, download it from the Discover Store) and Winpinator (Windows version) to transfer files between my Deck and PC, but I don’t think I’ll use them anymore since the USB method is way faster.
Despite using Warpinator and Winpinator, I actually recommend using LocalSend because it’s, hands down, the most straightforward wireless transfer method I’ve used to date. All you’ve got to do is install the app on your Deck and PC, open them both, and send files.
KDE Connect is another excellent app for transferring files between your PC and Steam Deck wirelessly.
If you’re ready to get your hands dirty, you can set up an SSH connection with SSHFS, a network filesystem client that uses SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol). It’s very straightforward to use once you set everything up. The Steam Deck will be shown as a regular storage drive in your file manager and you’ll be able to drag and drop files to it anytime you want.
If you want to try SSHFS, I recommend following this extremely detailed video tutorial courtesy of the MonroeWorld YouTube channel.
Being able to quikcly and easily transfer files to your Deck via USB can be very handy if you’re into emulation because the Steam Deck is arguably the best handheld emulator.
Adding ROMs to its library is straightforward, and the handheld packs enough power to emulate most retro consoles, including the Sega Dreamcast and PlayStation 2.
If you want to use your Deck for more than gaming, you can get a handheld dock and turn it into a proper Linux desktop PC.
