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The Steam Deck's versatility extends beyond gaming, offering a portable PC experience. Its desktop mode allows access to internal storage, making remote file access a valuable feature. Leveraging Secure Shell (SSH), a secure remote access protocol, is straightforward on the Steam Deck's Linux operating system, though many users aren't familiar with the process. This guide details enabling and using SSH on your Steam Deck.
Steps For Enabling SSH On The Steam Deck
Enabling SSH on your Steam Deck is easy:
- Power on your Steam Deck.
- Press the Steam button, navigate to Settings > System > System Settings, and enable Developer Mode.
- Press the Steam button again, select Power > Switch to Desktop Mode.
- Open Konsole from the Start menu.
- Set a password (if you haven't already) using the command:
passwd. Follow the prompts to create a strong password. - Enable SSH with the command:
sudo systemctl start sshd. To ensure SSH starts automatically after a reboot, use:sudo systemctl enable sshd. - Once enabled, you can access your Steam Deck remotely using any SSH client.
Important: Avoid modifying or deleting system files to prevent operating system corruption.
How To Disable SSH On The Steam Deck
To disable SSH:
- Open Konsole from the Start menu.
- Use
sudo systemctl disable sshdto prevent SSH from starting automatically on reboot, orsudo systemctl stop sshdto immediately stop the SSH service.
How To Use SSH To Connect To The Steam Deck
With SSH enabled, you can access your Steam Deck remotely. Warpinator is a convenient third-party application for transferring files between your Steam Deck and other devices. Install Warpinator on both your Steam Deck and your PC, then launch it on both devices simultaneously for easy file transfers.
Alternatively, if you're using a Linux PC, you can connect directly through your file manager. Simply enter sftp://deck@steamdeck in the address bar and provide the password you set earlier.
