Steam Deck: Install Windows on a Bootable microSD Card USING ONLY THE DECK!

[@iyyuchtus]

Just wanted to say THANK YOU for this tutorial. Got my Steam Deck yesterday and was having a really hard time creating a bootable microSD card for whatever reason. This one saved my day!

[@malikthetechnician6375]

Bro u don’t know how much u just help the community 😢❤

[@Darkuni]

Thanks man!

[@syednaqvi1428]

Hey, wonderful guide. Only issue I’m having is the lag in wireless mouse and keyboard. Any suggestions?

[@Darkuni]

@@syednaqvi1428 I don't use anything wireless so I don't have any experience to relate. :( How much lag?

[@syednaqvi1428]

Its like stop after every 3sec for 2 sec. Working fine or linux, friend of mine said he installed the fresh copy then issue resolved

[@Darkuni]

@@syednaqvi1428 Hmmm... I have no idea :(

[@OnBrandRP]

Thank you so much for this dude. I was quite pissed when I tried to go the Windows2Go route myself but couldn't due to my selected MicroSD not having the fixed attribute for GPT. I was devastated because I had just bought another SD card specifically to run windows 10. After hours of searching I found you.

[@o0junglist0o93]

So nice to watch a KZbin tutorial without 10 minutes of fluff or sponsors before getting to the point. This is the best guide on the subject. Many thanks 🙏

[@Darkuni]

I appreciate you.

[@gprivat2206]

Dude, you really saved my days dude. Thank you so much for this tutorial, you even provided links for Windows 10 to go

[@calebfoster2520]

I hope your channel becomes more popular! You’re the real MVP of the Deck community!

[@Darkuni]

Thank you!

[@drofwarcnwahs2108]

Outstanding tutorial. Thanks much. This is exactly what I was looking at doing so you saved me time in researching it. Thanks again.

[@GrantMoore3D]

Been struggling to do this for weeks, and boom! All done in no time at all, thanks so much for sharing the ISO, I simply could not figure out how to do it only owning a Mac

[@Ben4d123]

Thank you so much! I was banging my head against a wall trying to install Windows to my sd card with the Rufus method and kept hitting blue screen errors on boot. Tried this method and it worked like a charm!

[@Darkuni]

So glad it worked for you!!

[@neilsimmonsVOA]

@@Darkuni If I have a dual boot partition setup will I be same to assign this installation to the designated ntf operation?

[@Darkuni]

@@neilsimmonsVOA You know, I don't know. I use Windows on SD as more of a "cartridge game" experience. 98% of what I want to do is on SteamOS. When I need that 2%? I power off, switch cards and use the bootmanager. At least until official dual booting comes from Valve. :)

[@neilsimmonsVOA]

@ aah I see. Ok no worries and thank you for the great tutorial and quick response. Keep up the solid content creation!

[@victory3336]

My 2nd time doing a Windows installation on my Steam Deck, and the 2nd time this video helped me out. Many thanks friend!

[@Xislex]

easy to follow, you made sure to consider beginners and explained every small important details

[@Darkuni]

Appreciate it.

[@crossbow_v3nom]

@@Darkunitryed it but moment I wanne add the image file to etcher it give a error no Mather what I do soo frustrating

[@Darkuni]

@@crossbow_v3nom Can you share the error?

[@Underthanoa]

Man, thanks a lot for making this video and providing these resources. I was able to follow along and do this every step of the way. Thank you so much for your hard work!

[@jakeanderson3939]

Thank you mate, this tutorial is excellent, super easy to follow and no mucking around with unnecessary fluff.

[@Jotse-q6l]

This saved me and my SD, one day the Steam Deck just couldn't recognize nor format the SD card so i thought it was bricked even after formating with Rufus and trying to use it again it wouldn't work. I tried many ways to use it with Windows but every time the iso mounting process had errors, but this one actually worked so thank you very much

[@victorolaniran3722]

I do not consider myself a hard-core tinkerer, but since I got the steam deck, I have been forced to learn quite a lot fiddling with the device. Thanks a lot for the video

[@DawidDgk]

the best guide on internet by far! thank you so much. it took me a week to find a good guide. this one worked after two hours!

