How to Dual Boot Steam Deck

[@polar-star64]

Genuinely a great tutorial. Not slow, gets straight to the point without lingering on about useless topics. Great job!

[@ChiefSweet]

Thank you

[@despressoclips]

Fun Fact: You can get straight to the Boot Manager by holding Minus instead of Plus when starting your deck.

[@DrVagax]

Thanks! This saved me some time

[@harry619]

Newbie here, do you need to install other bootloaders (like Clover) or the bootmanager that comes from pressing that "-" + "Power" button already sufficient enough?

[@zwtmc]

@@harry619You dont need clover. The boot loader you can access by holding the volume down and power button will work just fine and is probably safer

[@harry619]

@@zwtmc Thank you for the reply!

[@DarklandsKingBowser]

​@@zwtmc Thank you for this comment

[@darrenpurcell6353]

Easily the best tutorial I've ever watched on KZbin. Clear, fast, no nonsense. Thank you!

[@jojosbread_owo]

This is the definition of a good tutorial. Short, easy to follow, and no filler. Thank you so much :3

[@Bauks]

100% Accurate. 0 Fat. It took about 2 hours total time with all the downloading and installing from scratch. It works great. Thank you very much.

[@exploreradventure4322]

It's amazing that Steam Deck is just so versatile handheld PC. Linux based SteamOS and Windows are both insane the Deck is my favourite tech ever.

[@ChiefSweet]

Yes I feel the same! It’s amazing

[@everettehungerford2858]

Thank you! You are both detailed and precise without being overlong, I dig it!

[@ChiefSweet]

Very much appreciated 😁

[@LordS20000]

I prefer deck wizards method because it gives you a selection screen but I also love this method

[@christiansantamaria7233]

Crazy in less 10 minutes you can have a whole other operating system unlocking thousands of more games and possibilities im so hyped for my deck just bought it literally today now the waiting game :)

[@ChiefSweet]

Yeah crazy stuff. Kind of exciting really 😁

[@christiansantamaria7233]

@@ChiefSweet yo i finally installed windows i went the internal route and gparted my internal drive i went wit tiny11 since i have the 64gb model thanks outa everyone your the one who explains it best!

[@luiscaletto2646]

​@christiansantamaria7233 how'd that go. I have the 256 gb sd and was gonna do it on that.

[@idlebead1002]

@@christiansantamaria7233do you need to pay for tiny 11

[@ultimatebreak827]

I wouldn't say 10 mins cause of that long process but yea

[@yaronefefrati6082]

you should do a tutorial "How to do a tutorial". absolutely the best tutorial in youtube . Chief Sweet you are the s*** Thanks man

[@ChiefSweet]

I appreciate you a lot!

[@MREnds08]

Your simplicity and straight to the point has Inspired me!

[@ChiefSweet]

That’s awesome! Glad to inspire

[@cari9157]

this is the absolute most helpful video I've seen, thank you!! step by step and straight to the point for someone who is easily overwhelmed by tinkering. I can't thank you enough. and thank you for showing how to switch between the OS as well!

[@ChiefSweet]

Appreciate that!

[@SquidwardTentacles5058]

You literally made my deck so much more useful and amazing. Thank you very much for your research and time in this video 💯💯💯💯💯

[@ultimatebreak827]

I cant wait to do this, being able to try out fortnite will be cool

[@xdinorun]

@@ultimatebreak827 did it work?

[@ultimatebreak827]

@@xdinorun yea it did but windows is slow and Fortnite doesn’t run very well

[@xdinorun]

@@ultimatebreak827 so do you regret doing it? I was worried about doing it right after he said he made his own software or something for the screen to choose whether you want windows or steam os. kinda worried I might get a virus or sum

[@ultimatebreak827]

@@xdinorun It worked and everything but was super slow running off of a microsd card.

[@AyysssssKendi]

Thank you for this very straightforward, no BS tutorial. You definitely deserve more subs! Thanks champ!

[@hannahalbangbee3682]

Omds? This is genuinely one of the most concise and informative tutorials I've ever listened to, You were so straight to the point I was done in seconds! Thank you so much!

[@ChiefSweet]

Appreciate you

[@Supernovatvs]

Your videos are literally perfect. No bs, just you explaining how to do it perfectly. Thank you sir

[@crosscoregaming4035]

This was so helpful, going step by step and extremely easy to follow. Thank you sir!

[@DeeLow52]

U are literally the best steam guy on youtube! THANK U SO MUCH

[@ChiefSweet]

No problem thank you for the kind words

[@grellkaizer3720]

Hey man, I just added Windows so I can dual boot windows on my steamdeck, worked 100%. Thanks man, instant subbed.

