Steam Deck - How to Install & Run Windows on a Micro SD Card ( COMPLETE GUIDE )

[@mike3601]

PSA for other idiots: if, during windows setup, you're not getting the prompts that he's showing, it's because you forgot to select the "Windows to go" option. Great vid, thanks for the help

[@TheMmmooonnn]

Thanks. I'm one of the idiots.

[@xpthegamerx]

I got my steam deck 2 days ago , I came across your video and now am running windows 10 playing cod MW2 thanks bro I subb.

[@novagaming4970]

Is 256gb enough for cod?

[@trikster22]

the only reason im running windows 10 in this device because some cracked games ain't working really well and sometimes complicated even with lutris or wine.. ty for this video

[@danyalbutt9018]

Does cracked PC games work same as PC win 10 on deck bro ?

[@trikster22]

@@danyalbutt9018 when u have windows everything will work :)

[@davidleal7133]

I’m trying to get sega gt 2002 working and looks like this will be the trick!

[@sergeantxt]

Friend you running windows 11 from sd card ?

[@Ver11111]

Cracked games, as long as they work through proton, should be very simple to use on steam deck

[@mrfingers7243]

You made this so unbelievably simple and easy to follow. Thank you so much I absolutely appreciate you.

[@GameTechPlanet]

Thanks you. Thats the goal lol. Glad it was easy and worker for ya.

[@renzcarlosalanga6077]

it was never complicated if you ever know windows to go

[@equinox_equinox]

Just used this guide to install Windows 10 to an SD card alongside SteamOS on the internal SSD for the ability to dual boot. Very thorough and straightforward, thank you for this!! 😎

[@RobOnTheLens]

If we install windows to a extra sd card the card has to be in the deck in order to boot windows right? Or should I install windows on my main sd card which stays in the deck where all my games are?

[@equinox_equinox]

@@RobOnTheLens You can install Windows to any SD card you like. Windows becomes portable through that SD card, and yes, long as you have it inserted, Windows will boot naturally. You can have another SD card strictly for SteamOS without issues, which makes dual booting quite seamless!

[@RobOnTheLens]

@@equinox_equinox ok thanks!

[@MrTeguh123]

@@equinox_equinox if windows on sdcard,is cannot damage sd card?

[@equinox_equinox]

@@MrTeguh123 It is still possible for the SD to have bad sectors, though I have not had any bad experiences so far. Be careful with large files reading/writing though, will degrade the chip more over time

[@unmeitobaku4741]

I kept messing up because i hadn’t put this in windows to go… and for the life of me i was wondering why this wasn’t working?!?!?! Was starting to despair! But after watching this video.. I’m sure it will work for me finally!!!

[@nicholasgerace3120]

I have a pretty decent library of games that launch through the windows launcher, and since it's the only one you can't install to the Steam OS, being able to have windows on a SD card for when I want to play those on the go is great. Really easy to follow video, made everything a breeze.

[@AnCoolUsername]

I accidentally skipped the step where you select Windows To GO. Installed over the SSD lol Still a good walk through when my brain actually works correctly.

[@easterlingderek34]

This is a very good detailed guide, but I would install all drivers from valve before installing Lan drivers. Cause past experiences have taught me that if you let windows do the auto driver installation. Lot of time it can install stuff that can interfere with custom designed drivers making a lot of incompatibility happen. Only after the drivers are fully installed should you let window auto install and patch. Because a lot of first installs of drivers will make files and folders. Meant for a standard install on regular hardware, while you should let valve’s custom drivers prepare what is needed first.

[@GameTechPlanet]

Thanks for the comment. I know exacting what your talking about and in my 4 sd card installs so far I havent had the issue. But with pc there is no such thing as one right way and each person can actually have diff issues. Nice recommendation tho

[@easterlingderek34]

@@GameTechPlanet You are right there isn’t no such thing as right way. You can do it one way which work good for one system and another it ruin it.

