This article includes different options to reset, recover, repair, or re-image your Steam Deck. You might need to do this if you are unable to boot, want to clear local data on your device, or have installed another OS and would like to get back to standard Deck SteamOS, or are experiencing other breaking issues.

Steam Deck Recovery Options

• Factory Reset (clear all local data, and reinstall Steam)
  
• Erase user data from Deck (clear all local data)
  
• Rollback to previous OS (recover to previous known good OS while retaining user data)
  
• Recovery via Re-image (wipes all data on the device and installs the OS)
  

Factory Reset

For situations where you want to clear all local data (including games, etc.) and reinstall Steam/SteamOS, you can make use of this feature.

This option can be used if your Deck can boot successfully into Steam.

1. While in Steam, press the "Steam" button, go to "Settings" and then "System".
   
2. From there scroll down to the Factory Reset option and select the "Factory Reset" button.
   
   Note: The 'Re-install SteamOS' option may require an active internet connection. If a system file has been modified, this operation will download the original version to restore them to an unmodified state. If you cannot or do not want to connect the device to the internet, you can disable the 'Re-install SteamOS' option or use the "Rollback to previous OS" option to revert to the previous version of SteamOS.
   

Erase user data from Deck

This option is useful if you want to erase all local user data on the Deck but do not want to, or cannot load into game mode to use the Factory Reset option to erase it. Accessing this menu requires specific button presses and for the device to be completely shut down.

1. Fully power the unit down by holding the power button for 10 seconds. We recommend to do these steps while the unit is plugged into the power supply.
   
2. Hold the "..." button down and press the power button to turn on the device
   
3. Continue to hold the "..." button down until you see a menu labeled "SteamOS"
   
   The recovery menu will look something like below:
   
   
   
4. From this menu you can choose "ERASE USER DATA FROM DECK". This will erase any local user data.
   

Rollback to previous OS

SteamOS for Deck has the ability to recover to a last known good version of the Operating System (OS) while retaining user data (e.g. installed games, saves, etc.). This can be useful for situations where you believe some recent modification in the OS may have caused an issue, or you suspect you have corrupted data in your current OS and want to retain your user data.

To roll back to the previous OS, see the instructions below:

1. Fully power the unit down by holding the power button for 10 seconds. We recommend to do these steps while the unit is plugged into the power supply.
   
2. Hold the "..." button down and press the power button to turn on the device
   
3. Continue to hold the "..." button down until you see a menu labeled "SteamOS"
   
   The recovery menu will look something like below:
   
   
   
4. From this menu you would choose the second option from the top that says "Previous SteamOS..."
   

Recovery via Image

The following instructions are for how to recover, repair, or re-image your Steam Deck using the SteamOS image. This method will clear all data on the device and then install SteamOS.

1. Download the recovery image here (click).
   
2. Prepare a USB key (8GB minimum) with the recovery image:
   
   • On Windows we recommend using the Rufus utility. Select the recovery file and write it to your USB drive (this will format the contents of your USB drive). When it's done, select 'Close' and eject the drive.
     
   • On MacOS you can use Balena Etcher to write the recovery file to your USB drive.
     
   • On Linux you can also use Balena Etcher to write the recovery file to your USB drive - or if you prefer you can do this directly from the command line:
     bzcat steamdeck-recovery-4.img.bz2 | sudo dd if=/dev/stdin of=/dev/sdX oflag=sync status=progress bs=128M (set /dev/sdX to the USB device you inserted)
   
   
3. Use a USB-C adapter or hub to plug the boot disk in.
   
4. Shut down your Steam Deck if it isn't already off. Hold 'Volume Down' and click the Power Button - when you hear the chime, let go of the Volume Down button, and you'll be booted into the Boot Manager.
   
5. In the Boot Manager, boot from the 'EFI USB Device' (your USB key)
   
6. The screen will go dark while it's booting - give it a minute.
   
7. Once booted you will be in a desktop environment, you can navigate using the trackpad and trigger.
   

Recovery options via Image

In the recovery environment, there are four different options to choose from.

• Re-image Steam Deck - This performs a full factory reset - all user info, installed games, applications, or operating systems will be wiped and replaced with stock SteamOS.
  
• Clear local user data - This reformats the home partitions on your Steam Deck, which will remove downloaded games and all personal content stored on this Deck, including system configuration.
  
• Reinstall Steam OS - This will reinstall SteamOS on the Steam Deck, while attempting to preserve your games and personal content.
  
• Recovery tools - This opens a prompt with the ability to make changes to the Steam Deck boot partition.