[@ChiefSweet]

Appreciate you

[@Ramsteinrig]

THIS is the video that helped me the most! Short and to the point and very well-explained. Thanks a TON!

[@ChiefSweet]

No problem glad to help

[@baconious1380]

Sir. You just helped me a ton. I don’t have to carry my shitty laptop and deck. Not I carry a small keyboard. Dock and my deck with a mouse. 15/10 tutorial. Best I’ve ever seen so far

[@snwdrop]

Came across this video as i was looking up ways to setup dual boot for the deck. Really nice video and a pretty clear one! Just a quick question though, all these drivers, updates and etc. they all will be installed on the microSD card we use for the WinOS right? And also if we were to install games on the WinOS, i would assume everything will go into the SD card too?

[@MamaDespik]

This tutorial is perfect, but any chance you can do one for how to dual boot on internal storage instead of an SD card?

[@john9738]

Extremely helpful and concise. Saved me from buying a windows handheld for a couple games.

[@ANJIN79SAMMA]

Damn that was right to point - no fluff- NICE! Thanks for this man, been needing this

[@ChiefSweet]

Glad to help 😁

[@Ac3ofDr4gons]

Thank you, this guide was perfect. All the necessary steps were in there, along with a few extra tips at the end to help with the on-screen keyboard.

[@ChiefSweet]

Appreciate you

[@AnhNguyen-yn8vn]

THIS WAS THE BEST TUTORIAL THERE IS THE OTHERS WERE SO COMPLICATED I WAS GONNA GET SCARED OF MESSING IT UP😭

[@ChiefSweet]

Happy to help

[@thomgardner5293]

Insanely easy to follow and works perfectly, thanks so much!

[@ChiefSweet]

Happy to help

[@Lo-Fi-_-Gaming]

Best video tutorial I've seen on youtube. For more than 20 years of my life this is the best - please accept this medal 🥇 😆 Praising aside. Do you have any issues with this dual booting after 4 months of experience? Will this also affect any of my current data in my steamOS? Hopefully I can get an answer. Im kinda scared of dual booting my SD but I wanna play my windows games lol😅

[@ChiefSweet]

Thank you very much! I have had no issues at all this entire time

[@awsome6948]

u able to do it with windows 11 also?

[@isaiahreinmiller9311]

I did the exact thing he did but with windows 11 and it worked the same so yeah you can

[@mattpage2378]

thank you so much for your very thorough and straight to the point video

[@ChiefSweet]

Happy to help

[@Typlay87]

I got to the steam deck process and it's asking for the product key and won't install. Did I miss a step?

[@Typlay87]

I think I missed clicking windows to go.. 😮

[@angilif32]

Thank you so much! Made it so easy to understand and follow.

[@putrasuprz2243]

i have installed windows on my deck but when i go into steamOS gaming mode i cannot use my sd card unless i format it🤐

[@propalmer5097]

Can you keep games installed on your sd card from steam os and get windows on the same card?

[@man_decoy]

Bloat box is the next thing you should do after this! It'll relieve so much ram and cpu usage due to windows bloatware removal.

[@EZCOOKSIT]

All the other videos I have seen are way to dang long. Thank you for breaking it down. I have windows 10 right now without the dual boot and just want to play cod on the deck 😂

[@ChiefSweet]

Understandable I bought the deck to play cod as well 😁

[@oddworlddude]

I've now done this but I had to use EasyUEFI to install Windows 10 to an external HDD, because my microSD card wouldn't format properly. I managed to follow your other steps though, so thanks for a helpful video!

[@onecoolguy123]

From SteamOS will I still be able to use free space on the SSD that has the windows install for game installs and such?

[@JunkYardTM]

It's not technically dual boot. It has two independent drives. Dual booting is when a single boot drive is partitioned with more than one OS image. Great video.

[@TenTenzo]

Just as I was thinking about it this video pops up🙏

[@ChiefSweet]

The algorithm knew

[@soulbravo337]

You need to keep the micro sd card inserted all the item your using windows? What about the micros sd card with game? Can i download game to the same micros sd card where is windows installed?

[@ericcarcamo6201]

Put of curiosity do I have to do the volume down and power button every boot or will the deck recognize which operating system booted last

[@ChiefSweet]

It will recognize which booted last. At least that’s what mine does

[@Saeedandi]

Thanks. Its really helpful. Thank you for making it simple

[@ianmonks4681]

Thanks for video, I will be doing this when my deck arrives

[@Typlay87]

Dumb question, can I install windows 10 to the steam deck via the SD dock vs placing card into the deck itself? I have a 1tb card in the deck with a lot of junk I don't want to take out if I don't have to.