[@ololo89]

Amazing guide! I'm almost tempted to refer to this video to other people doing guides to show them what information clarity means

[@SlySean44]

This was surprisingly easier than I thought it'd be. Thanks!

[@GameTechPlanet]

👍

[@HamstarGaming]

What an amazing Tutorial. It was super easy to follow along and made this whole process super simple. Thank you so much for this video. Have a great day!

[@GameTechPlanet]

Glad it was easy for ya. Enjoy. Have a great day!!

[@Duckers_McQuack]

And to note to people, sandisk extreme is more for large sequencial writes, aka 4k video recording, and moving large files to it provided sd card reader can read above 100MB's, or up to 160MB's,, but steam deck as far as i know only reads up to 100MB's if you transfer a large movie from it dor instance. But for games and windows, they will read 100's of small files, as sandisk extreme and ultra is pretty much identical for 4k ramndom speeds and writing/reading several small vs large files.

[@nugzmedallion8929]

Right trigger = left click Left trigger = right click You misspoke by saying right is right left is left, but otherwise this is a fantastic guide! I'm in the middle of following it right now (I'm at the download drivers phase rn)

[@GameTechPlanet]

Wondered how long till someone pointed that one out lol.

[@dianf2p552]

as a person who love using windows 10 this handled console is looking so good, that trackpad too!

[@SlightlyTired]

Thank you for this very helpful tutorial. I'm really excited to get my deck running with windows and gamepass.

[@GameTechPlanet]

Welcome. Hope it helps ya.

[@SlightlyTired]

@@GameTechPlanet just did it and it worked like a charm. I’m a novice with PC in general but the way you showed everything was very helpful. Thank you.

[@FlyOnWall2]

This video was phenomenal. I had followed another guide to try and get COD to work via Desktop to Steam OS with no luck. This guide took some time to follow, but was extremely helpful. I did run into a few snags at no fault of the creator which may help. Rufus would not read my Micro SD. Windows could see it, I could format it, but Rufus would not see it. Disk Manager had the unit greyed out. To fix this you must go to CMD command prompt listdisk and then manually reformat you're hard drive that way.

[@Thaisis1981]

press ALT + F and it will find it!

[@snesguy2817]

@@Thaisis1981 ur such a memer

[@natashaleak2842]

@@Thaisis1981 Thank you!!!

[@stereode1uxe]

Thx for this vid! I bought a Rove sd card which is supposed to be used for dash cams with 4K UHD Videos, Drones, Smartphones, Action Cameras, Body Camera. Hoping for better performance and longevity.

[@suprelink]

Tip: If Rufus cannot read your SD card, try pressing Alt + F in the Rufus window. This worked for me!

[@captainscorpio8158]

Took me a couple hours but i got it done thanks for the simple video

[@GameTechPlanet]

🙌

[@jasonst.bernard3561]

I was patiently waiting for someone to do a video like this. Thanks a milion

[@michaelrichardson5562]

Thanks

[@GameTechPlanet]

Welcome. Thank you for the support. Very appreciated.

[@intime2391]

What the brand of micro sd to USB adapter you use?? 2:42 tell me please. I like the design of that, but read some reviews that cheap adapters break down together with inserted micro sd..

[@scoobydoo7257]

Best guide ive seen so far on this!!🔥

[@pokopow]

nice tutorial , just want to ask , how to make shortcut for CTRL + ALT + DEL for task manager? cause sometimes the some game crash and stuck, and i need to press it. thank you!

[@aaronsloan4375]

This guide was very well done. Thank you sir

[@GameTechPlanet]

🙌

[@Inndar83]

thank you for this, this guide is great! once i've done this once though can i then just copy it across to another sd card or do i need to complete the whole process again?

[@b1gjoekrash]

Thank you. Your guide was complete and resourceful. Very evenly paced and thorough. I used a dock and that made things really easy. On this you got Top Billing!

[@GameTechPlanet]

Yooo thanks. Im gld it was easy to follow. The dock’s definitely make these things easier.