[@RyanKorea]

EXCELLENT video! Couldn't have asked for a better one. Well done and thank you!

[@Darkuni]

Thank you!

[@FalloutofContext]

Followed this video to a T, was the easiest tutorial I've ever followed! Thanks man!

[@manic_misfit9722]

Straight forward and easy to follow. Thanks for the help.

[@Dr.Ferret.f01]

Thank you my friend. Your tutorial was very helpful. I finished it all in an hour because I like to be slow about this stuff. That way I don’t mess up of course. Anyways, thanks again.

[@kewa_design]

Worked like a charm now I have windows on an external ssd ❤

[@Darkuni]

Whoop!

[@AJxPrime]

This 100% worked for me the first time I tried your steps without a single hiccup I also have the very best Micro SD card money can buy so everything went insanely fast . Windows doesn't even remotely stutter on my steam deck. I couldn't be more grateful to you and your channel instant sub !!!

[@KameirasWorldForever]

Does your sdcard have to be empty

[@allhandsonsteamdeck1440]

ANOTHER AWESOME 👍😎 TUTORIAL MAN THIS WAS SO CONCISE AND SIMPLE THX 🙏😊

[@Darkuni]

Thanks for watching!

[@KengaruZ]

Worked like a charm! So many tutorials and guides have failed me, seriously! I have been on this for DAYS! Thank you so so much for this

[@Darkuni]

I'm here to earn your sub ... every time.

[@Darkuni]

@@GamerAnime200 Once you shut down windows and the Deck powers off .. the next time you power on it should boot to Steam.

[@Darkuni]

@@GamerAnime200 Sure .. it works for me. I think that only goes for Windows 10 though. Windows 11 might overtake the bootloader or something.

[@Darkuni]

@@GamerAnime200 On how to shut down windows and restart your deck?

[@Darkuni]

@@GamerAnime200 I will not discuss piracy here.

[@shananigans8507]

You are so wonderful! I have used this tutorial twice now, once for myself, and once for my fiancé…you made it possible for us to get RedM on our Decks, and I seriously wish I could hug you🤗💜

[@draygonfire84]

Awesome video. Need more from deck videos from everybody great job man.

[@josephmercer5237]

Fantastic video. Just bought a SanDisk 256GB Extreme off Amazon and awaiting delivery, and this is exactly what I was looking for. Looking forward to doing this. You’ve got a new sub 👍

[@Darkuni]

I appreciate you!

[@josephmercer5237]

Hey man just a quick one, I downloaded the 64bit version of Etcher and I’m not getting the img one like you. Plus it won’t let me run it? Any ideas?

[@josephmercer5237]

Nevermind figured it out lol

[@Darkuni]

@@josephmercer5237 Can you provide a screenshot of what you're seeing....?

[@josephmercer5237]

@@Darkunisolved it mate. Thanks again for the vid.

[@matthieuberard2288]

Tanks, big hug for you, you just saved my life !! It's a very easy tuto, your the best

[@yvngmattfaded780]

best tutorial i’ve ever seen. definitely subscribing for this one

[@Darkuni]

Thank you!!

[@ItsPolarVR]

Thanks so much for the tutorial!! Im on Linux as daily and all the other tutorials I saw was using Rufus, that is only Windows compatible. Thanks!!

[@PrincipleDNB]

Tremendous! SO much easier than I thought, thanks for the detailed tutorial

[@Darkuni]

Glad to b e of service!

[@kxlla12]

why does it take me 8 hours to install the img file? @@Darkuni

[@Darkuni]

@@kxlla12 What's the SD card you're using? You can't use a cheapie for this. Sounds like a VERY SLOW writing card.

[@valiantstallion8952]

Worked like a charm, much appreciated my dude! Liked n subscribed, u get down to the point n no time wasted : )

[@aaronrosettes4388]

Dayyymn, We need more guys like you! *Salute*

[@Darkuni]

:blush:

[@ivo3777]

Straight to the point, explain very well , now I hav windows 10 on steam deck , thank you 😊

[@josecaceres6141]

Does it work? is running all the games well? I really want to try windows but I feel like it could go wrong

[@ivo3777]

@@josecaceres6141 yes work very well , I’m actually hav been playing steam games on window

[@josecaceres6141]

@@ivo3777 ok! Great. thanks a lot! Did you use mouse and keyboard to install the windows or you just use the steam deck controlls? Thanks again and sorry about all the questions.

