How To Enable SSH On The Steam Deck

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• Steps For Enabling SSH On The Steam Deck

• How To Use SSH To Connect To The Steam Deck

The Steam Deck's versatility extends beyond gaming, serving as a portable PC powerhouse. Its desktop mode unlocks numerous possibilities, including remote access to its internal storage. This is where Secure Shell (SSH) comes in handy. SSH provides a secure way to access your Steam Deck's files remotely. This guide will walk you through enabling and using SSH on your Steam Deck.

Steps For Enabling SSH On The Steam Deck

Enabling SSH on your Steam Deck is straightforward:

1. Power on your Steam Deck.
2. Press the Steam button.
3. Navigate to Settings > System > System Settings > Enable Developer Mode.
4. Press the Steam button.
5. Select Power > Switch to Desktop Mode.
6. Open Konsole from the Start menu.
7. If you haven't already, set a password using the command: passwd. Follow the prompts to create a strong password.
8. Enable SSH with the command: sudo systemctl start sshd. To ensure SSH starts automatically after a reboot, use: sudo systemctl enable sshd.
9. With SSH enabled, you can now access your Steam Deck remotely using any SSH client.

Important: Avoid modifying or deleting system files to prevent OS corruption.

How To Disable SSH On The Steam Deck

To disable SSH:

1. Open Konsole from the Start menu.
2. Use the command sudo systemctl disable sshd to prevent SSH from starting automatically on reboot. To immediately stop the SSH service, use sudo systemctl stop sshd.

How To Use SSH To Connect To The Steam Deck

After enabling SSH, you can use a third-party application like Warpinator for remote file transfer. 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 directly access your Steam Deck's files through your file manager. Simply enter sftp://deck@steamdeck in the address bar and provide the password you set earlier.