[@kekeliattipoe9237]

bro you just saved me big time😭. thank you so much. i can now play fifa and other games with ease

[@israelvallejo304]

getting black screen after trying to run a game on steam after set up any help

[@codyreedwashere]

Thank you Windows 11 worked out fine for me, Wifi driver worked out right out the gate

[@iscariotpaladin5363]

Great video I was wondering accouple things that i hope you could answer first is it still running smooth I heard alot of people say that it will basically burn out the card rather quick like with in a year have you come across any issues? two are your games also saved on the same sd card if so what size do you recommend for the process? and last I don't really follow a lot of the news has there been an update in regards to official dual booting that you mentioned?

[@GameTechPlanet]

This does still work but i dont run the sd card often as I use dual boot with a 1b ssd. But it does still function now. But yes these sd cards are not built to run operating systems and so much read / write so theres always chance of it wearing out much sooner. Games are installed on the sd card as well. No news so far about Official dual boot unfortunately. Size of sd card rly depends the games u wanna fit. Minimum 256GB and 512-1tb would be better. But i wouldnt over spend in it.

[@danielgreene4600]

a year later and this video was so helpfull

[@y7youngblood7b]

so if i remove the sd card it will just boot back to the linux steam os?

[@GameTechPlanet]

Yea. Or if u just go to the boot menu if u dont wanna remove it

[@y7youngblood7b]

@@GameTechPlanet and it’s safe to boot back and forth? Or will it require reinstall of windows and drivers every time you switch back? Sorry for all the questions, I will be doing installation in the morning. Also any thing else important to note? I appreciate your responses.

[@diesel5471]

I'm getting stuck at RUFUS 3.20 Where it only lets me Start if the drive is Labeled as FIXED. I have tried looking online for solutions but i cannot find any way to change this

[@kaoru288]

I cant thank you enough for this tutorial. concise Chapters, and straight to the point steps with specifics to help users be able to really follow your tutorials 1:1 unfortunately windows doesnt have TRIM for sd cards, cause after a while, my 128GB Sandisk extreme card has began to stutter and extremely slow down after weeks of seamless performance. If you do have tips on how to fix that issue, would defintely love to know!

[@Dacre118]

with the 256 gb sd card, how much space is free to install games?

[@GameTechPlanet]

After format, os install, updates and launchers. You should be around 190-200gb left of the 256 card.

[@marty7a]

Simply the best, nice to listen to and superbly easy!

[@juicedup4214]

I’m sorry if this question is weird but after installing this if you want to go back to Steam OS would you just select your internal ssd in the boot menu or need to reinstall it to your steam deck?

[@xaldin4ever]

Is it possible to make a "select your OS" like startup when power up the steamdeck?

[@Dave-kh6tx]

anybody that reads this if you have an extra 2.5" ssd laying around or you can get one for about ~$30/256, ~$50/512 or ~$100/1TB depending on how much you need windows and storage and a quality external enclosure with asmedia chip for $12-$20 and put a windows to go installation on it. I highly recommend this route and you should get 400-500MB speed depending on ssd and this is plenty fine. you dont have to touch any internal storage and reinstall and you only have to worry about boot screen when you plug the external windows in. you still get fast interactions with the os and if you need to move files off windows or make a big download this has you covered. these speeds are probably faster than your internet connection too.

[@GrandMasterlX]

but how are you going to charge your steam deck?

[@Dave-kh6tx]

@@GrandMasterlX use the SD dock or compatible dock with SSD plugged into USB a.

[@garymaya1767]

I think high endurance SD cards are the way to go for this. I have not had problems with the ras-pi using these for the OS. I think however it might be much slower for sd-cards but they do seem to work well for read-writes.

[@AztroGezzy]

Not letting me install the bayhub drivers what do I do

[@Egg.gineer]

Thank you for making this tutorial! Fingers crossed I can play games using EAC software now!

[@y7youngblood7b]

Were you able to play those games? Like mw2 or pubg? Jc as I’m about to too do this install myself for those reasons as well

[@Arixodia]

@@y7youngblood7b EAC literally has a proton download now, no need for Windows if that's all you want it for

[@menmabmx1995]

whats the proper setting when formatting sd card? do i need to format it first?