[@ivo3777]

@@josecaceres6141 I used keyboard and mouse separately during the process, after I install window I follow this tutorial for keyboard kzbin.info/www/bejne/l16ze6iAbLp9acU

[@josecaceres6141]

@@ivo3777 wow, great video! thanks!

[@john_doe7059]

This is the video I was looking for! Thanks for the help😎

[@Darkuni]

Great!

[@derekt7206]

Thank you so much for this video!! I was able to follow the process and it was a quick and easy process to follow.

[@MetalistCore24]

Thank you very much! This tutorial worked!!!!!! I now have windows 10 running on my steam deck! Happy!!

[@juulalp]

Worked perfectly, thank you. Great explanations at each step too, helped me understand what we were doing as we did it.

[@Darkuni]

We try to do AND teach :)

[@jizaloop9955]

Amazing work sir , very smooth process 😢❤

[@antbonio303]

thank you so much bro. for some reason whenever i moved windows fresh install from my usb wether the windows install OR ISO file it didn’t get recognized this was the only way i was able to get windows booting THANK YOU!!! ❤️❤️

[@monkeycrunch9324]

Ah, forgot etcher exists - was looking for "Steam Deck Version of Rufus" and got your video somehow - going to flash just now - trying to fix another windows PC! Thank you!

[@Darkuni]

So glad it helped somehow! :)

[@danielgriffith5490]

Thank you been trying for so long , and finally I got it 🎉

[@sno0py954]

Came back after my 1st initial install which was a success. Back again because the new update wiped out my windows. I'll forever cherish this video. Thanks so much. It's super easy after you do it for the second time. I'll probably be back. 😂

[@Darkuni]

:) Glad to be of service!

[@RaymondReigns]

Much appreciated but unfortunately the new update caused my sd card to not be recognized in the boot manager. I'm trying to reflash the Windows img file but it says flash failed in balena etcher. It's trying to delete the existing files on the SD card but it's not working. It's a 512GB Samsung pro plus. 😢

[@Dave_cow]

Works great 2024, thanks!

[@ScarletRyodan]

This is literally the best tutorial out there. thank you

[@dariuswoznica3498]

Thanks a lot, my Micro SD to USB adapter died so I couldn´t follow the other guides. That was really helpful, I searched 3 days for something like that xD I can finally play Paladins...worth it xD

[@Darkuni]

I do miss not having Paladins ... sigh.

[@dariuswoznica3498]

@@Darkuni xD ^^

[@rdtech5776]

This! Thank you I’m saving this video and will definitely use this to get windows. This is appreciated

[@hechogamermx4812]

Excellent tutorial, just perfect. Great contribution to Steam Deck community, quite honestly the best gaming community I’ve been a part of. 😊 Blessings brother 🙏🏽

[@chriswarwick582]

That’s windows on the steam deck! Thank you! Just need to wait on the wifi drivers for oled

[@loaf0002]

I have getting ready, excited for this

[@loaf0002]

I have regrets as I corrupted my steamos

[@FlapjacksWolf]

Brilliant tutorial done this last night. Made life so much easier. Now I could play GTARP again

[@lorus0024]

Thanks man, great video and I appreciate the win 2go link! Will do this when I get a new SD card.

[@Darkuni]

Sweet! Hope it serves you well.

[@Alterantwi]

also this helped me More it helped me fix my PC my pc's SSD had a Messed up windows installation i took apart my steam deck put the SSD in it used Diskgenuis this tutorial Helped me a ton thanks for this you are a life saver ❤

[@aztech5191]

Thx for the help on reddit and on YT mate :)

[@majordolbyscat]

Thank you for all your hard work... works great for what I need (for that odd occasion I find myself perplexed by Linux) I am using a SanDisk Extreme 64GB.