[@JESSROCKEDChannel]

I want to know if you have a game installed on the STEAMOS, is it also shared on the WINDOWS? like it will appear flawlessly in any OS?

[@tedged]

getting my deck tomorrow. good video. subbed.

[@ChiefSweet]

Appreciate you

[@JoaoVictor-of9sh]

Thank you!! Grat video! But I got a question: how to install games on sd windows on the steam deck? Do the games use the sd or steam deck storage?

[@ChiefSweet]

It will use the sd card

[@JerryTNF]

This is a quick and easy way to install Windows, but this installs onto the SD card. A large number of sd cards on the steam deck fails when windows runs from the sd card itself. The driver install section was really helpful

[@bungiggy]

Best tutorial out here, chief. 10/10.

[@ChiefSweet]

Thank you 🙏

[@erikdawkins4565]

Good video. Thanks for the content @Cheif Sweet Is Windows on the steam deck worth it? I remember early on alot of complaints about it being unplayable. Also, how much space does it take away from the internal storage? And do I need to keep the SD card in after it is installed when I want to play games on Windows?

[@ChiefSweet]

If you download windows on the sd card you have to keep the sd card in. Windows 10 I think is worth it. Windows 11 isn’t worth it.

[@samuelcabrera8216]

@@ChiefSweet why not windows 11?

[@FearlessGUR]

Can I do the exact same thing but Windows 11?

[@ar8dc]

Does this install windows on the internal storage or the sd, and can i format the sd and use it for other stuff later ???

[@SpinnerYTGL]

100% works. Thank you for your help :)

[@zach23183]

Would this be possible to do on the steam deck alone? If you use proton to open the .exe files and set up everything up from the steam deck. Or is that just stupid

[@abdilahrf]

easy to follow and its fast only 7 minutes video good job.

[@fibonacci37]

When I do this my boot screen looks different and it immediately asks to put in my key code. Are you skipping this part or did I do this incorrectly

[@deathange820]

Awesome tutorial. Question, in windows, is it possible to have the left trackpad work as a scroll wheel?

[@ChiefSweet]

Yes I have a video installing software where you can customize buttons on the deck for windows however you want

[@amp4203a]

Great tutorial. What were you using to screen record on the Deck ?

[@zekealabat5917]

What would happen if i remove the sd card that has windows?

[@TheGameShower]

Great video! Question now, do you have to always do that turn off and volume button to pick what to boot from? Also, does it delete anything you already have on your steam deck such as emulators, games and so on?

[@NinjaGaming101]

hey question, one of the things updating is stuck at 44%... and I have a feeling that ALSO might be the cause of my steam games immediately crashing upon boot, and also my trackpad just straight up not working most times... help?

[@scrapmetalgames5032]

I tried doing this for like 6 hours a few days ago cause the other people were skipping steps or just weren't explaining this correctly and because of them I ended up not only not getting windows but also deleting steam os of my steam deck along with everything on it, I did it with this video alone and all I had to do outside of installing everything was go to Walmart and get a usb adapter and micro Sd to hold the drivers

[@iBuff_]

Wow. Fantastic, concise information. Just made me a whole lot more comfortable with the process. THANK YOU!!

[@ChiefSweet]

Happy to help

[@iBuff_]

@@ChiefSweet just got it locked and loaded. Let's go!! Thanks, again.

[@MightyWolfTV]

So, I have a 512 micro sd card already in my Steam deck filled with games. Do I have to format it to install windows on it? Or can I use a different micro sd card and swap the micro sd card afterwards?

[@pathet11cc]

Of course you can swap them

[@qwertyboi32]

Great vid man, super concise and easy to follow!

[@ChiefSweet]

Thank you

[@Paperboi.]

This is a awesome tutorial and 100% would recommend

[@beans3001]

Thanks! Having windows on it is super cursed but i love it

[@Captain_Eddy]

Hurrah! Fantastic video! 🎉

[@ChiefSweet]

Thank you

[@gamingandgardening]

Thanks for this video. Does the SD card last a long time before dying?

[@emric4825]

can you do this on a SD card that is currently being used by the system? or do you have to wipe it/use a different one

[@isaackson5144]

Apparently dual boot on a sd card kill the deck. Be carefull

[@michamations]

Does this tutorial also apply to windows 11 or just windows 10?

[@benjaminadames7266]

hey i followed along but my steam deck is not recognizing external monitors

[@ChiefSweet]

You downloaded the drivers as well?

[@fielddart8204]

Thank you for this video, I just have one question though. If windows is installed on the sd card, then what happens if I take it out? What if it gets full? Also, I know I said one question, but is this whole process reversible?