[@GameTechPlanet]

For windows I typically use NTFS

[@DelBoy573]

If im running windows off a SD card do I have to install any games I wanna play on that same SD or can I install the games on the decks internal SSD?

[@GameTechPlanet]

Yes install windows and games on the sd card. Your internal ssd is formatted for steam os which is diff than windows format. You would have to prtition your ssd and format the new partition for windows for this to work anr even then could have issues.

[@DelBoy573]

@@GameTechPlanet Ah ok thanks. So I need to buy a SD card big enough for windows and any games I wanna put on. Or can you swap SD cards after you’ve booted into windows?

[@xaldin4ever]

I didn't set "Prevent access to internal data" during the Rufus settings. There's a way I can prevent Windows to Go to access the internal data after the install?

[@bergdorfgoodman2191]

If I use this method would I be able to switch between steamOS and Windows by just removing the sd card

[@GameTechPlanet]

Yea

[@PlayGameToday]

This video for Steam Deck LCD. For Steam Deck OLED still no compatible Audio, WiFi and Bluetooth drivers

[@GameTechPlanet]

Very true. Hopefully valve will get those out but its been awhile since

[@MichaelBrown-tf9sh]

have you tried to use a m.2 threw the type c or used a hub with a sd card threw the type c?

[@GameTechPlanet]

M.2 ssd in a dock with usbc for windows I have done. It works pretty well

[@destine4g942]

Tutorial helps make the setup seem so much easier to do. I'm wondering, tho if I decide to replace my SD card, would I have to redo the setup again?

[@GameTechPlanet]

Yes. As windows is on the se card not the deck this way

[@calebfoster2520]

Do we have to format the sd card on the steam deck before doing all of this?

[@wessel3105]

Thnx!! It was really easy to follow!!💪🏼👏🏽

[@thepinkpanther3307]

Great video GTP🔥🔥 #dilfpower

[@GameTechPlanet]

Thanks 🐆 for the comment and hashtag 🤣

[@GmoneyNYC]

Awesome video! I was wondering about sleep mode and restarting. If I was on windows and shut down does the SD automatically Power on into Windows until I change it in the Bios? Also, does sleep mode work like normal If I am on windows and have steam open say and then I put it to sleep, does it start back up to where I left off or does it make more sense to just close out of everything and shut down instead? thanks again

[@anatomy123isforme]

when I'm copying the github resources, I get an error message saying that those files have properties that cannot be copied. how can I fix this?

[@coolwhiphimself7753]

Worked great, really nice tutorial thanks

[@GameTechPlanet]

Awesome. Glad it was helpful

[@PixelPanda-m8g]

I'm having trouble with this in docked mode it won't go into fullscreen, and then the calibration of my mouse is completely off

[@call_me_Nunez]

Thanks so much for this guide man! If Hoyo is going to delay Genshin on switch then I'll put it on the steam deck!

[@SHADY_REMIX]

i write that I need to purchase a version of Windows 10 home in the store for customization or even in the settings

[@jojooflondon]

Do I have to choose every time from where to boot when starting the deck (when the sd card is in). For instance when windows restarts due to updates?

[@cherryferner]

Could i use this as a computer? Like for mobility? Bc i want to use for like drawing. Would have downsides? Like speed and all of that stuff

[@KRAM-zb2vc]

Once I’ve downloaded the drivers from steam, do I need to unpack them into the driver folder ?, sorry if it’s a daft question but I’m not very computer literate 😌

[@akalocksmith7374]

Are the conteoller software suppurting the gyroscope as well? Have you testet the gyroscope in windows? Thank you.

[@leilavergerius9223]

Hello, a sand disk extreme version would be good for this? and how much capacity you recomend for w10 and some games be installed?, Regards.

[@jestificated]

If you are using a steamdeck custom layout does the game recognize it as a controller? I feel like all of the mouse/keyboard settings even though a controller when all is done interfere with the aim assist that you'd get with a normal xbox windows controller. Feels like I am aiming with a mouse in Destiny 2.