[@Darkuni]

Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@Srs.wite157]

This works perfectly. Thanks man. You’re a great help.

[@robbwylie4488]

Outstanding tutorial - thanks so much fella

[@surrealchemist]

I set this up last night using a USB thumb drive. To make it easier on myself I used Etcher on my mac, then created a network share that had a directory with all the drivers from valve plus the resizer tool so I can add it before rebooting. Most of it was fine without using a keyboard or mouse, but the partition resizer was a bit tricky and I had to add a usb hub to do that. I think using a USB-C adapter for my usb drive works fine, you just have to be mindful of battery usage. Once steam is running you even get the on screen keyboard like you do in desktop mode.

[@Sunne2HatsuneC]

So you dont need mouse or keyboard? How do you control? Touch screen? How do u activate the keyboard

[@chegichannel]

Just as a question, wouldnt this also work with just writing directly onto a SD card using Windows and Rufus ? Would propably remove the step of having to repartition the SD card afterwards (havent tried it yet)

[@mostcoolkid78]

this d0esntnrequire windows

[@acaeg]

Best video ever. Thanks for the outstanding tutorial.

[@Darkuni]

I appreciate the nice words!

[@jayson47057]

Great Tutorial! Thank you very much!

[@vic8230]

Youre the man. Such a great tutorial, thank you!!!!

[@garycabezas]

This worked! Awesome, thank you!!!

[@seanevason6442]

Thankyou so much haven't got a pc so used your guide

[@Darkuni]

Glad it worked out for you!

[@PureSinaatraa]

It works! Easy to follow! The only thing I had a problem was it getting partitioned one the first try, I close out of the application and do the whole process again but it worked perfect after that!

[@Darkuni]

Good deal! Glad it helped you out!

[@AboOmaR_9]

Really thank you very much bro ❤❤❤

[@gavinrosalcala1099]

Hello, i don't know if you'll be able to read this, i'm currently trying to install windows on sd card but i just can't get pass over etcher, whenever i try to select from files, it always says "errormetadata' not a function. what do i have to do?

[@TheFranchise318]

I get the same error

[@LilBambi666]

Can’t download the windows from mega says file too big must install mega and I can’t install it

[@Darkuni]

Use a different mirror? I recommend koofr

[@Hester7410]

@@Darkuni link expired

[@Darkuni]

@@Hester7410 thanks for that. I'll try to make a new one. In the meantime the other two mirrors should work fine.

[@Darkuni]

@@Hester7410 I replaced it!

[@camiloparra8631]

Man this is what I've been waiting for this for months! Question - I have a 256gb, can I still install Steam Deck games on it or once I do this, I have to use it for Windows only? Thank youuuuuuuu!

[@Darkuni]

Windows only without some work. You COULD dual partition it, but this video doesn't cover that.

[@camiloparra8631]

@@Darkuni gotcha so in that case I should have one SD card with Windows and the other SD card for Steam Deck games? so where do I install for example Modern Warfare 2?

[@Darkuni]

@@camiloparra8631 Use two different cards; one with/for Windows ... the other for SteamOS games.

[@camiloparra8631]

@@Darkuni you're the man, thank you!

[@twylighttoaster2179]

Hey, i just did the tut. when remove the sd card it shuts down windows. also my internal space (ssd) won't show on windows. Any fixes?

[@Darkuni]

Uh ... you shouldn't be removing the SD card. You should shut down windows, remove the card and boot to SteamSO when done. No, EXT4 is not supported on Windows. You cannot access the SSD from Windows.

[@twylighttoaster2179]

@@Darkuni yeah, i already figured that out, thanks though!

[@Darkuni]

@@twylighttoaster2179 :)

[@lucaskaravokiris532]

Hey this is great but I’m stuck on one part. Im trying to set up the audio drivers but when I got to setup installation all I get is the notepad information. Please advise when able. Thank you

[@Darkuni]

Right click and hit Install?

[@lucaskaravokiris532]

I went to the setup installation after I extracted but it just opened a notepad

[@AlexBell1991]

Awesome tutorial. So I can just have a dedicated SD card for Windows and when I want to use SteamOS, I can simply remove the SD card and it will boot SteamOS from the internal SSD? I am very tempted to do this for lossless scaling frame generation.