[@SubjectiveFunny]

Wow, you nailed that explanation Great job 👍

[@fuzzinator9523]

i assume u can but can u just use an external hdd or ssd by using it docked

[@tombradyloverboy]

Great video! But I just have a question for you, if I have a 512gb micro sd card, will I be able todownload games on windows and steam if i have enough space?

[@somewhatgoodatpvp]

When switching back to windows, you choose windows boot manager, like it showed at the top of your boot list?

[@elmergloo3259]

I’m confused did you just install windows on the SD card? Or did you create a partition? I’m interested in creating a partition for Windows and SteamOS on the same SSD

[@ChiefSweet]

Installed it on the sd card I am gonna make one with partitioning the internal drive very soon

[@zex8274]

Will that be same to make partitions of sd card and install windows on sd card ?

[@hvk357]

@@ChiefSweet Hows that video coming along? I got a deck and 2tb ssd on the way lol

[@ChiefSweet]

@@hvk357 should be up by next week

[@SunBleachedYouth]

Does the steam deck automatically boot to whatever your last boot device was? Do you have to go to the boot manager every time you boot the deck? What happens if you just pull out your windows SD card? Will it automatically switch back to Steam OS on the internal drive?

[@damnedsaint5463]

Thank you for your videos, i bought a steam deck about a month ago and upgrade the storage and was on the fence about windows on it. The question I have is, can I use the internal Nvme for windows and install steamos on the micro sd? And if so, which configuration would be best?

[@LunaticOnPixiv]

i dont rly think you can do that since you have to make it to a bootable device im not that sure but i dont think so

[@kaneru8593]

Well done. Best guide that can be.

[@ChiefSweet]

Appreciate it

[@fireblaze302]

is the sd required unlike non dual boot or is it not available without a sd card

[@bolor969]

Dumb question, but can I install windows using a usb-c stick instead?

[@Senthynel]

Yes you can, also works with an external SSD, but youll need a USB dock if you plan to charge the battery while using the steam deck since your only way of charging it is blocked

[@reedygaming4585]

and can you switch out sd cards one with the winodws on it and one with linux games without compromising the winodws integrity or avoid doing setup again

[@ChiefSweet]

Yes you can.

[@Alekslad]

64gb microsd enough? Isn't 128gb fine?

[@Lermer07]

Is there a specific SD card that you would recommend for this?

[@rushmore3927]

Windows cache and file management loves burning out write state function on sd cards. I think extreme Sandisk might have a chance of a decent life.

[@crazexwarzone985]

Thanks once again, going to try this now. 👍

[@ChiefSweet]

No problem glad to help. Let me know how it goes

[@Fyeex_MainAcc]

Quick question, do you Need Rufus? Or can i just activate Windows the normal was with a Code?

[@iqmalanderson176]

hi if i don't have a flashdrive, what other options do i have? i do have extra sd card though? other than the one for my steam deck? pls help!

[@highscoreshighstakes]

unreal tutorial! Super easy to follow and made the process absolutely fool proof!

[@astnla]

What if you have a microSD that you already use for the SteamOS? I have a 1TB and doing this would erase everything on it which are my games. Could I use a flash drive instead but still follow the same process?

[@ChiefSweet]

Yeah you could.

[@LilSicky7]

I have a question for the Wi-Fi adapter download. Can I use that to install Wi-Fi in a computer other than the steam deck or does it have to be the steam deck?🤔

[@Fliim]

Getting my deck in a few days… so is this instance of windows only using the sd card or doesn’t also detect the empty space on the internal SSD if the deck?

[@brandonwalker8666]

Steam os doesnt show up for me and it wont let me get pass the portion settings when setting up windows

[@kaneru8593]

Bro, do i need to wipe all my data from sd card ? I have some games in micro sd, so they can live alongside without problems?

[@XxThrillhouseXx]

Not super techie so sorry if this is a dumb comment. So the micro sd is only providing storage for windows, and it has to be inserted to boot windows. Does that mean SteamOS is using my internal storage? If so is it the only thing using it? I’m mostly asking because I don’t want to have to worry about partitioning my storage. Thanks :)

[@ChiefSweet]

yes you are correct steam os is the only thing using internal and windows will use the micro sd

[@samirahman24]

So if you just boot it up regularly after shutting down, will it automatically boot into steam or the boot manager?

[@ChiefSweet]

It’ll usually boot into whatever OS you was in last.

[@samirahman24]

Thank you bro, do you have a video on dual booting but just having an option to choose either steam or windows on startup, there are other videos out there but far too complicated

[@mr.dikkens]

Im missing how you partition this? Or did you install it on the external drive?