[@Etaq100]

all was good but got couples errors, like this one when i try to install audio drivers (The Third-Party Inf Does Not Contain Digital Signature Information) and i cant install audio drivers how i can fix that problem?

[@dandel2226]

This is great but I find it questionable because, wouldn't it run slower? Running off the SD card? I wonder and considering full windows on the physical card and steamdeck on the micro SD card. I guess it would matter on what type of games your looking to play.

[@xdinorun]

how can you switch between the different OS? I want to keep my sd card in my steam deck at all times so would I have to manually go into the state where you switch between micro sd and ssd each time?

[@WhatThePheel]

This is an amazing guide, followed step by step and everything worked like a charm. One thing, is there a way to create an alt tab short key?

[@TheArtofCalebRoe]

I'm at the 7min mark exactly and i got a error saying incompatible drive detected. Do i need to download all those other files and drivers you were talking about 1st? It says windows to go can only be installed on a gpt partitioned drive if it has the fixed attribute set. The current drive was not detected as fixed

[@pasoio]

The Resources for the Drivers state, that: "Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Audio drivers for Windows on Steam Deck OLED are currently being worked on, and will be available soon." So i'm assuming this guide currently doesn't work for the SteamDeck OLED, correct?

[@kamzilla3000]

is there away to do a partition and run it off of the internal SSD instead?

[@GameTechPlanet]

Yea. Check out my other dual boot video for that

[@kamzilla3000]

@@GameTechPlanet appreciate it !

[@overconfidentprogamer6202]

thanks for the tutorial. do you know why my right trigger causes the steamdeck to scroll, for example i cannot connect to the internet because when i press right trigger it scrolls to the bottom of all the networks and clicks the bottom one for some random reason. any help much appriciated (this also happens in all options and menus like the start menu

[@shkipiii]

Thanks! But how did your Steam Deck see the SD card formatted under Windows in the boot menu? Not working for me unless I format the SD card in Steam Deck.

[@GameTechPlanet]

Im rly not sure unfortunately. Ive done this process half a dozen times with two steam decks and never had that issue. They still working now. If i come across anything ill update. Hopefully you got it figured out.

[@alejandrobonfiglio506]

Quick question before I do this tomorrow when my sd card arrives, do I need to format it on the steam deck first, or do I format it on the pc?

[@GameTechPlanet]

All done on the pc

[@alejandrobonfiglio506]

@GameTechPlanet thank you. Also, you said you had 2 sd cards. Do I need 2 as well? Or will I be able to use the sd card that the os is on to save games on etc.

[@thegogo2087]

Very informative vid. Also what theme you using? Cool BG

[@zandydandy4642]

So far works perfectly. Thank you for the amazing guide!! My only issue is the keyboard doesn't pop up like yours even when I check that show setting. Does anyone have any ideas why this might be happening?

[@neilcressey8189]

Outstanding video! Top job thanks.

[@robertabda0121]

What partition should I select when it asks during windows set up if I want to install windows to the SD card?

[@x9_ii057]

do the driver files need to be compressed when you get into windows for the first time?

[@Sonickirbystar]

I need a product key to edit my windows themes and such. Where does one get one?

[@Prod_B-hala]

Can I get around the controller software by adding the games as a non steam game?

[@snappy2725]

This worked great getting windows going. But when it comes to the controller i think I'm confused. Having steam open (and controller app set as suggested) in the background while playing diablo 4 through battlenet to test it out was a mess. I shut down steam, and then everything worked as it should except i wsd unable to bring up the touch keyboard when needed for stuff like creating a name. I've watched this repeatedly to make sure i wasn't missing any steps. Anything i could try to have full functionality?

[@idk8964]

So we use the same drivers for Windows 11 too?