[@Darkuni]

Yes you can!

[@bobjeffidk504]

great vid man still working a year later!!

[@Darkuni]

Could you offer up some details? Micro SD card make/model? How many hours a week you run on it?

[@jacsmith2217]

Worked great 👍

[@smeky]

Thank you so much dude!❤

[@adamszabo2293]

Hi! How did you create the Windows 10 to Go file? I would like to create a Windows 10 Home version of it. Thanks in advance!

[@fishy9s]

Is there a way to transfer files from windows to steamOS?

[@camerondole8047]

Thanks man I appreciate it

[@songodan45]

Two quick questions: 1) Do you have to format the SD card in a specific way or particular format prior to doing this for it to work? 2) If doing this to play anticheat games like MW2, are you just using game pass to access the game or just downloading the game from steam onto the same SD card to play it? If that’s the case do you have to partition the card to some other format to get the game to play?

[@Darkuni]

1. Nope. Etcher handles it. 2. I install Steam on Windows ... Then installed MW 2 from Steam and play from there. That prevents any controller issues.

[@Franco33671]

Im a little confused what you mean by take out your sd card and put your regular 1steam deck card in? 10:57 also what do you mean why do i need a key?

[@Darkuni]

Most people have an existing SD card they use with SteamOS. This tutorial assumes you would like to have Windows on its own SD card, while your SteamOS use card is separate. No, you can't use the same card for both uses. Well ... it may be possible with some clever partitioning, it isn't going to be covered here.

[@Franco33671]

@@Darkuni ohhhh ok I understand but will windows not work without a key tho?

[@Darkuni]

@@Franco33671 It will .. for awhile. At some point it will gimp out without an activation ... but Win 10 keys are dirt cheap, my friend. Or you could continue to use it gimped (it is thinks like personalization that are gimped).

[@diddlefiggins6557]

Great vid thanks man

[@cecilsalgado1151]

How do I remove windows of my steamdeck it doesn't let me remove it wen iam in windows everytime I power on my steam deck it goes on windows

[@Introwertyk94]

Thank you very much for your help. Windows works perfectly. I didn't know it was possible to have a fully working system on an SD card.

[@Darkuni]

I wouldn't use it as a daily driver, but when you gotta have that ONE elusive game? It does the trick.

[@Introwertyk94]

Yes, I will play Call of Duty on it. And for tools that do not work on SteamOS.SteamOS on the internal SSD and Windows on the SD card@@Darkuni

[@Darkuni]

@@Introwertyk94 Good deal. Works well enough for me!

[@Omnibus4Everyone]

Thanks. This worked amazingly well and was easy to do. One question tho: Is there an easy way to transfer files from the Linux side to Windows and vice versa?

[@Darkuni]

The safest way is an intermediate device. But I believe steam can reach into NTFS just not vice versa.

[@Omnibus4Everyone]

@@Darkuni I completely missed your comment. That’s what Ive experienced as well. I’m using Mega for the file transfers now. Thanks again.

[@Rojke88]

Great guide! Very helpfull, thx!

[@chromachino]

awesome, thank you so much! 😀👍🏻

[@mr._.memers536]

I need help with my wifi. when i setup the wifi drivers (like you did at 5:30) it installs everything and i click the finish button but no wifi options show

[@Darkuni]

You're using an LCD Deck right?

[@monkeyman3472]

I tried it with my externall ssd and after i wrote the image with balena i opened the ssd in the file manager and there was nothing in it

[@Darkuni]

You may have a BIOS setting incorrect ... take a look at this ... kzbin.info/www/bejne/nabSlqFjp7eApZo

[@tbeeb3400]

Amazing works 10/10

[@bggRus]

The best guide

[@alvinafotey5680]

Will definitely try it this weekend. Can it be done one the 64GB Deck? Considering the side of the windows os?

[@Darkuni]

The beauty of this method is it doesn't touch your steam deck at all. Any deck will do. Just be sure you're using a quality microSD card or the speed and performance will kill you.