[@Steamdeckyoutuber]

I always run on problems when doing this.when i plug the windows steam deck into a monitor it runs,but when i open chrome,the screen turns black

[@Loadedzerk]

Thank you I just installed Windows 10 by following everything you did it seems to be working perfectly I played paladins and Overwatch 2 but I have one problem with Overwatch too when I unplug my steam deck and play it on battery it crashes hard and restart or I get a blue screen of death but it is completely fine if I run it plugged in do you know how I could fix this I already have the performance in windows set to high performance mode I've turned game mode off and I've already changed the UM a buffer to four gig in the BIOS is there any other way I can tune the power so maybe it draws less from the battery when it's not plugged in there seems to be no power options in the BIOS that I can tell

[@fernandojfm99]

YOU ARE MY HERO. Thanks man🙌🏻

[@GameTechPlanet]

🙌

[@fernandojfm99]

@@GameTechPlanet Hey bro. Is there any way to connect an Xbox controller to play FIFA 23 on Windows on Steam Deck??

[@GameTechPlanet]

@@fernandojfm99 I used an xbox controller connected thru bluetooth just fine

[@RussRyan7713]

Great guide. Going to do this tomorrow for MWII. No one asked. So when in Windows can you just "sleep" it and resume mid game. Or is that just bad in Windows. Thanks.

[@coreyspitzer2811]

My Right TouchPad seems to be acting like a joy stick, you touch a side of the pad and the cursor moves in that direction. Not in normal behavior like moving your finger to move the cursor. Any idea?

[@MasterJedi24601]

would i need a USB driver if i were to plug in a flash drive and use it as extra VRAM ?

[@TomDoesGaming177]

Do I extract and run the files on my computer then put them on the ssd or jus put them on as is

[@Sleepsmedication]

Why cant i run destiny, wz2, dead by daylight? On my windows 10 steam deck? Someone help please! For warzone says i need some shader thing or some new to PC’s

[@GameTechPlanet]

There are some games now that basically require windows 11. Some have work arounds to get working but I am not super familiar you would jeed to go searching. As far as the games affected i dont know either but there are plenty

[@INFINITYREALM]

Thank you, as as Mac user who doesn't have a separate PC, how to put Windows on SD card?

[@ZuhaibZakaria]

Virtual Box?

[@HoLeeFvk6945]

Do you recommend installing windows 10 on a sandisk a1? I'm using that sd card and it runs kinda crap.

[@josephtiessen]

Maybe I miss this but can I have windows on the microSD card and steam OS games on the same SD card? So when I switch back to steam I'll ask can I still play the games that are saved on the microSD card that are non window games. I have a pretty big micro SD card that I have my steam OS game saved too and I'd like to be able to use it for both but I wasn't sure if I could do that. But definitely excited to give this a shot. I think I'm going to try it tonight or this weekend. Thanks for the great video!

[@GameTechPlanet]

Typically no you cant have windows and steam os games on same micro sd. Steam OS requires a different format than windows. You could partition your micro sd and carve out some steam os game space but its not always great in the micro sd’s.

[@josephtiessen]

@@GameTechPlanet ok I'll pick up a dedicated SD for the windows stuff then. Do you think a 256 GB would be fine for a few games? Honestly I just wanna play mw2 on the go lol

[@Ericgoth1]

thank you for good job, also, can't you just add nosteam game exe into library to automatically adding steam controller to it? I think I've done it with dead spase 2 on steam deck. (on steam os thought)

[@GameTechPlanet]

Ive had some issue with the non steam game controller working so i havent messed with it much but in theory it could work. Not sure if it will affect performance

[@dile174]

You're the man. Thanks!

[@Legion3_TV]

What does the SWICD drivers do exactly? What if I run another game (ex. from battlenet) with steam opened? Will the touch controllers still work?

[@shotygamingonyt]

hey the connection of the wifi is horrible now on win 10 ? is there any solution i get like a small disconnect every 30 sec or so when im playing on win 10? like warzone it starts with 40 ping and then randomely goes to 999 for a sec ? it was like this when i got it but it was fixed in developer mode and power magemant but now i can´t do that in win 10 anymore i need HELP PLEASE