[@JulianDiemOfficial]

So now i can decide wheter i boot windows in the boot menu from the sd card while still having the normal steam deck Software installed?

[@Darkuni]

Correct.

[@JulianDiemOfficial]

@@Darkuni Thats nice, next time i will get a new pc, i think i rather choose a steam deck (or maybe by then steam deck 2) so i have less stuff arround and this way i can have normal windows aswell

[@saxshton]

is it fine if i do this with a 128 gb sd card? i dont have much money and this is the only sd i have

[@Darkuni]

It will "work" but not sure you'll get what you need on the other side. As long as it is a high speed writer, you should be good .. but with so many "windows only" games clocking in at well over 100GB ...? You may find yourself a bit short.

[@saxshton]

⁠@@Darkunii saw that some games won’t be able to be downloaded but it’s fine i only really got windows on the deck for fortnite and half life alyx haha, another problem i had is activating windows (i’m not gonna spend any money i don’t have for windows on deck LOL)

[@saxshton]

nvmd, i found a way to activate, btw great tutorial 🙏

[@Darkuni]

@@saxshton That treads on piracy ... I stay away from that topic.

[@saxshton]

@@Darkuni true

[@Zustify99-petsimroblox]

So once windows is downloaded on the deck it uses the sd storage instead of the actual steam deck storage?

[@Darkuni]

With this process, the entire Windows package is stored, run and isolated to the SD card. Remove it? And it is like Windows never existed.

[@Zustify99-petsimroblox]

@@Darkuniahh I understand thank you for the answer I will sub so you can play any windows games without it lagging after the method?

[@Darkuni]

@@Zustify99-petsimroblox a high quality SD card and most games will perform well. If you have stutter issues, move to an external SSD.

[@bb-ballistics1706]

Is this the same for using a usb stick? When I download balena etcher it's showing up as a greyed out windows file. Won't let me open it, run it or install in. Help please

[@Darkuni]

Etcher will only write to certain devices. :(

[@bb-ballistics1706]

@@Darkuni got it working now but there's no files in ethcher when I open it

[@bb-ballistics1706]

Doesn't do anything when I boot from it? Do you have any way I can communicate with you and send you some pictures of what's going on please. I would very much appreciated it

[@Darkuni]

@@bb-ballistics1706 discord!

[@bb-ballistics1706]

@@Darkuni are you on now

[@TopViralReportTV]

Thank you

[@chriswarwick582]

So I’ve put my sd card in steam deck. When I select target..it says warning selecting your system drive is dangerous and will erase your drive…there’s nothing on the sd card and if click that it won’t affect my steam deck? Sorry I’m new to all this

[@Darkuni]

I can't imagine it saying that if you 're choosing the right card ....

[@J.Wick.]

Your videos are THE best, sir. One question, would this procedure also apply similarly, if not exact to the OLED model? Thanks in Adv.

[@Darkuni]

@@J.Wick. OLED doesn't have all the drivers yet. So I'm afraid not.

[@J.Wick.]

@@Darkuni that's what I thought. But wasn't sure. Thx.

[@Aspect2220]

It doesn’t let me open valence etcher on my steam deck just asking how to open because it is installed

[@Darkuni]

You grabbed the appimage as shown in the video?

[@dennell]

I already have a 1TB sd card with steam deck games installed on it.. can I not partition that card and add a boot manager on startup so select either windows or steam??

[@Darkuni]

Never done it. What I do know is that Windows requires THREE partitions and how they are made and the order .. matters. What you COULD do, I suppose, is copy your Deck games off, write this image, partition the free space the way you want, EXT4 the free partition and copy the games back. That would be the only way I can think of to make this work.

[@dennell]

@@Darkuni could I not just take the SD card out and just plug it into a card reader in my pc and just partition the remaining free space on the SD card ready for Windows leaving the deck games and partition in tact???

[@Darkuni]

@@dennell you have to manually build the partitions necessary and fill them with whatever they need. I don't know what it takes to hand install Windows like that. When you install Windows on a drive using the windows installer it builds the special partitions for you. What you're talkin about doing would require you build the partitions by hand. I don't know what's in those partitions or what the requirements are. If you do? That might do the trick